Ahead of the head of the world premiere at SXSW Film & TV Festival, here is the festival official trailer for This World is Not My Own, an innovative documentary that traces the lifespan of artist Nellie Mae Rowe, exploring the personal and political events that shaped her singular body of work.
Chewing-gum sculptures, a wealthy gallerist, a firebrand wrestler, a notorious murder case and the segregated south – it’s all part of Nellie Mae Rowe’s boundless universe.
Directed by Opendox (Petter Ringbom and Marquise Stillwell), This World is Not My Own featuring Uzo Aduba (Orange is the New Black, In Treatment”) and Amy Warren (Armageddon Time, Boardwalk Empire), reimagines this self-taught artist’s world and her life spanning the 20th century.
Beginning with her birthday July 4, 1900, artist Nellie Mae Rowe’s life spanned the 20th century. As the daughter of a sharecropper and former slave, she made art from whatever she could find. As an adult, she transformed her home into her “Playhouse,” an imaginative oasis filled with vibrant drawings, handmade sculptures and dolls, and collected objects. Six years before her death, a wealthy gallerist, Judith Alexander, “discovered” and introduced her work to the art world.
The film mixes traditional documentary techniques with animations and scripted scenes shot in intricately detailed sets to bring her dynamic story to life.
Watch the official trailer for This World is Not My Own.
