The Filmmaker

M.K. Asante, Jr.

M.K. Asante, Jr. is an award-winning filmmaker, author, and professor who the Philadelphia Inquirer calls "a rare, remarkable talent that brings to mind the great artists of the Harlem Renaissance."

Prior to The Black Candle, Asante wrote and produced the film 500 Years Later; winner of five international awards including the Breaking the Chains award from the United Nations.

The recipient of the 2009 Langston Hughes Award, Asante is the author of the celebrated books: It's Bigger Than Hip Hop, Beautiful And Ugly Too, and Like Water Running Off My Back. His articles have been published in various outlets including in USA Today and the San Francisco Chronicle.

Asante studied at the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London, earned his BA from Lafayette College, and an MFA from the UCLA School of Film and Television.

Born in Zimbabwe and raised in Philadelphia, Asante has presented his work in Africa, Europe, South America, the Caribbean, and throughout the United States. In the summer of 2009, he traveled to Kenya and Uganda as a Specialist with the American Documentary Showcase

Asante is a professor of creative writing and film in the Department of English and Language Arts at Morgan State University.

For more info, visit MK's website: www.mkasante.com