A short documentary, John Shearer: American Moments, will premiere in Newport, Rhode Island, on 30 July, celebrating the late Black photographer whose work recorded major American events of the 1960s and 1970s. The film seeks to restore recognition for Shearer, whose images combined close access to historic moments with an empathetic perspective and whose achievements had become relatively overlooked.

Directed by James Spione, the film includes photographs of the funerals of John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr., the Attica uprising, Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier, and wider social unrest. Shearer became only the second African American staff photographer at LIFE magazine, following mentor Gordon Parks; the documentary was filmed during his final year and features music by his daughter, jazz saxophonist Alison Shearer.