Bob Hercules ’79 sees Maya Angelou film selected for 2016 Sundance Film Festival

Bob Hercules, co-director Rita Coburn Whack and Director of Photography Keith Walker with Dr. Angelou in 2014.

Bob Hercules, co-director Rita Coburn Whack and Director of Photography Keith Walker with Dr. Angelou in 2014.

Olga Bonfiglio
College of Arts and Sciences Staff Writer

Bob Hercules’ new film, Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise, was selected for this year's Sundance Film Festival, which premiered there on January 26.  

“It is an incredible honor to have been chosen and I am humbled by it,” said Hercules.

The film is co-directed by Bob Hercules and Rita Coburn Whack. It will also air on the PBS series, American Masters, in fall 2016.

Dr. Angelou has become a global symbol of peace, humility, and freedom—but parts of her story are not well known, says the website on the film. The Maya Angelou documentary will reflect on how the events of history, culture, and the arts shaped Angelou’s life and how she, in turn, helped shape Americans’ worldview through her autobiographical literature and activism. The filmmaking team hopes to shed light on the untold aspects of her life and to educate audiences about her story.

“It is every filmmakers dream to have their film accepted into the Sundance Film Festival so, for me, it's a dream come true,” said Hercules. “After four years of work on the film it's incredibly gratifying that it will premiere in such a prestigious festival. And, of course, it was a tremendous honor to have made the very first film about the incomparable Maya Angelou. I cherish the time I spent with her, and I hope the film will inspire people to overcome their own obstacles just as Dr. Angelou did with such grace.”

Bob Hercules is an independent filmmaker whose recent films include Joffrey: Mavericks of American Dance and Bill T. Jones: A Good Man. The Joffrey film, narrated by Mandy Patinkin, tells the full story of the groundbreaking ballet company and their many rises and falls. It premiered in January 2012 at the Dance on Camera Film Festival at Lincoln Center and aired on PBS’ American Masters December, 2012.  A Good Man aired on American Masters in 2011 and played at many film festivals including IDFA, Silverdocs, Full Frame, DOXA and the Southern Circuit. Hercules’ acclaimed Forgiving Dr. Mengele (2005) won the Special Jury Prize at the Slamdance Film Festival and has been seen in film festivals around the world.

Hercules’ hometown is Gaylord, MI. At WMU he majored in telecommunications and minored in fiction writing.