''My Brother'' is a 2006 film directed by

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

nominee

Anthony Lover Anthony or Antony is a masculine given name, derived from the ''Antonia (gens), Antonii'', a ''gens'' (Roman naming conventions, Roman family name) to which Mark Antony (''Marcus Antonius'') belonged. According to Plutarch, the Antonii gens were ...

. It stars

Vanessa L. Williams Vanessa Lynn Williams (born March 18, 1963) is an American singer, actress, and fashion designer. She gained recognition as the first African-American woman to receive the Miss America title when she was crowned Miss America 1984. She resigne ...

Tatum O'Neal Tatum Beatrice O'Neal (born November 5, 1963) is an American actress. She is the youngest person ever to win an Academy Award, winning at age 10 for her performance as Addie Loggins in '' Paper Moon'' (1973) opposite her father, Ryan O'Neal. S ...

, Nashawn Kearse and

Fredro Starr Fred Lee Scruggs Jr. (born April 18, 1971), better known by his stage name Fredro Starr, is an American rapper and actor best known as a member of the hardcore rap group Onyx. Fredro Starr was discovered by the late hip hop star Jam Master Jay of ...

. It also stars two first time actors with

Down syndrome Down syndrome or Down's syndrome, also known as trisomy 21, is a genetic disorder caused by the presence of all or part of a third copy of chromosome 21. It is usually associated with physical growth delays, mild to moderate intellectual dis ...

, Christopher Scott and Donovan Jennings. Two developmentally disabled actors played leading roles, and also an African-American actor with a developmental disability played a leading role. The movie was produced by

Gregory Segal Gregory Segal, sometimes credited as Greg Segal, is an independent writer/director, movie producer and entertainment attorney. He most recently directed a thriller shot in the Philippines Manila Bulletin Article, from his own script, entitled " ...

for Angel Baby Entertainment and Liberty Artists. The executive producer was

Michael Malagiero Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name "Michael" * Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian and ...

. The cinematographer was John Sawyer. The movie was released theatrically in March 2007 in 19 cities by CodeBlack Entertainment. The DVD was released in May 2007 by Universal.

Special Olympics connection

The movie was promoted in connection with the

Special Olympics Special Olympics is the world's largest sports organization for children and adults with intellectual disabilities and physical disabilities, providing year-round training and activities to 5 million participants and Unified Sports partners in 1 ...

. Vanessa Williams sits on the Board of Directors of Special Olympics International. A benefit for the Special Olympics was held in Washington D.C. for the release of the movie in that city. It was attended by cast, crew, Tim and Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Sargent Shriver, and Vanessa Williams.

Awards

The movie won the Grand Jury Prize at the American Black Film Festival in Miami, in July 2006. It has received 26 other nominations and awards, including Christopher Scott's Founder's Award at the American Black Film Festival.

References

External links

* * * 2006 films 2006 drama films Down syndrome in film American drama films 2000s English-language films 2000s American films {{2000s-drama-film-stub