Sami Khan's 'St. Louis Superman' Charts Rise Of Ferguson Activist Bruce Franks Jr.

Sami Khan of Sarnia, Ont. is headed to the Oscars  Sunday.

Along with his co-director, Smriti Mundhra, Khan made the short documentary “St. Louis Superman ,” which has been nominated for an Academy Award at this year’s ceremony.

The film tells the story of activist-turned-politician Bruce Franks Jr. Following the killing of Black teenager Michael Brown by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri in 2014, and the months of protest and unrest that followed, Franks felt compelled to step up. 

As a Black battle rapper with multiple face tattoos, he stood out in Missouri’s overwhelmingly white House of Representatives.

“Every community should have a superhero like Bruce,” Khan said.

Watch the video above to see Khan talk about how Franks became part of the filmmaking process, and why he felt he and Mundhra were the right people to tell his story.