It’s rather short notice, but today I received a press release and invitation to see what looks to be a rather touching documentary, Man-Up: The Exploration of a Fatherless Nation, on a subject that affects too many black children in the diaspora.

Directed by Tonia Grady of  Gradygirl Productions – who is herself the mother of a little girl being raised without the presence of her father – the film seems to take into consideration the effects on the children – rather than the stance of the embittered/abandoned single mothers – exploring, if the trailer is anything to go by, the emotional, psychological and social problems that this abandonment can, and does, cause.

According to the press release:

Man-Up is an uncompromising look at the young lives that hang in the balance of “fatherlessness”. To illustrate the magnitude of this social epidemic you will hear personal testimonies of triumph and devastation as Man-Up navigates through the experiences of growing up without a father and the effects thereof. The documentary gives a face to the voiceless children who suffer and ask themselves the unanswerable “why me?” Man-Up featured in the 2009 Atlanta Gay Pride film festival and the 4th Annual WIFTI (Women In Film and Television International) Short film Showcase.

Newark Comprehensive Center for Fathers (“Fathers Now”) has teamed up with The Newark Museum and Gradygirl Productions to present the premier of “Man Up: The Exploration of a Fatherless Nation” for FREE, tomorrow, Thursday, March 4, 6:00pm at the Newark Museum auditorium.

Well, I live in London so certaily won’t be able to make it, but if you can, then you can check this film out at:

The Newark Museum auditorium, 49 Washington Street, Newark, NJ 0710

Thursday, March 4th, 2010

5:00pm – 6:00pm VIP Reception

6:00pm Doors Open for general public

7:00pm – 8:00pm Film Screening

8:00pm – 9:00pm Panel Discussion

The post-screening panel discussion will feature film director and executive producer Tonia Grady, music industry executive and author of “Be A Father to Your Child”, Bill Stephney, Fathers Now Director, LaVar Young, and UMDNJ Fatherhood Program Director, Charles Dixon, and will be moderated by NYU Graduate student Marcus D. Harvey.

This screening is part of a 10-city tour.

To find out more you can click HERE to visit the Man-Up website and/or click click HERE to email Newark Now about the purchase of VIP tickets or to make sponsorship inquiries.

Here’s the trailer: