Students from Wichita’s Gordon Parks Academy are making their big screen debut at the Tallgrass Film Festival in a movie called "I Needed Paris." It chronicles their overseas trip, touring places visited by famed photographer and filmmaker Gordon Parks during his assignment in Paris while he photographed fashion and street scenes. It’s all part of an ongoing effort by college professor, Michael Cheers, to teach youth about the significance of Parks’ legacy.
Cheers was a 17-year-old budding reporter in St. Louis assigned to cover Gordon Parks for his high school newspaper following the premiere of Park's 1971 movie, "Shaft."
"[I had] my little note book and pen, and after the movie, [Parks was] in the lobby and I walk up to him. I interviewed him and then I asked the man if I could have his phone number. I didn't want his autograph — I just wanted his phone number to keep in touch with him. [He] gave it to me [and] told me I could call him any time."
Out of a chance encounter began a mentorship between Parks and Cheers.
"...that grew into a friendship and we remained close, over three and a half decades up to his death."
Cheer says Parks mentored him on a lot of his projects. Parks wrote the introduction to one of Cheer’s books and traveled on a book tour with him. Cheers also took Parks, and his daughter Leslie, to South Africa with him.
"He used to cook for me ... I was living in DC at the time and Gordon would call me in the middle of the week and say, "Mike what are you doing on Friday?" I’d say, "I don’t know." He said, "Why don’t you take a train and come up I want to cook for you.
"[He would cook] fish, vegetables, and I would, of course, pick up his favorite red wine and we would just sit and talk pictures. He would show me his work [into the] wee hours of the morning. Yeah, that's the sort of mentoring that I had. And so after Gordon passed in 2006, I just felt that it was important that whatever I could do in my career to help pass on his legacy, I would, and young people need to know."
Cheers, who is a professor of photojournalism at San Jose State University, has worked many years in the field, including working at Johnson Publishing — known for Ebony and Jet magazines. He works closely with the Gordon Parks Museum in Ft. Scott, Kansas, which fuels his passion for outreach. He eventually connected with Wichita’s Gordon Parks Academy staff and students to set up the Paris trip in May. The film documents students, including Myles Hecox, Abbigail Bean and Christian Londono-Cox, strolling through Paris with their cameras.
“I felt like Gordon Parks when I was going through the Parisian streets, Parisian neighborhoods, seeing things that Gordon Parks did," said Myles Hecox. "It was just innovating, motivating ... all the above. I can not imagine a better experience than that."
"One thing that I liked ... was that I was able to follow in [Parks'] footsteps and take photos where he did and how I was able to take examples from it, like my photo by the Eiffel Tower, I was able to take a photo of people there," said Abbigail Bean.
"It was amazing, the architecture, out of this world. I’ve got to hand it to the French, they know what to do when it comes to architecture, and I took pictures of the architecture art," said Christian Londono-Cox. "That is what I was focused on, and I did a [little] street photography. This opportunity was once and a lifetime and so, whew ... I’m still holding back emotions."
Teacher Mary Del Vecchio-Floro said that the academy had never done anything like this before and that she wanted to continue to offer something like it, especially since many of the students don't usually get opportunities like this.
"It was the opportunity to feel as though they were walking in the footsteps of Gordon Parks," said Del Vecchio-Floro. "That’s an honor, and to meet professionals and to walk side by side with them and feel special doing that. And then ... [to] have themselves highlighted in this way and then for their friends to see them on the screen and say, 'I know them! I can do that too,' is pretty amazing for anyone at any age.
Cheers sponsored student Delvyn Thomas, who also went on the trip. He won 2nd place in a Gordon Parks Museum photography contest. Thomas was excited about the trip and enjoys studying Parks.
“I appreciate the way Gordon Parks went out of his way to help other people instead of just taking photos of random things," said Delvyn Thomas. "He just took pictures to help people see how other people were living.”
Pictures that tell a story. A story that Cheers will continue to tell about Gordon Parks on and off the silver screen.
"I’m in a classroom every day and I mention Gordon Parks sometimes. ...These kids don’t have an idea who I’m talking about. That’s disturbing to me, you know, so I’m just doing my little bit.
"I Needed Paris" screens on Thursday, October 24, at 11:00 am at the Century II Mary Teall Theater.
Two encore screenings will take place on Saturday, November 9, at the Tallgrass Film Center at 1 pm and 4 pm.
