Biography

Lateef Calloway

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Lateef "Cal" Calloway was born August 5, 1971 in Detroit, Michigan. Lateef graduated from Michigan's oldest and most respected film school, the Motion Picture Institute. He is the founder of the Phoeion Group LLC (dba Calliwood Productions LLC) which since 1999 has produced over 26 creative films, technical training films and videos.

The Calliwood Production team is producing a documentary film on Sojourner Truth, the former slave, abolitionist and woman's rights advocate from the mid-1800s told as an oral history by her direct descendants. The oral history within the family runs deep. The family describes how Sojourner's teachings have influenced their views of current day civil rights, human rights, women's rights and voting rights. Lateef was raised by his mother Audrey Allison and his stepfather Robert Allison, professional musicians who use original jazz/world music to creatively tell stories about social justice. In this environment, Lateef developed his passion for the art of storytelling, civil rights and Sojourner Truth. Lateef is the father of two wonderful sons, Brendan Calloway and Roman Calloway.
- IMDb mini biography by: Anonymous

In 2014 while Cal was working on developing a feature film and directing a stage play, he was fortunate to meet Sojourner's descendants who live in Battle Creek, Michigan... Sojourner Truth is Cal's life-long hero, as his mother raised him with stories about Sojourner's messages, goals and dreams for Black people and women's equality. After meeting with the relatives, Cal was immediately convinced that now is the right time to bring Sojourner's life to the big screen. He dropped all other projects to dedicate his life to the production of SoTru - Sojourner Truth's life story.
Sojourner Truth's fourth to seventh generation blood-line descendants (Thomas McLiechey, Burl McLiechey, Corey McLiechey and Hardy Keith Edwards) wholeheartedly support the SoTru feature film and production team.

I'm honored to be telling Sojourner Truth's story, working with a diverse team of women, men and people of all faiths, colors and backgrounds. It is what Sojourner would have wanted, all of us working together.

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