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Mar 10, 2017 · McMurray is a dues-paying member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, one of the nine historically Black fraternities and sororities that comprise the “Divine 9” organizations within the National...
Feb 24, 2017 · In a new Netflix film titled Burning Sands, co-writer and director Gerard McMurray, who’s a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc., hopes to shed light on HBCUs, Greek organizations and...
- Real Events Influenced The Story
- Jackson Is A Rising Star
- Spike Lee’s School Daze Paved The Way
- Woodard Made Everyone Better
- There Was Backlash
- At Least One University Gave Its Blessings
- Jackson Is Ready to Be Upbeat
McMurray drew from real-life hazing deaths at two different HBCUs. In 2011, a drum major at Florida A&M named Robert Champion died after being beaten and hazed on a bus. Two years later, two Virginia State University students — Jauwan Holmes and Marvell Edmonson — drowned during an initiation ritual for an unsanctioned group called Men of Honor. “I...
If you’ve seen season 2 of American Crime, you know the 20-year-old actor has a commanding presence. His ability to captivate is even stronger in Burning Sands, a film that capitalizes on his strengths. Jackson said he chose this project to convey a message. “We rarely see black people in college,” he said. “You don’t see it on the news or social m...
The 1988 comedic drama School Daze, which Lee wrote and directed, follows the hazing rituals of the fictional Gamma Phi Gamma fraternity. But unlike Burning Sands, the musically driven movie portrays hazing as a rite of passage instead of a life-threatening crossroad. “I include step dancing and the Greek brotherhood just like School Daze,” McMurra...
Woodard, an Emmy Award winner whose credits include Captain America: Civil War and Desperate Housewives, brought a level of gravitas to Burning Sands, McMurray and Jackson said. “I was excited but nervous,” McMurray said. “I didn’t know how I would handle a woman of her caliber. But she was very supportive of me as a first-time director. It was a v...
McMurray said fraternity brothers and others have questioned why he’s tackling the topic of hazing because they think it will tarnish the image of black fraternities and sororities. But the filmmaker disputes that. “If you haven’t seen the whole movie, don’t pass judgment,” the New Orleans native said. “There is more to this movie than hazing. The ...
Because two Virginia State University students died while being hazed four years ago, administrators were all too happy to have McMurray use the school’s campus for the movie. “They want people to see it, especially students, and think about the repercussions of hazing,” McMurray said.
The subject matter behind American Crime and Burning Sandsis very heavy. Now that Jackson has proven he can be portray dramatic roles, he’s ready to tackle a comedy or two, he said. “I love having fun,” Jackson said. “Between takes, Gerard would be like, ‘Trevor, calm down.’ I’m always eating and I’m always happy. I feel like that balances me out. ...
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Mar 17, 2017 · “[Burning Sands] depicts the honor, distinction and dignity promised to the brothers of [the fictional] Lambda Phi just as clearly as it shows the danger in their baptism by fire,” according to Netflix. To my surprise, McMurray, a member of Omega Psi Phi, did a good job showing this.
- Aaron Paxton Arnold
Mar 10, 2017 · The film, directed by Gerard McMurray (a member of Omega Psi Phi who was initiated through Howard’s Alpha Chapter) is centered around a young man pledging a fictional Black fraternity at a fictional HBCU.
Mar 8, 2017 · McMurray and lead actor Trevor Jackson ( American Crime ), spoke with theGrio.com in an exclusive interview about their intentions for the film, and why McMurray, who pledged a black...
Mar 9, 2017 · Gerard McMurray, making his directorial debut, is a member of one of the most popular — and boisterous — of the nine black fraternities and sororities, Omega Psi Phi. The organization is home to such notable figures as Langston Hughes, Steve Harvey, Jesse Jackson Sr. and Jesse Jr., Shaquille O’Neal and Michael Jordan.
