Perseverance and Determination
“Photography saved my life. Photography’s changed my life.”
George McKenzie Jr.’s first words in The Book of George, delivered after a heartfelt pause, set the tone for the story that unfolds in this short documentary.
McKenzie’s life—from his youth on the violent streets of Brooklyn to his current status as an award-winning filmmaker and conservation photographer—is an inspiring one of perseverence and determination.
Director Danny Schmidt chooses to focus on McKenzie’s reflections on his life and career to show us the man behind the camera, with help from evocative cinematography by Chris Naum and a sensitive score composed by Gregory Johnson.
Schmidt allows us only snippets of McKenzie’s beautiful work, however, which forces those of us wowed by these brief glimpses to search him out on the Internet and Instagram.
McKenzie is candid about one of the reasons he chose wildlife photography: he didn’t see anyone who looked like him in the field. He originally was inspired by world renowned photographer and wildlife filmmaker Charlie Hamilton James.
“Charlie weaponized my ability to dream,” McKenzie says. And that’s what The Book of George is about: dreams, transformation, and the imagination and tenacity it takes to accomplish both.
The Book of George (15 minutes, USA, rated R, in English) is one of five short films (including The Baddest Speechwriter of All, The Boys and the Bees, Food for the Soul, and ¡Que Suene la Banda!) screening during Stay True, programmed by R.A.C.E Matters SLO as part of the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival April 23-28.