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Logline

With the passing of the patriarch and the baton, unlikely heirs at odds clamor to keep the familial torch lit while unpacking the untold legacy of their dearly departed in a journey spanning over 50 years from Panama to Chicago.

Synopsis

Cirilo McSween Sr. is a patriarch, a man of many talents and accomplishments. Born in extreme poverty and migrating to the US from Panama at the height of Jim Crow in the 1950s on a track and field scholarship, his journey over the next fifty years would include serving as a confidant to Martin Luther King, Jr, and Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr amid the Civil Rights Movement, supporting the effort to return the Panama Canal to Panama, and becoming a part of the rising Black business elite class in Chicago.

As remarkable as a legacy that it is and could be, Cirilo’s story is relatively unknown beyond the remaining griots alive to tell his story. When he passed away in 2008, Cirilo left behind an unlikely trio of heirs: a son, a grandson, and a godson.

With renewed interest in the history of the family’s patriarch coming into focus between the Americas, the three heirs reflect on the past, present, and future of the legacy of the man they all loved, realizing in many ways Cirilo Sr. passed the baton to them. As unlikely heirs, they’re hopeful they can finish Cirilo’s race.
 

Meet the Filmmakers

Justin O. Cooper – Director/Producer
Justin O. Cooper is the CEO of JOCMedia & Entertainment and a multi-hyphenate—a director, producer, writer, and editor. His knack for storytelling can be traced to his early career as a human interest and lifestyle journalist. Well-versed in international physical production and film incentives as a consultant for The Royal Film Commission-Jordan, he promotes the Kingdom of Jordan to Hollywood studios, networks, executives, and producers interested in shooting abroad. Cooper’s efforts led to and supported notable projects, including Aladdin (Walt Disney Studios), Star Wars: Ep. 9 – The Rise of Skywalker (Lucasfilm Ltd.), Dune (Legendary Entertainment), SEAL Team (Paramount+), and others. Additionally, Cooper writes, produces, and edits industrial and national TV commercial campaigns for multiple business divisions for Fortune 100 company New York Life Insurance. Earlier in his career, he was a highly sought film liaison for Southern Regional Medical Center in Metro Atlanta, where he managed on-location production logistics for films and TV series from What to Expect When You’re Expecting, Ride Along, Project Almanac, Million Dollar Arm, Being Mary Jane, to Necessary Roughness which aided him in building a foundation for coordinating complex film & TV productions on location. As of 2023, he is listed on the Industry Experience Roster, IATSE Local #700 (Motion Picture Editors Guild) in the classification Assistant Editor. Cooper is also developing an unscripted true-crime reality series, Courting Sobriety, and a sports/political-inspired limited series drama, Encroachment.

Brittany DeVries – Producer
Brittany DeVries is a producer and founder of Seedling Media Productions in Panama. With over 10 years of producing experience, she has produced award-winning documentaries Dear Panama, A World Without Orphans, and Lost Kites. She is an associate producer of the feature film Rita and producer of the crime/thriller Chacaleria (a Panama Film Fund winner) to be released mid-2024. Projects that are currently in development that she is producing include the feature films Pending File (Stowe Story Lab Selection) and Scars of an Orphan.

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Contact

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