Matthew O. Henderson

In today’s world, the impact, power and importance of truth-telling across different mediums is more crucial than ever, though it’s not always easy. Every day, the truth is challenged, and it’s our role as storytellers to approach our work with authenticity, honesty and passion. As a documentary producer, the work Henderson is most proud of came when he combined his purpose with his passion for truth-telling. Over time, he realized that staying true to your path means understanding your purpose deeply. The truth about your purpose is that it’s more universal than you might think! Understanding this storytelling journey will be the focus of his keynote presentation.

About Henderson

Matthew O. Henderson, a native New Yorker, has worked in the film and television industry for over 15 years. As a producer at Life Stories he’s worked on a number of films including “The Silent Witness,” which recently received an Emmy nomination for Best Short Documentary; “Fragments of Paradise,” which had its world premiere at the 2022 Venice Film Festival, winning Best Documentary on Cinema; “True Justice: Bryan Stevenson’s Fight for Equality,” which won a Peabody Award and an Emmy Award for Outstanding Social Issue Documentary; “The Soul of America;” “Obama: In Pursuit of a More Perfect Union;” and “A Choice of Weapons: Inspired by Gordon Parks.” “A Choice of Weapons: Inspired by Gordon Parks” is one of three documentary screenings offered at the NHSJC Film Festival during the fall convention.

Henderson bridges the technical and creative hemispheres having worked for over 10 years as a camera assistant and camera operator. His passion for storytelling coupled with his ability to conceptualize compelling and soulful visuals has allowed him to film all around the world. Whether it’s a remote aboriginal village in Eastern Australia, floating along the Venice-like canals of Makoko, Nigeria, in Africa, or filming at depths of 500 feet below the Atlantic Ocean, his approach to filmmaking is always the same — tell the story you find, not the one you expect to find.

About the film

“A Choice of Weapons: Inspired by Gordon Parks” explores the enduring legacy of photographer, writer, composer, activist and filmmaker Gordon Parks, and spotlights his visionary work and its impact on artists working today.

Parks’ legacy comes to life through three contemporary photographers: Devin Allen, whose photograph Baltimore Uprising of the 2015 Freddie Gray protests was featured on the cover of Time magazine; LaToya Ruby Frazier who for five years documented the Flint, Michigan, water crisis and in 2020 photographed Breonna Taylor’s family for Vanity Fair; and Jamel Shabazz, whose New York City photographs of individuals and groups form a visual history of cultural shifts and struggles across the city.

The film celebrates the power of images in advancing racial, economic and social equality as seen through the lens of Gordon Parks, one of America’s most trailblazing artists, and the generation of young photographers, filmmakers and activists he inspired.

Watch the trailer