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HBO Max documentary explores public education in NYC, America

Three years ago, John Campbell set out to make a film about education in America. Then he was introduced to Eagle Academy -- a network of all-boys public schools with six locations, including Brooklyn and the Bronx.

News 12 Staff

Dec 31, 2020, 3:28 AM

Updated 1,406 days ago

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A new film set to stream on New Year's Day features the inspiring story involving schools in New York City.
Three years ago, John Campbell set out to make a film about education in America. Then he was introduced to Eagle Academy -- a network of all-boys public schools with six locations, including Brooklyn and the Bronx.
"I said, I think there's a greater story here and maybe we should be focusing on inspiring people about something that's really good and working," says Campbell.
The school was founded by the 100 Black Men organization and David Banks, the president and CEO of the Eagle Academy Foundation. Their mission is to respond to what he calls the crisis impacting primarily Black and Brown boys in New York City.
"With the low graduation rate, so many of these young men get in trouble, wind up populating the criminal justice system and we wanted to show, through our work, that it didn't have to be that way," says Banks.
And that is also the subject matter of the documentary "The Infamous Future," which has been lighting up screens at film festivals for the past year.
The film follows students in the Bronx, particularly teenaged Joshua Perez and his mother Rosa. It also features Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams.
Campbell hopes it will inspire others to think about what's possible.
"Because I saw what was possible, and I was inspired so I hope that it inspires adults and children to look at their community," says Campbell.
As for Banks, he says that he knew this would happen when the academy first opened in 2004.
"I have never been limited in my thinking about the possibilities of what Eagle could potentially be. We were just waiting for John to show up," Banks says with a laugh.
The Infamous Future premieres Jan. 1 on HBO Max.