Director Andre Gaines On “The One & Only Dick Gregory” Screening At 2021’s Tribeca Film Festival, Future Projects & More

In writer-director Andre Gaines’ directorial debut The One & Only Dick Gregory, extraordinary archival footage and new interviews put a spotlight on Gregory’s journey from influential comedian to on-the-ground activist. This journey is discussed by modern legends including Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock, Kevin Hart and Wanda Sykes, in addition to commentary offered by Harry Belafonte, W. Kamau Bell, Lawrence O’Donnell, Gregory’s wife Lillian Gregory, and Medgar Evers’ wife Dr. Myrlie Evers-Williams. Commentary also comes from Gregory himself, whose insights before he died in 2017 provide a crucial through line to what Gregory gave voice to during the Civil Rights era.

Over the course of his 15-year career, Andre Gaines has financed and produced an extensive number of documentary and narrative feature films. As a producer his upcoming productions include the remake of Stephen King’s iconic Children Of The Corn, Buzzed starring Jeremy Renner and Keira Knightley, and Killing Gawker written by Academy Award-winner Charles Randolph. Other notable producer credits of Gaines’ include the Oscar-nominated documentary Embrace The Serpent, the award-winning animated feature The Immortal Warrior, the SXSW award winning documentary Bill Nye: Science Guy, and Spike Lee’s Da Sweet Blood Of Jesus. Gaines began his career writing and producing animation, which ultimately led to producing live-action foreign films and U.S. remakes in partnership with StudioCanal. In 2010, Gaines founded Cinemation Studios, a well-regarded production company that specializes in international motion picture and television productions.

On July 6, 2021, I had the pleasure of speaking with Andre Gaines about The One & Only Dick Gregory about the influence of Gregory, the long process of making this film, future projects and plenty more. Additional information related to Gaines and The One & Only Dick Gregory — which premiered at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival and you can now watch on Showtime — can be found here, here and here.

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Tags: Andre Gaines, civil rights, comedy, Dick Gregory, Showtime, The One & Only Dick Gregory, Tribeca Film Festival

About the Author

Darren Paltrowitz Darren Paltrowitz is a New York resident with over 20 years of entertainment industry experience. He began working around the music business as a teenager, interning for the manager of his then-favorite band Superdrag. Since then, he has worked with a wide array of artists including OK Go, They Might Be Giants, Mike Viola, Tracy Bonham, Loudness, Rachael Yamagata, and Amanda Palmer. Darren's writing has appeared in dozens of outlets including the New York Daily News, Inquisitr, The Daily Meal, The Hype Magazine, All Music Guide, Guitar World, TheStreet.com, Businessweek, Chicago Tribune, L.A. Times, and the Jewish Journal. Beyond being "Editor At Large" for The Hype Magazine, Darren is also the host of weekly "Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz" series, which airs on dozens on television and digital networks. He has also co-authored 2 published books, 2018's "Pocket Change: Your Happy Money" (Book Web Publishing) and 2019's "Good Advice From Professional Wrestling" (6623 Press), and co-hosts the world's only known podcast about David Lee Roth, "The DLR Cast."