By Amanda Moses
“It’s easier to raise boys than repair broken men,” is a phrase coined by Frederick Douglass that Jason Wilson utilizes as a mantra when training at-risk youth in his martial arts academy in Detroit—The Cave of Adullam Transformational Academy.
Wilson’s efforts to uplift the young men in his community through transformative work caught the attention of producer and actor Laurence Fishburne and many other high profile film producers sparking what has become an award-winning documentary.
The Cave of Adullam is a documentary that made its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival’s Village East Angelika on June 13th. Directed by Laura Checkoway, this heartfelt film sheds light on the obstacles Black youth experience as they become adults. Wilson created a martial arts institute that molds the minds of young boys into more than a discipline, and what he learned was that his pupils are accustomed to negativity and a hardness that should, instead, be replaced with love, comfort, and support.
Checkoway’s showcase of a martial arts academy exhibits mental wellness and the nationwide need for support for marginalized communities. In this documentary we learn that Wilson transformed his own life from what could have been a dangerous path and worked toward cultivating stability and guidance for at-risk youth through martial arts. He encourages his pupils to cry and share their emotions, instead of bottling them up inside.
“This is a really wonderful film. I think it’s going to touch people. It’s great to be doing it here in New York. We’re grateful to the Tribeca Film Festival and their selection committee for choosing us,” Laurence Fishburne said.
“There’s a lot of different modalities that people are investigating and exploring their terms of mental health and wellness and what I like to call mental wellness as opposed to mental health issues. So, this film kind of deals with another modality in terms of gathering these boys and giving them some instruction, discipline, some tools, some practical things that they can do to nurture themselves and look after themselves,” Fishburne said.
The Cave of Adullam won best documentary and film editing at the Tribeca Film Festival award ceremony.
Photos by Amanda Moses
