When Sharon La Cruise embarked on the journey to make the documentary film “Daisy Bates: First Lady of Little Rock,” she had no idea how invested she’d become in the life of Bates. La Cruise came to the Clinton School last week to discuss what it takes to make a documentary and answer questions about her new film.
La Cruise said she received a lot of questions about why she chose Bates as the subject for her film. She answered that Bates was an interesting and powerful woman who held a unique position in society at a time when women, especially black women, were taught to stay at home.
After learning more about the civil rights figure, La Cruise said she found Bates to be a complex figure. The filmmaker reflected that she found out Bates was “imperfect, just like me” which made her relatable to the average viewer.
La Cruise emphasized the importance of supporting documentary films and their filmmakers. Though they are expensive to make, documentary films are necessary to educate the public, she said. She is now working to integrate the film into public school curriculums.
Films that will hold young people’s interests while teaching them valuable, important knowledge are needed, and La Cruise is helping shape that curriculum, and is happy to share the Daisy Bates story with her audience, she said.
*This post was written by Clinton School student Maggie Carroll (’13).