American documentary filmmaker Frank Popper presents "Gentlemen of Vision" across Kyrgyzstan

Bishkek, Sept. 13, 2019 / Kabar /. The U.S. Embassy in the Kyrgyz Republic, in partnership with the American Film Showcase (AFS), will host documentary filmmaker and director, Frank Popper, for a series of screenings and discussions about his documentary film, Gentlemen of Vision. From September 16-21, 2019, screenings will be held at the American University of Central Asia and American Spaces throughout the Kyrgyz Republic.
Gentlemen of Vision depicts the struggles and successes of the dance group, Gentlemen of Vision. For many of the dance team members, this is their senior year of high school and the last chance to achieve their goal of winning two major national dance competitions.
Director Franklyn Delano Popper has over twenty years of experience editing, shooting and producing films, including documentaries. His feature documentary debut, Can Mr. Smith Get to Washington Anymore? (2006) won the American Film Institute Docs (Silverdocs) Audience Award; was an International Documentary Association Finalist, Best Feature; made the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences shortlist for the documentary feature; won a Special Jury Prize at the International Human Rights Film Festival of Paris; and aired on U.S. television program, PBS Independent Lens. Popper filmed the feature documentary Eroica! (2003) which also aired on Independent Lens. Gentlemen of Vision is his third documentary feature.
The U.S. Embassy-supported American Film Showcase brings award-winning contemporary American documentaries, independent fiction films, and documentary know-how to audiences around the world, offering a view of American society and culture as seen by independent filmmakers. It is a partnership between the Department od State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts to engage international audiences through American film.
The U.S. Embassy in the Kyrgyz Republic has invited Frank Popper to travel from the United States to present his documentary Gentlemen of Vision at the American Spaces in Bishkek, Kant, Karakol, Jalal-Abad, Naryn and Osh, as well as at the American University of Central Asia. The film documents the challenges of a high school counselor determined to save the lives of young men from the violence of the streets through dance.