Academy Award® nominated St. Louis Superman, will premiere Monday, May 18 at 9PM ET/PT on MTV, VH1 and MTV2 via simulcast

New York, New York – MTV Documentary Films Academy Award® nominated St. Louis Superman, produced by Al Jazeera Witness will premiere Monday, May 18 at 9PM ET/PT on MTV, VH1 and MTV2 via simulcast. 

 

The award-winning film directed by Smriti Mundhra and Sami Khan, tells the story of Representative Bruce Franks Jr., a Ferguson activist and battle rapper who was elected to the overwhelmingly white and Republican Missouri House of Representatives.  

 

Known as “Superman” to his constituents, Franks Jr. cuts a unique figure - an unorthodox politician who has overcome a tremendous loss to become one of the most dynamic and unapologetic young leaders in the country. Forced to deal with the trauma he's been carrying for nearly 30 years after witnessing the shooting death of his nine-year-old brother, the film chronicles his work toward overcoming both personal trauma and political obstacles in an effort to pass a bill that is critical to his community. Only by confronting his pain can Franks Jr. find peace and truly fulfill his destiny as a leader. 

 

The film won the jury prize for Best Documentary Short at Big Sky Documentary Film Festival, the Audience Award for Best Short at Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, the Audience Award for Best Short at AFI Docs and the Special Jury Mention at Tribeca Film Festival.  St. Louis Superman is produced by Mundhra, Khan and Poh Si Teng and executive produced by Sheila Nevins and Fiona Lawson-Baker.

 

About Bruce Franks Jr.

Bruce Franks Jr. is an American politician and community activist. He served in the Missouri House of Representatives representing the 78th District and served as the Chairman of the Subcommittee on Police/Community Relations before resigning in 2019. A St. Louis native, Franks Jr. is also a world-renowned battle rapper known as “Ooops” as well as a small business owner. Today, he works with the Community Justice Action Fund, which holds elected officials and community leaders accountable for ending gun violence in communities of color across the nation. 

 

About MTV Studios

MTV Studios is a unit of MTV focused on developing content for SVOD and linear distribution platforms.  With access to one of the largest libraries of 200+ youth and music titles, MTV Studios was created to harness the power of MTV, create new franchises and reimagine its most iconic hits including “The Real World” for Facebook Watch as well as “Punk’d” and “Singled Out” for Quibi. Additionally, MTV Studios launched MTV Documentary Films to explore the social, political and cultural trends and stories important to young people. 

 

About Al Jazeera English - Witness

St. Louis Superman is an Al Jazeera original documentary from AJE Witness, an award-winning documentary strand of Al Jazeera English.  AJE Witness  celebrates independent filmmaking and stories challenging dominant views that reflect the human experience. Al Jazeera English provides international news, current affairs and documentaries that places people at the heart of the story, rooted in the belief that everyone has a story worth hearing. The AJE Witness team is proud to have the opportunity to work with protagonist of the film Bruce Franks Jr., and award winning directors, Smriti Mundhra & Sami Khan.