Macky Alston Movies

An intimate and earnest examination of race, gender identity, and the definition of "family," this sociological documentary chronicle filters said themes through the eyes of Avery Klein-Cloud, an intelligent and generally well-adjusted teenager from Brooklyn with decidedly unusual circumstances. Though African-American herself, Avery grew up with two Jewish lesbian foster mothers, who also adopted two boys, one Korean and the other of mixed ethnicity. Encouraged by both mothers to get in touch with her biological mom for the first time, Avery writes a letter to the woman, but this decision sparks a profound identity crisis in Avery and contributes to increasingly disturbing behavior. As she questions who she is, she also begins spending lengthy periods of time away from home, drops out of school, and suffers from feelings of isolation and abandonment -- and her plan to attend university on a track-and-field scholarship seems increasingly unlikely. What therefore commences as a meaningful journey of self-enlightenment regresses into a far more dangerous personal crisis for the young woman. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

Filmmaker Macky Alston crafts this cinema verite-style documentary concerning the Exodus Transitional Community - an organization founded by formerly incarcerated people who have made it their mission in life to help re-integrate ex-convicts into society so that they may lead meaningful and productive lives. In following three individuals who have joined the community, Alston explores the monumental challenges faced by those attempting to make a new start in life. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Documentary filmmaker Mack Alston grew up in Durham, North Carolina, where he noticed at a young age that a large number of people in town shared his last name; some were white (like himself) and some were black. At the age of 30, years after relocating to New York City, Alston returned to North Carolina, armed with a 16mm camera and hoping to discover if there was, in fact, a familial link between his branch of the family and any of the African-American Alstons. Family Name is the record of the search and Alston's findings. While records of mixed race children born to slaves (and fathered by their masters) were not kept at the time, such matters remained a part of family legend and lore in the Deep South, indicated by a number of clues left behind. Alston tries to determine where the common link between the two Alston families came from, while discovering many facts about the remarkable histories of both Alston clans. While most of the African-American Alstons speak openly about the likely realities of their ancestry, they also acknowledge that it is a matter no one could speak about at the time, and are still reluctant to today. Alston, on the other hand, is gay and has been encouraged by his family not to speak about it while visiting Durham, so he admits that he understands all too well the difficult nature of family secrets. Family Name won the "Freedom of Expression" award at the 1997 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi