Cora Unashamed is a 2000 American made-for-television drama film from The American Collection directed by Deborah Pratt, starring Regina Taylor and Cherry Jones. The film was shot on location in October 1999 in central Iowa. Cities such as Ames, Cambridge and Story City were used. The movie is based on a short story by the same name in The Ways of White Folks, a 1934 collection of short stories by Langston Hughes. Cinematographer Ernest Holzman won an American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) Award, for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Movies of the Week/Mini-Series'/Pilot for Network or Basic Broadcast TV, for his work on this film. David Herbert Donald called the short story "a brilliantly realized portrait of an isolated black woman in a small Middle Western town, who stoically survives her own sorrows, but in the end lashes out against the hypocrisy of the whites who employ her." Plot: A black servant (Regina Taylor) develops a close bond with her wealthy employers' daughter (Molly Graham) in 1930s Iowa. Storyline: Cora Jenkins and her parents are the only African-Americans in their community in 1920s Iowa, supported only by Cora's wages as housekeeper to the wealthy Studevants. When tragedy strikes, will Cora speak the truth... with consequences? Synopsis: This adaptation of Langston Hughes' powerful tale, set in the 1920s and 30s, tells the story of Cora Jenkins, the daughter of the only African-American family in the small Iowa town of Melton. Cora supports her mother and her daughter, Josephine, by working as a domestic in the home of the socially driven Mrs. Studevant, where she serves almost as a surrogate mother to the Studevants' daughter, Jessie. Cora's own daughter dies, and Cora's relationship with Jessie grows even deeper. When Jessie dies as a result of an abortion arranged by her mother and the latter lies about the cause to preserve her social standing, Cora must risk her livelihood, her security, and her place in the community in order to speak the truth and honor the memory of the child she loved and lost. Overview: An adaptation of a story by Langston Hughes that focuses on the stories of black and white families in 1916-31 Iowa. Cora, an African-American woman living in an all-white Iowa town in the 1930s, gives up her livelihood and security in order to speak the truth about the tragic deaths of two children she loved. Set in the 1930s, the story takes place in the tiny town of Melton, Iowa, where Cora Jenkins and her family live in isolation as the community's only African Americans. Their existence is supported solely by Cora's earnings as housekeeper in the household of socially driven Lizbeth Studevant. Tested early in life by the death of her daughter, Cora transfers her maternal love to the Studevants' daughter, Jessie, whose own mother is unable to demonstrate affection for her child. When Jessie dies as a result of a tragic lapse in judgment by her mother, Cora's devotion to the girl empowers her to speak the truth to the town -- regardless of the cost. We do not own the rights to any of this film. This film is being used for historical and educational purposes only. No copyright infringement intended. Black Excellence:

Starring Regina Taylor, Cherry Jones, Ellen Muth

Dir. Deborah Pratt