Rev. Al Sharpton at the NYC premiere of Maynard Jackson documentary

ajc.com

Credit: Jennifer Brett

Credit: Jennifer Brett

NEW YORK - The Rev. Al Sharpton, who's among the many prominent political, civil and cultural leaders interviewed for "Maynard," about the late Maynard Jackson Jr., is here at the documentary's premiere tonight.

Sharpton came in a few minutes after the screening began.

"Atlanta was the capital of the South," Sharpton said during his interview for the film. "For him to win the capital of the South and to be able to call the shots was huge."

The film includes also interviews with former President Bill Clinton, Revs. Jesse Jackson and Joseph Lowery, Jackson's predecessor in office, former Atlanta Mayor Sam Massell and his successors including former Mayor and UN Ambassador Andrew Young, former Mayor Shirley Franklin and current Mayor Kasim Reed.

"He was born to be great," Young says in the opening moments of the film, directed by Sam Pollard.

Jackson was elected in 1973 and in 1974 became the first black mayor not only of our town but of any major Southern city.

MORE: Maynard Jackson's official obituary 

On the set of "Maynard"