Film Parallels
GAME of GENiUS blends vérité footage, archival material, interviews, stylized reenactments, and first-person narration to show how history and memory can be written and – rewritten.
The Bully (1930)
At eleven, David Blackwell faces down a relentless bully in 1930s Centralia—not with bravado, but with quiet calculation. A freeze-frame moment on the porch becomes a visual metaphor for every challenge he would face.
Akeela and the Bee
Building His Own Map (1942)
After a prestigious fellowship at the Institute for Advanced Study, Blackwell receives no job offers—blocked not by merit, but by racism. Instead of retreating, he writes 105 letters to historically Black colleges and sets out on the road.
“He didn't wait for the world to be ready for him. He made himself ready for the world.”
The Lord of the Rings
Welcome to Berkeley (1954)
Without housing support from UC Berkeley upon becoming its first Black tenured professor, Blackwell moves his family to a Berkeley park. Seven children camp under the trees while their father found the department that would make Berkeley famous.
High Noon
NSA Revelation (present day)
In a family folder, Lisa discovers her grandfather's NSA badge. Why would a known pacifist work with the government? She begins to investigate, uncovering a deeper legacy than she imagined.
21 Bridges