Morgan State University students traveled to New York City’s Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) to attend the premier of the Stanley Nelson’s documentary, The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution.

Stanley Nelson is an Emmy award-winning director for best documentaries. A 2015 Winner of the MacArthur genius grant, Nelson is producer of many award-winning documentary films, which are featured on and in partnership with Public Broadcasting System (PBS).

Nelson is currently a professor at Morgan State University and is teaching a documentary production workshop for undergraduate and graduate students. “I’m flattered that the school asked me to teach the class,” he said. “With this film I really want the youth to understand the parallels of what is happening now and what was happening fifty years ago.” Students in the class will film, edit and produce a documentary over the course of the semester.

The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution is about the history of the Black Panthers. The film follows the story of a group of young African Americans taking the safety and the well being of their community in their own hands. The Black Panthers sparked a revolution of thought and imagery for the African American community and among revolutionary-minded communities around the world.

Students attending the event were enthusiastic. “Just to be able to share in this wonderful opportunity with fellow students and faculty was a great experience,” said Morgan graduate student Andre Melton who is in Nelson’s documentary class. “I’m just ecstatic that I was able to be apart of this one-of-a-kind experience.”

The Black Panthers: Vanguard of a Revolution will premier in theaters this fall.