'Daddy Hunger' A message of hope and redemption

Susan L. Taylor
Editorial Director, Essence Magazine

I think "Daddy Hunger is an important film. Ray Upchurch's moving documentary underscores the healing power of breaking the silence. So many men--and women too--who have seen the the film have been transformed by it."

Chief Judge Willie G. Lipscomb Jr.
An exceedingly powerful presentation affecting one of the most compelling issues in the Black community.

This documentary presented by Ray Upchurch will surely ignite a movement across this country"...

Dr Linda Nielsen
Wake Forest University Professor of Women's Studies  Author: "Embracing Your Father" (2004) & The Father-Daughter Puzzle: Guide for fathers and daughters" (Fall, 2008 ) www.wfu.edu/nielsen

"Daddy Hunger" is an educational and emotional journey into the lingering pain that adult children and their fathers feel from having had no relationship with one another. The film is a catalyst for serious discussions about how to keep fathers involved in their children's lives. Ray Upchurch is to be congratulated for creating this valuable and unique resource.

LaTasha Monique
The Tempest, The Student Newspaper of Solano Community College
Issue date: 5/9/07 Section: Entertainment

The documentary "Daddy Hunger" tells the compelling story of how walking through life without knowledge of one's father is just like walking through life without knowledge of one's self.

"Where do we start? I don't know where to begin," says film producer and narrator Ray Upchurch as he takes you on a front row journey through the beginning of absence as he proclaims, "we didn't fall down, we got beat down."

Intermingling original poetry by Terry Moore and Thomas Drayton, with the unscripted stories of Bay Area icons and legends, "Daddy Hunger" invades the prisons, streets and private lives of both men and women who had to rely on the cold harsh world to teach them the things that only a father should teach.

Depicting the wash, rinse and repeat cycle of children who grow up in fatherless homes, Upchurch takes his viewers on an emotional journey through the lives of Bay Area men and women as they tell their tales of loss, hurt and deceit.

Despite the hardcore rap image J.T. the Bigga Figga is notoriously known for, we hear a softer side when he tells his own personal story of "Daddy Hunger."

"I didn't get no fatherly type love or things like that. I wanted a father who can be a protector…to help me with the things I needed….," he said.

London Breed of San Francisco explains how she was forced to surround herself with the unsafe elements of the streets in order to survive, protect and gain that much needed love a child deserves.

"You can't teach a boy how to be a man. I can't," she said. Breed's son then expresses his internal hurt by acknowledging how his actions affect his mother. "She feels incomplete because she feels like she hasn't completed me as a person. But I also feel like I haven't completed her as a person," he said.

"What if we treat those fathers like they treat their kids," challenges Upchurch. "…..If you leave your kids absent of love, then we'll leave you absent of love, and we'll make you the same person you made them."

This movie is sure to capture all audiences with the intriguing stories of men and women, young and old who bravely vocalize the hurt many people fight with internally today.

There is no doubt that Upchurch will make an impact in the lives of all who challenge themselves to go out and explore new possibilities by not only watching but acknowledging the film and then agreeing to make a positive change.

Anyone who is interested in seeing the film or being a part of the "Daddy Hunger Movement" should contact Ray Upchurch at www.daddyhunger.com.

Darryl Jenkins
President of 100 Black Men Sacramento
 

"Thanks Ray!! Your Movie Daddy Hunger hits new heights and cords every time its
shown, so it your creative vision that inspires us all to greatness and to be
better Men!!

Your movie was was shown last weekend at our Church's Men's Retreat. I was there
and the out pour was incredible. One gentlemen nearly screamed that this film is
my life, so true and became emotional!! You have clearly stuck a nerve that
allows many to open up and release issues they have been carrying for most of
their lives.
 

God has blessed you my brother and it is our honor to work along side you and your
mission.

Carrie Womack
Parole Agent, California Youth Authority
 

"We recently completed collaboration with Daddy Hunger, which received radio, TV,
and newspaper coverage (Tie-Tying Ceremony"). This event was a huge success,
but this upcoming event will be 3 times the magnitude.

The Tie-tying Ceremony as a 3-part series,
 

part-one - showing of documentary Daddy Hunger,
part two -students told their stories of how they ended up in a life of crime, and
part-three was inviting the community to come in to show they were willing to
forgive and support positive change.

This event asked that men come and teach our youth how to tie a tie, and the importance of a firm handshake, and making eye contact. So much more came out of that event than merely tying ties and handshakes.

We had men from all walks of life. A San Joaquin County judge, pilot, doctors, lawyers, grandfathers, previously incarcerated individuals, and a host of others participated in this event.