South Africa and USA / 1997 / 55mins / Documentary / English

Who’s Gonna Take The Weight? is an “in your face” portrayal of African American and black south African youth focusing on similarities and contrasts in their lives and how the two groups assess issues of future leadership personal values and cultural identify. Shot on location in New York and Soweto this doc which is both uncompromising and striking gives visceral expression to the aspirations frustration and insights of these young people as they negotiate their places in their changing societies. By combining the techniques of video reporting and music video, Speight goes beyond convention wisdom to inform us of the daily problems of the youth.

A. Rico Speight

Rico Speight is an independent filmmaker, digital video media artist and educator. His credits include documentaries, short narratives, television productions, public service spots and web productions. Speight earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Boston University and a Master of Arts degree in film and television from Emerson College. In 1990 and again in 1993, he was awarded artist fellowships by the New York Foundation for the Arts, in film and video respectively. In 1999, he was selected for a Revson Fellowship for post-graduate work at Columbia University where he studied theatrical directing with veteran actor/director Peter Miner at Columbia’s Graduate Film School. One of Speight’s professional highlights is Who’s Gonna Take the Weight? Released in 1997, the hour-long production portrays the parallel lives of African American and Black South African youth, and was screened at the 52nd Cannes International Film Festival. In 2007, Speight released a follow-up production titled, Where Are They Now?, that is a sequel to Who’s Gonna Take The Weight? In 2007, Where Are They Now? was broadcasted nationally in South Africa on South African Broadcasting Corporation television. In 2010, he produced and directed Aime Cesaire’s A Season in the Congo at the Lion Theatre at Theatre Row in NYC. Speight lectures on film production at Sarah Lawrence College. He is also a freelance television studio director for CUNY Television and NYU-TV in New York City. Learn More