With Drawn Arms Review: Empowering Doc Returns to the Salute at 1968 Olympics
The Tommie Smith doc claims its place among the significant films addressing Civil Rights and Black Power.
Lisa Kennedy, provided by
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Courtesy of Tribeca Film Festival
As a Japanese-American kid growing up in Los Angeles, Glenn Kaino was drawn to the image of Tommie Smith and John Carlos standing with arms raised on the podium of the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, during the medal presentation for the 200-meter dash. Not that he saw “the salute” live; he wasn’t yet born. But that’s how iconic the image of the two track-and-field stars had become. As an artist and the co-director of “With Drawn Arms” streaming now Kaino took that memory, sought Smith out and began a collaboration that led to a 2018 art exhibit and to this moving and relevant documentary.