Give Me the Backstory: Get to Know Titus Kaphar, the Filmmaker Behind Exhibiting Forgiveness

By Bailey Pennick

One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Festival is having a front-row seat for the bright future of independent filmmaking. While we can learn a lot about the filmmakers from the 2024 Sundance Film Festival through the art that these storytellers share with us, there's always more we can learn about them as people. This year, we decided to get to the bottom of those artistic wells with our ongoing series: Give Me the Backstory!

I told Andr Holland that if he wanted this role, he had to learn how to paint, Titus Kaphar says. I didn't want him holding the brush as though it was his first time. I needed to fully believe that every canvas made in this film was made with his hands. Tarrell (the protagonist of Kaphar's feature debut) is a world renowned visual artist, not unlike the writer-director himself, so this level of authenticity was crucial.

Holland (Moonlight, The Knick) was more than up for the task, inhabiting the artistry and truth necessary for Exhibiting Forgiveness to shine. The film, which premiered in the U.S. Dramatic Competition section of the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, dives into issues of generational trauma, drug addiction, reconciliation, grief, and more, against a striking backdrop of powerful paintings.

We spent over three months together, Kaphar recalls, once he and Holland jumped into making the film together. He made frequent visits to my studio for his lessons. He read the books that I gave him. He made sketches. He made paintings. And in the end, he gave us insight into the creative process that I have rarely seen on the screen.

Read on to learn more about Kaphar's process, who he wants to reach with Exhibiting Forgiveness, and what he's doing when he's not making films.

LINK:	https://www.sundance.org/blogs/give-me-the-back-story-get-to-know-titu...
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