''America's Dream'' is a 1996 American

made-for-television A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made fo ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

directed by

Kevin Rodney Sullivan Kevin Rodney Sullivan (born August 3, 1958) is an American film and television actor and film director. Early life and acting career Sullivan is a native of San Francisco who began his career as a child actor. He grew up in St. Francis Square in ...

Bill Duke William Henry Duke Jr. (born February 26, 1943) is an American actor and film director. Known for his physically imposing frame, Duke works primarily in the action and crime drama genres often as a character related to law enforcement. Frequently ...

, and

Paris Barclay Paris K. C. Barclay (born June 30, 1956) is an American television director, producer, and writer. He is a two-time Emmy Award winner and is among the busiest single-camera television directors, having directed nearly 200 episodes of television ...

, and written by Ron Stacker Thompson and Ashley Tyler. It is based on the short stories "Long Black Song" by Richard Wright, "The Boy Who Painted Christ Black" by

John Henrik Clarke John Henrik Clarke (born John Henry Clark; January 1, 1915 - July 16, 1998) was an African-American historian, professor, and pioneer in the creation of Pan-African and Africana studies and professional institutions in academia starting in the ...

, and "The Reunion" by Maya Angelou. The film stars Danny Glover,

Wesley Snipes Wesley Trent Snipes (born July 31, 1962) is an American actor, film producer, and martial artist. His prominent film roles include '' Major League'' (1989), ''New Jack City'' (1991), '' White Men Can't Jump'' (1992), '' Passenger 57'' (1992), '' ...

Lorraine Toussaint Lorraine Toussaint () is a Trinidadian-American actress. She is the recipient of various accolades, including a Black Reel Award, a Critics' Choice Television Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award. Toussaint began her career in theatre before ...

Tate Donovan Tate Buckley Donovan (born September 25, 1963) is an American actor, comedian and television director. He is known for portraying Tom Shayes in ''Damages'', Jimmy Cooper in '' The O.C.'', and the voice of the title character in the 1997 Disney ...

Norman D. Golden II Norman D. Golden II (born April 7, 1984) is an American former actor best known for his performance in the 1993 film ''Cop and a Half'' as Devon Butler. He is also a rapper who goes by the name of Enormus. Career In 1992, Golden became a series ...

Susanna Thompson Susanna Thompson (born January 27, 1958) is an American actress. She is known for her roles in films '' Little Giants'' (1994), '' Ghosts of Mississippi'' (1996), ''Random Hearts'' (1999) and ''Dragonfly'' (2002). On television, Thompson played Dr ...

and

Jasmine Guy Jasmine Guy (born March 10, 1962) is an American actress, director, singer and dancer. She is known for her role as Dina in the 1988 film ''School Daze'' and as Whitley Gilbert-Wayne on the NBC ''The Cosby Show'' spin-off ''A Different World'', ...

. It premiered on HBO on February 17, 1996.

Plot

A talented young African American student presents his teacher with one of his paintings on her birthday. There are gasps of shock as the painting is revealed to be of Christ on the cross, a Christ who is black. The teacher accepts the painting graciously, and when the end of the year arrives, it is displayed with all the rest of the artwork produced in the school that year. The final ceremony is attended by the white superintendent of the area, who presides happily over proceedings. All is well until he examines the work on display.

Cast

References

External links

* {{NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special 1996 television films 1996 films 1996 drama films 1990s American films 1990s English-language films African-American drama films American drama television films Films directed by Paris Barclay Films directed by Bill Duke Films directed by Kevin Rodney Sullivan Films based on American short stories Films based on multiple works HBO Films films Television films based on short fiction