Directors: Joe Brewster and Michele Stephenson
Acquired by: Produced for PBS
Lowdown: For all Joe Brewster and Michele Stephenson put their son Idris (and his friend Seun) through, this darned well better have been among the best films at the Festival. Fortunately, this 12-year journey following a pair of boys from their first day of kindergarten at the Dalton School is a fascinating look at parenting, education, race and class in contemporary America. Simultaneously incredibly personal and specific, but also fairly universal, "American Promise" may raise different issues with different audiences, but it's hard to imagine anybody watching this 140-minute film and not leaving with something they want to discuss. Fortunately, a PBS airing and a book are forthcoming.
HitFix Review 

- Dan Fienberg