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‘The Debutantes’: NBC News Studios Partners With Westbrook Studios And BET Studios On New Documentary About The Tradition Of Black Cotillion In America’s Heartland
NBC News Studios today announced it has partnered with Westbrook Studios and BET Studios to co-produce the feature documentary The Debutantes.
Long considered a symbol of middle class respectability, a new generation of Black girls, many growing up in a post-industrial, low-income community, must decide how much of this legacy they will embrace as a pathway to traditional ideas of advancement and success. Through immersive cinema verite, archival imagery, personal video diaries and Tik Tok dance montages, the film introduces three main characters; Amelia, Dedra and Teylar, as they navigate issues of identity and gender norms, and grapple with the question of whether they must act and present in a certain way in order to realize their dreams of being the first in their family to go to college, or to become doctors or successful entrepreneurs. “Debutante pageants have played an integral role in Black society dating back hundreds of years and through the riveting storytelling of director Contessa Gayles, we celebrate the importance of this legacy through the lens of a new generation.”
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