Director’s Statement

Since 1996, I have been making successful films about NC artists, sharing stories about unsung heroes, and illustrating ways that arts empower human connection. Moonchild is a continuation of this work.

I moved to Durham in 1983 and was quickly drawn into Yusuf’s world. I watched performances at Sallam and other venues and witnessed Yusuf, and others, building community and transforming the music and cultural landscape of Durham. I also marveled at how many of the talented, soon to be award-winning local artists were mentored by Yusuf in ways that were life changing and career making. The legacy he left touched me. I want to ensure his story is celebrated and to preserve an important piece of African American history.

In 2006, I brainstormed with Billy Stevens, Yusuf’s friend and co-founder of the Sallam Cultural Center, about making a film featuring Brother Yusuf’s life.  Billy connected me with many of Yusuf’s collaborators, including lifelong friends, Kenneth Muhammad and Daud Hasan, who also shared Baltimore roots with Yusuf. I filmed several hours of footage with Yusuf and his community. When Yusuf passed away the following year, the film went on hold.

I revived the film in 2021. Billy and many of Yusuf's friends and mentees all enthusiastically agreed to participate and have offered to support the film through interviews, personal archival materials, the October 2023 concert, and more. Yusuf’s living relatives, his sister and niece in Baltimore, enthusiastically granted me interviews, sharing intimate details of Yusuf’s life in Baltimore.

As I began to resume work on the film, I also asked myself as the director, “How will I, a white, sixty-three year old, male Jewish filmmaker, make a film about Brother Yusuf, a Black Muslim jazz artist? How would I address issues of power, representation, and ownership of this story?” I’ve centered this question to guide how I continue moving the project forward. I knew I would possess blindspots that would impact how I would tell Yusuf’s story. In 2021 I began to address these concerns, bringing together a diverse film team that brings BIPOC, Black Muslim, and women’s perspectives into a collaborative filmmaking process. For the success of this film, it has been essential that I remain open to ongoing dialogue which challenges my assumptions and world view. I welcome the experiences and creative vision of my film team. They bring a wealth of knowledge, wisdom, life experience, and skills to the storytelling needed to share the fullness of Brother Yusuf’s life.

We feel blessed to be sharing Brother Yusuf’s story with a wider audience.

– Kenny Dalsheimer, Director/Producer