American Promise

Name: American Promise
Director: Joe Brewster
Released: 2013

Joe Brewster 2013

AMERICAN PROMISE spans 12 years in the lives of two middle class black families as they navigate their family experience when they choose to send their two young sons to a prestigious Manhattan private school. With a sharp and merciless camera, filmmakers/parents Joe and Michele intimately document the struggles as these talented boys deal with stereotypes and identity issues, while their parents juggle high expectations against the social and cultural obstacles their sons face. Convinced that education is the key to success in the 21st century, these families make enormous sacrifices for an elite education. But will the rewards be there?

Add to Playlist

Add Bookmark

Bookmark List

Play Trailer

Running Time:

125/80/50/20 min.

Spoken Languages:

English

Subtitles:

English

Directors:

Joe Brewster

Producers:

Joe Brewster, Michele Stephenson

Production Companies:

Rada Film Group

Press

The Hollywood Reporter

"This MASSIVE UNDERTAKING, culled from more than 800 hours of footage, illuminates the mistakes, the challenges and the personal growth of not only the two boys, but of the parents as well."
The Washington Post

"...DAZZLING...an engrossing portrait of modern parenting."
Rogerebert.com

"An extraordinary documentary about race, family and education that's at once epic and intimate."
The Los Angeles Times

"...intimate look at how particular families deal with the great parental challenges of shepherding their children through the all-important educational experience."

Festival Participation

Sundance Film Festival - 2013
Winner - Jury Award

Additional Materials

Distribution Company

Back to Film Summary

This Week’s Featured Films

A ship goes down outside the coast of West Africa. Everyone on board is drowning - except the ship's cook. Stranded in a small pocket of air in the water to his neck, deep inside the ship's wreck, how much time can he stay alive at the bottom of the ocean?
The road to eliminating poverty begins with her.
Fresh from their Nobel Prize win, mRNA pioneers race against time to develop new cures for cancer, HIV, and other deadly diseases, in this gripping documentary.
The Thinking Game chronicles the extraordinary life of Demis Hassabis, a visionary scientist on a relentless quest to solve the enigma of artificial general intelligence (AGI).
A heartfelt look at love, family, and resilience in the face of early-onset Alzheimer’s, told through the personal journey of Lauren Miller Rogen and Seth Rogen.
The Reimagination of the Corporation will tell the story of two Renaissances—the one of the 15th century and the one that is coming in the business world. Who will ignite the 21st Century Renaissance?
The Here Now Project weaves together in-the-moment, self-shot footage from 2021—no narration, no talking heads—to create an unprecedented visual diary of the impact climate change is already having on ordinary people around the world.
A political thriller that that goes inside the U.S. fundamentalist Evangelicals, revealing their power and influence on U.S. foreign policy, as they aim to fulfill the Armageddon prophecy and ultimately destroy our civilization.
A one-hour documentary that delves into the science of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and the birth of a new movement to treat and prevent toxic stress.