God Forbid explores the scandal involving a Miami pool boy whose revelations of a menage a trois brought down Liberty University president Jerry Falwell Jr., son of the Moral Majority founder. Their latest film has been a huge hit on Hulu, despite tackling the taboo topics of sex, religion and politics. Belding.”Īlthough Spicer didn’t really predict their future collaborations, she did give them the first push that got them started toward becoming Florida’s premier documentarians. Comparing her to a character from the TV show Saved by the Bell, he said, “She was our Mr. “She was just that teacher,” Corben said. Spicer “identified something in both of us and knew that we would work well together,” said Spellman of the teacher who paired them up. They are two of the three partners who run the Miami Beach enterprise responsible for such rowdy and revealing films as Cocaine Cowboys, Broke, Screwball and, most recently, God Forbid: The Sex Scandal That Brought Down a Dynasty. That’s the origin story of the film studio Rakontur, as told by both Corben and Spellman. SPELLMAN (nodding as he grabs the keys): “Awesome!”ĬORBEN (looking right at the camera): “What the f-.” A sudden blare of trumpets cover the last word. Eventually, one of your movies will be hailed as the most popular documentary on a streaming service named Hulu.” You will begin producing irreverent and insightful films, mostly about Florida, that will be honored by the Sundance Film Festival and shown on various cable channels. This assignment, by the way, will mark the start of your decades of partnership. You can come in early and stay late if you need to. SPICER: “These are the keys to the studio. I am putting you in charge of producing our daily news broadcasts for the school.” (She reaches into her desk, pulls out a set of keys and hands them to Spellman.) My little eager beavers, my little go-getters. One is a motormouthed child actor named Billy Corben, the other a hard-working and creative baseball junkie named Alfred Spellman. Standing in front of her are two of her white ninth-grade students. The teacher is Sheila Spicer, a perceptive Black woman, and this is her TV production class. The camera zooms past the sign, through the school’s front door, down a hallway, turns a corner, then another, and finally zips into a classroom to stop at the teacher’s desk. The audience sees an exterior shot of a sign for Highland Oaks Middle School in Miami. Photography by Mary Beth Koeth.įade in…Lively salsa music plays. Billy Corben (left), Alfred Spellman (middle) and David Cypkin (right) make up the filmmaking company Rakontur.
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