The disregard of Black life in pursuit of the American dream is ingrained in our history. Lee presents it in technicolor for audiences in this film.
Director Stefon Bristol Talks His Majestic and Very Black Debut Feature 'See You Yesterday' [Tribeca Interview]
Filmmaker Stefon Bristol has always been drawn to sci-fi and superhero genres. While audiences have relished in the escapism elements of these genres since Georges Méliès' 1902 sci-fi flick A Trip to the Moon, Bristol was enticed by them for their capacity to be more than escapism for Black viewers.
In the age of Black Lives Matter, Bristol's debut feature film See You Yesterday uses time travel to empower Black youth to deal with trauma in their community. See You Yesterday follows besties C.J. (Eden Duncan-Smith) and Sebastian Thomas (Danté Crichlow), two Brooklyn kids who uncover the secret for time traveling while working on a school science project. The duo put their newfound knowledge to work when the police murder C.J.'s older brother, Calvin (Brian "Astro" Bradley).
Bristol originally produced See You Yesterday as a short film to great acclaim for his graduate school thesis at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, where Spike Lee was his professor and mentor. Now, with Lee as a producer, Bristol has expanded the short into the feature film for Netflix that premiered at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival.
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