Nadine M. Patterson Previews Lewis Latimer Film at AT&T Anniversary Event

PHILADELPHIA, PA, November 4, 2026 (EZ Newswire) -- Nadine M. Patterson, an independent filmmaker and chief executive officer of Harmony Image Productions Inc., recently previewed her new film about inventor Lewis Latimer at an AT&T anniversary event. The docudrama, titled "Reclaiming the Light," profiles Latimer (1848–1928), a technical draftsman who helped develop the telephone and an innovator of electric lighting. 

The teaser played at AT&T's Innovation Center in New Jersey during the 150th anniversary of the telephone patent. U.S. Patent No. 174,465 is considered AT&T's birth certificate. Latimer worked with innovators and engineers to patent the telephone and other inventions.

“This is a serious documentary drama, not a casual production, meant to earn funders' trust,” said Patterson. Dr. Kit August, a former Bell Labs member, advises on the project. Her involvement reflects Latimer’s importance to AT&T and the telecommunications industry.

Pittsburgh activist, producer and co-writer Martha Richards Conley ("Lost in the Hype"); Sundance Award-winning filmmaker Parris Z. Moore ("Kinyarwanda"); and long-time collaborating producer Marlene Patterson ("Tango Macbeth") join Ms. Patterson on the project. The Pittsburgh Foundation and the Quebec film office have backed research trips and international partnerships. The team works with practicing engineers and scientists to keep the story accurate.

Film Aims to Inspire Young Dreamers to Pursue STEAM Fields

Alexander Graham Bell, born in Scotland, worked with deaf people. Latimer's parents were self-emancipated, formerly enslaved people. Together, they show what diverse teams can accomplish, according to Ms. Patterson.

The film aims to draw young Black and brown people into STEAM fields. Cuts to government funding for university science research have heightened the sense of urgency, as Ms. Patterson wants the next generation to understand America's varied history in the sciences. She hopes viewers picture themselves 10, 15 or 20 years from now, leading tomorrow's technology.

"The film celebrates dreamers and encourages big dreams, just like the innovators at Bell Labs," said Patterson.

Background and Recognition in Community Media

Patterson co-founded Harmony Image Productions in 1995 with her mother, Marlene G. Patterson. An earlier project, "Moving with the Dreaming," documented Aboriginal modern dance in Australia.

"Funders questioned why a Philadelphia team would film overseas," said Nadine Patterson. "My mother's childhood friend, Carol Johnson, lived that life. She trained at Juilliard, traveled to Australia, stayed there and helped establish a dance [and performing arts] school [NAISDA Dance College] that still exists today."

From 1991 until 2016, Patterson taught and coached at the Scribe Video Center. She is a founding board member of Philadelphia Community Access Media (PhillyCAM), the city's first major public-access station. She was also among the first curators of the Philadelphia Festival of World Cinema in 1992; now the Philadelphia Film Festival.

At SIFTMedia 215, Patterson executive produced 12 short films between 2019 and 2024. "Good Grief," one of two compilations, aired on PhillyCAM in 2025. The compilation and the station received a Hometown Media Award from the Foundation of the Alliance for Community Media. 

Franklin & Marshall College awarded Patterson a Bachelor of Arts in drama. She then earned a Master of Science in instructional media from West Chester University. She later completed a Master of Arts in filmmaking at the London Film School. The state of Pennsylvania also presented her with a $10,000 Media Arts Award in 1998.

A Plan for Distribution 

Patterson is president of the board of Extended Play, a nonprofit that supports socially conscious filmmakers. Over the next decade, she intends to develop more productions like "Reclaiming the Light" through Harmony Image Productions and distribution through Extended Play.

As she continues to fundraise, her goal is to finish and release "Reclaiming the Light" for educational audiences in 2028. Lewis H. Latimer holds seven major patents, including the long-lasting carbon filament, U.S. Patent No. 252,386, which provided over 1,000 hours of illumination. He sought to aid humanity and wrote the definitive electrical engineering textbook, "Incandescent Electric Lighting," in plain language for laypeople and electrical engineers that was used in schools from 1890 to 1920. With this film, Patterson hopes to follow that example by uplifting young people, and to encourage them to enter design, engineering, arts, and technical fields.

About Harmony Image Productions

Nadine M. Patterson is an independent filmmaker and chief executive officer of Harmony Image Productions Inc., a Philadelphia company she co-founded in 1995 with her mother. A curator, instructor and media arts advocate, Ms. Patterson is a founding member of PhillyCAM and president of the Extended Play board. Her current project is a docudrama on inventor Lewis Latimer.

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