'The Fade': Four Barbers, Three Continents, One Film
"The Fade"— a documentary by London filmmaker Andy Mundy-Castle— follows the lives of four barbers on three continents, all at the top of their game. New Jersey barber Johnny Castellanos also known as "Hollywood" is a barber to the stars. His client list includes rapper and businessman Jay Z and artists and athletes like Pharrell Williams and Amare Stoudemire.
Men travel from miles around by bicycle and foot just to sit in Offori "Tupac" Mensah's chair for a cut. His Ghanaian shop is modest but always busy.
London barber Faisal Abdu'Allah is a man who wears many hats. He brings his training as a visual artist to his shop. He also dishes out a lot of no-nonsense advice to clients—whether they've asked for it or not.
Shawn Powis takes his shop with him as he travels around Jamaica cutting the hair of notable dancehall artists like Elephant Man and Aidonia.
Although all of the men come from very different walks of life, they all have a sense of deep pride about their profession.
Director Andy Mundy-Castle tells NPR's Michel Martin that "one of the inspirations behind the film was to connect the diaspora." By following four barbers from three continents, he wanted to "look at this trans-Atlantic map that has a very harrowing past and we very rarely hear positive reflections about what's come through there."