When you create a movie like thatwith a black cast, which depicts mostly black peopleyou have to assume we, people of color, are your main audience. I felt it was pretty accurate in the sense that it depicted how modern-day pledging has lost its way; although being a member of an organization brings status and a network, is it worth the loss of self-dignity and respect? Given that Burning Sands takes place at Frederick Douglass University, its apt that Douglasss prose is a constant presence, be it in dialogue between Zurich and Hughes, or in Zurichs own narration. FRANK SANDS OBITUARY Sands Sr., Frank Melville Age 82 Frank Melville Sands Sr, 82 years old, passed away peacefully at his home surrounded by family on March 18, 2021. Generations have benefited from the Divine Nines leadership, scholarship and charity. My grandfather, uncle and cousin are members of Kappa Alpha Psi (Rev. He lived and died, quite literally, for his profession as an actor, but there was a side that few outside celebrity circles knewFrank Sutton the cultured Ivy League grad and serious student of theatre history. No. The pledges in the film were hazed, appeared to have been taught nothing during their process, and seemed to have shallow reasons for wanting to join in the first place. I also thought it was powerful to show the pledges reaching out to members of the organizations who were in different stages of post-undergraduate life. It currently holds an 87% approval rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, based on 23 reviews, with an average rating of 7.1/10. I absolutely love everything about it. Among black fraternities and sororities, there is the saying, Its harder once you make it across the burning sands. There were things that resonated like the impact of professors who care about your well-being and take the time to advise you outside of the classroom. Director Gerard McMurray Writers Christine T. Berg Gerard McMurray Stars Trevor Jackson Tosin Cole DeRon Horton See production, box office & company info Watch on Netflix with subscription How do you feel about the way in which BGLOs experience was portrayed in this movie?I think it gave a snapshot of what pledging can look like. 7 min read. Two years later, two Virginia State University students Jauwan Holmes and Marvell Edmonson drowned during an initiation ritual for an unsanctioned group called Men of Honor. We posed the question: Have you been hazed?. I was mostly let down by the lack of visibility of black sororities in the movie. This time around, Sands, a human rights lawyer, follows the trail of a big fish who was never caught: Otto Wchter, a high-ranking Nazi . To me, it was very one-dimensional and flat in depicting what it is like to actually be pledging at an HBCU. Even when its plot trajectory seems more than a bit predictable, McMurrays film proves a shrewd snapshot of fraternity life that, encapsulated by a scene in which Rhodes Fernander is branded on the stomach by his brothers and reacts by jumping around with his friends in both agony and ecstasy, understands that frat life can beget both pleasure and pain, often in the same moment. It was a very creative and collaborative process.. This may be the only peek into Greek life for some people, and you don't want it to be blanketed by stereotypes. Burning Sands is a 2017 American drama film, directed by Gerard McMurray, from a screenplay by McMurray and Christine Berg. What would you have changed about the film?I would have liked to get deeper into the conversations of why the pledges were dealing with it and what was stopping them truly from either saying something in the moment or something to someone after. It sent the message that HBCUs are only about Greek Organizations, sex, and parties, which is not true at all. Aaron Paxton Arnold is a keynote speaker, national media contributor and founder of MusicIsMyBusiness. It would have helped give balance to the film. Drama Deep into Hell Week, a favored pledgee is torn between honoring his code of silence or standing up against the intensifying violence of underground hazing. Branden Bufford, Howard University '11, Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc. What was your initial reaction after watching Burning Sands?I was disgusted by the process, but also not naive to that the fact that somenot allof these activities still take place. What would you have changed about the film?There needed to be more light shed on the different aspects of the pledge process and the members already in the organization. The story is told through the eyes of a black fraternity pledge. Philip Lewis, Michigan State University '13, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. What was your initial reaction after watching Burning Sands?That there is a distinction between pledging and hazing. It was triggering. But its the reference to slave-owners methodsat the start of a story about African-American men doing analogous, terrible things to other African-American menwhich hovers over the remainder of the proceedings. They hurried a. A lot of people fail to realize you have to meet a certain criteria academically and have a good standing within your community before your application is even considered. Trevor Jackson (American Crime) stars as Zurich, a bright and outgoing pre-med student determined to successfully pledge the fictional Lambda Phi fraternity at his historically black college. Upholding the illustrious principles of BGLO's doesn't just start after a person becomes a member. In The Burning Maze, the third book in The Trials of Apollo, Jason Grace is killed by Emperor Caligula while in battle. I couldnt help but think about the Jay Z song Get Your Mind Right Mami, in which he exclaims, Its a secret society, all we ask is trust. I do think it was a missed opportunity to give a more rounded portrayal of black greek organizations even though there were a few scenes that did that. Between 2 Sistas: Burning Sands Review! As a member of a Black Greek Letter Organization, were you personally offended at any point during the film? What about the positive forums or the community service or the leadership? It was a hyper-exaggerated mess. As a member of a Black Greek Letter Organization, were you personally offended at any point during the film? McMurray was inspired to write "Burning Sands" after the hazing death of Florida A&M University drum major Robert Champion in 2011. Replace art with better scans where needed. Lauren Babb, American University '14, former member of Delta Sigma Theta. The world can be a cruel place and growing up as a black man or woman is exponentially harder. black Greek life and mystique are based on secrecy and discretion. Get this thrilling post-apocalyptic series and see what lies Across Burning Sands. Only ten per cent believed they had taken part in the practice, but the number who went through drinking, sexual simulation, beatings, forced shoplifting, was over 50 per cent. Patrick Jackson, Morehouse College '11, Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity and Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity. I say that because I look at a movie like School Daze that truly encompassed what it was like being a student at an HBCU. I actually received a 4.0 GPA while I was pledging. Although badly burned and wounded, both 35-year-old master carpenter Billy Weston, who had built Taliesin, and landscape gardener David Lindblom managed to escape with Fritz. By subscribing to this BDG newsletter, you agree to our. Trevor Duffy (2014): Died of acute alcohol poisoning when forced to down 1.5litres of vodka. Moreover, in the escalating nastiness that Zurich and his friends are forced to endureleading to broken ribs for Zurich, and doubts about whether undergoing such an ordeal makes senseit continually raises the thorny issue of whether all this hazing is an example of African-Americans embracing the strategies of their former slave-era oppressors (and their white college counterparts) for similar supremacy-asserting reasons. LBS Promo. In this case, I will be referring to Frank Zhang, our favorite son of Mars! I didnt know how I would handle a woman of her caliber. At 2:05 a.m. on Nov. 26, 1996, a gathered crowd cheered with an early morning raucousness known only to the not-so-sober as charges went off in rapid succession up and down the 17-story tower of. As a member of a Black Greek Letter Organization, were you personally offended at any point during the film? What was your initial reaction after watching BurningSands?Well, before I watched the film I had a pretty visceral reaction to the trailer. It sent the message that when you join Greek Letter Organizations you fail in your classes, which is also not true. As I always like to say, Its deeper than rap lyrics, which refers to when theres a beef between two hip-hop artists and the beef goes beyond the actual song as in Remy Ma vs. Nicki Minaj. I was embarrassed because, as a proud member of a BGLO, movies like this erase any respectful thoughts my wife had of my fraternity experience. BurningSands director said that he wanted to use the movie to start a conversation about a call to action to stop hazing. The 19-year-old had been forcedto take part in an 18-mile hike through the mountainous terrain North-East of Los Angeles, without footwear or an adequate water supply. All of us had at least a passing interest in Burning Sands, a film that turns the pledge process into a stressful . They are: The first kingdom players start their conquest in the Great Empire. 77 were here. There was so much to be said about this experience that the film itself just seemed rushed and paced wrong. Burning Sands By Frank Touby Rated 5.00 / 5 based on 1 review Before the catastrophic BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico all earth was threatened by the oil disaster in the Persian Gulf over 700 oil wells were set on fire by Saddam Hussein. Burning sands; Other Title Fox trot Summary . And this is true, because now you have a chapter and committees to run. Contrary to popular belief Greek organizations are more than popularity and step shows. However, for those of us who don't operate on that level, we must begin to question our own actions and if we are truly embodying what our founders created these fraternities and sororities for in the first place. In the spring of 1981, a hunger strike involving an IRA prisoner became a story that caught the world's attention. 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