An American Girl Story - Melody 1963: Love Has to Win

2016 0h 48m EN

🙌

7.8

BANGER

★7.8TMDB · 15

Family

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Set in Detroit during the Civil Rights Movement, "An American Girl Story - Melody 1963: Love Has to Win" examines the joyful life and troubled times of an irrepressible 10-year-old African-American girl whose vivid imagination and creativity reinforce her optimism. When shocking national events threaten her sense of security, Melody must find inner strength to restore her hope for a better world.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Marsai Martin
Melody Ellison
Idara Victor
Frances Ellison
Frances Fisher
Miss Abbot
Frankie Faison
Frank Ellison
Garrett McQuaid
Donald
Dara Iruka
Lorraine
Lola Wayne Villa
Trish
Matthew Foster
Principal Davis

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Tina Mabry
Writers: Alison McDonald
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 48-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 10 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "An American Girl Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Tina Mabry, shot by Joe Pennella. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Danny Lux. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Cheryl Campsmith shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Marsai Martin and Idara Victor and Frances Fisher carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt6000818 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Tina Mabry directs. Joe Pennella behind the camera. Danny Lux scores. Cheryl Campsmith cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 48-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
2Released 10 years ago.
3Part of the "An American Girl Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Directed by Tina Mabry, shot by Joe Pennella. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Danny Lux. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Cheryl Campsmith shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Marsai Martin and Idara Victor and Frances Fisher carry the top of the cast.
8IMDB entry: tt6000818 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 15 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Joe Pennella
Original score: Danny Lux
Editing: Cheryl Campsmith
Production design: Kristan Andrews
Costume design: Barbara Chennault
Makeup / hair: Petrice Bankhead
VFX supervisor: Keegan Martin
Sound: Colin Rogers
Stunt coordinator: Oliver Keller
Runtime: 48 min · 0h 48m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
IMDB: An American Girl Story - Melody 1963: Love Has to Win (2016)

Part of

An American Girl Collection

American Girl is a line of books, movies, dolls, and accessories based on pre-teen girl characters from various periods of history including the 21st century. Several of the characters from the American Girl books have since had their stories adapted into films, the majority of them released as direct-to-DVD or television films