By Andrew Tucker, College of Fine Arts and Communication Office
CONWAY— Kevin Willmott, a film director and screenwriter, who collaborated with Spike Lee in writing BlacKkKlansman, will host a screening of the film while on the University of Central Arkansas campus April 8th as an Artist in Residence. The film won an Oscar and a BAFTA for Best Adapted Screenplay.
The screening, followed by a Q&A with Willmott, will be from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. in McCastlain Hall Ballroom.
Willmott, a repeat collaborator with Spike Lee, is a professor of film at the University of Kansas. He is also known for writing and directing Ninth Street, C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America, Bunker Hill, and The Only Good Indian.
“It is a great opportunity for our students to meet and work with an accomplished filmmaker like Kevin Willmott,” said Mike Gunter, chair of the Department of Film, Theatre, and Creative Writing. “As a playwright, screenwriter, director, and educator Kevin has a lot to offer our students and his visit will be a great addition to our artist in residence program.”
Wilmott grew up in Junction City, Kansas and received a B.A. in Drama from Marymount College. He received a M.F.A. in Dramatic Writing from New York University, Tisch School of the Arts. He also won the Best Director award at the American Indian Film Festival with The Only Good Indian.
Willmott’s remaining schedule while on the UCA campus includes:
- 11:00-11:50 a.m. – Undergraduate Workshop: Playwriting/Screenwriting in Win Thompson Hall room 331.
- 12:00-1:15 p.m. – Graduate Workshop: Film Production in Stanley Russ Hall room 208.
- 1:30-2:45 p.m. – Symposium: African American Cinema and Spike Lee in Stanley Russ Hall room 103. This event is free and open to the public.
- 4:00-5:30 p.m. – Masterclass: Screenwriting in Stanley Russ Hall room 103.
The UCA College of Fine Arts and Communication includes the Departments of Art, Music, and Film, Theatre and Creative Writing, as well as the School of Communication. The college’s primary mission is the preparation of the next generation of artists, educators and communicators. For more information about CFAC, visit www.uca.edu/cfac or call 501-450-3293.
Latest news in Conway and for Conway Scene.