Bruce’s brother had died as a result of gun violence and Bruce had attended over 100 funerals related to gun violence. As he found himself battling old demons, Bruce shared his struggles with the filmmakers. In the edit, we worked very hard to contextualise the systemic failures that Bruce was up against. We showed all sides of Bruce, something rarely seen in documentaries about Black men in America before. In February 2019, St. Louis Superman premiered at the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival, cultivating an immediate buzz. It won the jury prize and qualified for the Oscars. Accepting the award, Bruce said: “I really want to thank Al Jazeera for believing in Smriti and Sami, the whole team. And, I’m glad that the video showed me for who I am, and more importantly Black men who we are. We are flawed, we are imperfect but we are fathers, we are superheroes, we are politicians, we are everything.” A few months later, St. Louis Superman was in competition at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York City. This was the first time I met Bruce in person. Shockingly, another friend of his had just been shot dead. He was devastated. It was sobering as the film was awarded a special jury mention.
Sheila Nevins is a true documentary icon. St. Louis Superman became her first acquisition for MTV Documentary Films. For the next six months, St. Louis Superman crisscrossed the United States festival circuit winning awards and inspiring audiences at every turn.
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