(Audience Generated Programing)
Gil Noble, 1991, 60 min.
A "Like It Is" television program special presentation produced, written and reported by Gil Noble.
Greg Takoudes, 2008, 80 min.
This East Harlem local, indie, coming-of-age narrative film follows Francisco who after winning a scholarship to a prestigious boarding school must struggle to maintain his relationships with his girlfriend, Erika, who fears he will no longer be the boy from El Barrio she loves, and best friend Brandon, who acts out in increasingly serious ways to force Francisco back home.
Curated by Hellura Lyle
*Shown on two dates
Dir. Susan L. Young, 1994, 60 min.
This documentary portrays two women's roles in an immigrant community as activists and how mainstream society views its Asian community. Two women of Chinese descent discuss and reminisce in 1994 their growth in NYC's Chinatown after the Civil Rights movement in 1974.
Panel with Nellie Hester Bailey, Director of the Harlem Tenants Council and Susan L. Yung, artisit and member of Chinese Americans Against Asian Violence (CAAAV).
Presented by 360 Media
365 Days of Marching - The Amadou Diallo Story
Dir. Veronica Keitt , 2008, 90 min.
“365 Days of Marching” - The Amadou Diallo Story recounts the bitter and yet compelling part of New York City history—documenting the series of marches and protests that was set into motion after the death of Amadou Diallo. It’s a story that’s told through the eyes of the marchers (the protesters) exploring the history of New York City Police Department, police - community relations and how Diallo’s death galvanized a city to fight for justice—not only for Diallo, but for all injustices plaguing New Yorker’s during that time. SPECIAL APPEARANCES by Rev Al Sharpton, Seiko & Kadiatou Diallo— the parents of Amadou Diallo, David N. Dinkins—former NYC Mayor, US Congressmen Charles Rangel, Gov. David Paterson, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., Assemblyman Keith Wright, Councilman Charles Barron, Chairman Percy Sutton—Inner City Broadcasting, Norman Siegel—ACLU, family members of victims of police brutality, community activists, and others.
Curated with Andreas Vingaard
Electric Boogie
Tana Ross, 1983, 30 min.
This film intimately follows four African-American and Latino young people coming up in the early ’80s South Bronx, and their unflagging devotion to the art b-boy-ing and breaking.
Beat This!: A Hip Hop History
Dick Fontaine, 1984, 60 min.
This tremendous, highly stylized BBC production features dynamic appearances by a veritable who’s who of original school luminaries: Kool Herc (in what are perhaps his most revealing and personal public interviews), Afrika Bambaataa and the Soulsonic Force, the Cold Crush Brothers, Lisa Lee, Sha-Rock, graffiti writer Brim of Tats Cru, and Officer Kevin Hickey of the NYPD’s infamous Vandal Squad. Rhymed narration provided by NYC broadcasting legend Gary Byrd.
Q&A with Electric Boogie Dir. Tana Ross and Freke Vuijst and special guest
JJ Garvine and Tai Parquett, 2009, 89 min
Michael Berg was thrust into the media spotlight in May 2004, when his son, Nick, was abducted and beheaded by terrorists in Iraq, reportedly in retaliation for the torture of Iraqis in the Abu Ghraib prison. The video of Nick's murder was released on the internet and broadcast all over the cable news networks. As a life-long peace activist, Michael publicly blamed "the sins of George W Bush and Donald Rumsfeld" for his son's death. Saddened by the war and disgusted with the actions of the government, Michael decided to run for congress in 2006 to end the war in Iraq. With very limited funds to run a successful campaign against his more organized and wealthier opponents, Berg's grassroots campaign was in for an uphill battle. Keeping the Peace followed his journey.
Dir. William Miles, 1993, 90 min.
The Black West, narrated by Danny Glover presents the story of African Americans in the U.S. West in the late nineteenth century.
In Conversation: Filmmakers Nina Rosenblum & William Miles & Writer Dennis Watlington
Dir. William Miles, 1990, 90 min.
This film takes a look at Black astronauts and black Americans' contributions to America's space program. Includes personal interviews with archival footage, family photographs, and news headlines to profile such individuals as Edward Dwight, Jr., Guion Bluford, Jr., Ronald McNair, Frederick Gregory, Patricia Cowings-Johnson and Robert Shurney.
Interview with author of the book of the same name (co-authored with Miles)
http://www.abc.net.au/speakingout/stories/s2637473.htm
http://mpegmedia.abc.net.au/speakingout/speaking_o_m1769538.mp3
Dir. William Miles, 1980, 60 min.
A 60 minute, condensed version of this seminal four-hour series tracing Harlem's 350-year history, evoking one of America's most vibrant and volatile communities. As a visual counterpart to the oral histories in the film, Miles unearthed old photographs and motion picture films and newsreel footage, much of it rare and never before seen on television. In early 1982, one year after it was broadcast, I Remember Harlem won an Alfred I. Dupont-Columbia University Citation and an American Film Festival Award.
In Conversation: Filmmakers William Miles, Researcher Dr. Juanita Howard & Eric Tait Jr.
Dir. William Miles, 1992, 90 min.
The unknown story of African-American battalions, focusing on the heroic actions of the 761st, which spearheaded General Patton's Third Army and helped liberate concentration camps in the second World War. This powerful film vividly records the experiences of the soldiers, who were utterly unprepared for the atrocities they witnessed, as well as the astonishment of the camp inmates - some of whom had never seen a black person before. Liberators bear witness to the courage of Holocaust survivors and the heroism of men who were forced to fight on two fronts - battling racism at home as they fought for their country overseas.
In Conversation: Filmmakers Nina Rosenblum & William Miles with Sergeant William McBurney, 761st Tank Battalion
Panel Discussion: Nina Rosenblum, William Miles & William McBurney (Sergeant, 761st)
Dir. William Miles, 1977, 60 min.
Men of Bronze is the definitive story of black American soldiers of the 369th U.S. combat regiment, the 15th Infantry from New York, know as the "Harlem Hellfighters," who served with the French army in World War I. The film uses photographs, interviews with veterans, and film from the French and American national Archives to recount the saga of the "Harlem Hellfighters," offering an inspiring tribute to these unsung heroes and an unforgettable look at World War I.
Trailer: http://vimeo.com/6936723
In Conversation: William Miles, Richard Adams, and General Nathaniel James, 369th Infantry
Angel Muniz, 1995, 120 min.
This tragic-comic chronicle of an immigrant's struggle to make a new life in New York City has been considered a cult classic since it first came out. Amiable, big-hearted Balbuena, grieving over the recent demise of his much-loved wife, decides he needs a change and so listens to the exciting pie-in-the-sky talk of his buddy Fellito who suggest that Balbuena leave the Dominican Republic and move to Nueba Yol (the Big Apple). The widower goes up and stays with his cousin's family. Instead of finding a better life there he finds himself surrounded by grayness, uncaring bustle and society's grime. The prospect of easy money Fellito raved about is nonexistent for an illegal alien such as himself. Instead, he finds only the most menial, lowest paying jobs available to him. Balbuena finally meets a nice woman, but ironically, she is planning to return to the Dominican Republic.
Johanna Bermudez-Ruiz, 2009
Sugar Pathways tells the riveting story of the unwilling migration by Puerto Rican families from the small Caribbean island of Vieques to the U.S. Virgin Islands. This powerful and vibrant film recounts their will to survive, integrate and contribute to the culture, economy and politics of the Islands through personal interviews, new and archival footage and historic documentation. Sugar Pathways is narrated by actress Lauren Vélez of the Emmy Award-winning Showtime series Dexter.
Curated by Santiago Esteinou
*Ran for 5 days
INTIMIDADES DE SHAKESPEARE Y VICTOR HUGO
Shakespeare and Victor Hugo’s Intimacies
Dir. Yulene Olaizola (2009) 83 min.
The lodging house at the intersection of Shakespeare and Victor Hugo streets in Mexico City has been a shelter for all sorts of magnificent and singular individuals, under the management of its owner, my grandmother Rosa. When I was ten years old I met one of its guests. He used to sing for me and paint my portraits; his name was Jorge Riosse, a charming schizophrenic and virtuous individual who became my grandmother’s close friend. One night in 1993, his room set on fire and Jorge died. My grandmother started to investigate this fatal accident and she soon discovered different clues that connected it with a serial killer who had strangled at least 13 women in different hotels in the popular La Merced district. However, in spite of her doubts and suspicion, my grandmother still remembers Jorge as the talented young man who shared his art, his music and above all, his affection.
LOS LADRONES VIEJOS: LAS LEYENDAS DEL ARTEGIO
The Old Thieves
Dir. Everardo González, 2007, 97 min.
Ladrones Viejos is the story of a generation of thieves who achieved their greatest victories in the sixties; their distinctive code of ethics, the various categories of delinquents inhabiting the city’s streets, their alliances with high ranking police officials that allowed them to operate, the betrayals that followed, and the price they ended up paying.
In Spanish with English Subtitles
DeNADIE
NoONE
Dir. Tin Dirdamal, 2005, 82 min.
María’s story, a Central American immigrant who is forced to abandon her family searching for the American dream. On her way to the United States, she has to cross México, where she lives a nightmare. DeNADIE is a documentary about the courage and injustice that thousands of Central Americans live. These migrants are tortured, robbed, raped and even murdered by several groups in Mexico. Before we say goodbye to María, we promised to find her family in Honduras and give them a message.
AL OTRO LADO
To The Other Side
Dir. Natalia Almada (2005) 70 min.
An aspiring corrido composer from the drug capital of Mexico faces two choices to better his life: to traffic drugs or to cross the border illegally into the United States. From Sinaloa, Mexico to the streets of South Central and East L.A., Al Otro Lado explores the world of drug smuggling, illegal immigration and the corrido music that chronicles it all.
Trailer/interview with director: http://www.pbs.org/pov/alotrolado/
EN EL HOYO
In The Pit
Dir. Juan Carlos Rulfo (2006) 84 min.
A Mexican legend recounted that for every bridge built the devil would ask for one soul, so that the bridge never falls. This film tells the story of the workers who are participating in the construction of a second deck to Mexico’s City inner Periférico freeway. This second deck is about to transform the city, its landscape and the lives of its inhabitants. It is the story of those whose hands and sweat go into the making of this mammoth work of concrete, steel and asphalt. The workers’ daily lives, their hopes, their emotions and small moments that will culminate in the loss of a soul taken by the devil, a soul that will remain as a memory of the workers who build the second deck.
In Spanish with English Subtitles
The Boy Scouts of Rahway
Dir. Tom Mason, 2009, 10 min.
The Boy Scouts of Rahwa takes a tongue-in-cheek look at a Boy Scouts competition in New Jersey, the Klondike Derby.
759: Boy Scouts of Harlem (72m)
Dir. Jake Boritt & Justin Szlasa, 2009, 72 min.
Scout Troop 759 heads from the streets of Harlem to the woods of Camp Keowa. Eleven year old new scout Keith Dozier spends his first week at camp facing the challenges of the woods - the dock test in the deep dark lake, creepy creatures of the night, the daunting climbing tower, the raucous dining hall and the seductive Siberian sirens of the kitchen. With help from his fellow Scouts KC, Devon and Manny and wise Scoutmaster Sowah, young Keith faces the challenges and earns his place as a Scout. 759: Boy Scouts of Harlem is a warm, tender, and funny family documentary about Scouting in an unexpected place.
Trailer: http://www.harlemscouts.com/
Heartland Reggae: Bob Marley Peace Concert (1981), 60 min.
In Jamaica, 1978, Bob Marley organized a concert in the midst of intense political violence, of which he himself was a victim. Following performances including Jacob Miller Dennis Brown, Bob Marley takes the stage and makes history by bringing political foes Norman Manley and Edward Seaga together on the stage. With exclusive interviews.
Babylon
Dir. Franco Rosso, 1980, 91 min.
Babylon is set in South London at the start of the ’80s, a time when reggae music was at its peak, along with a distinctively British brand of xenophobia and racism that saw American boxer Marvin Hagler pelted with bottles at Wembley after beating Alan ‘I’ll never lose to a black man’ Minter. The plot concerns Blue, lead chanter for Ital Lion Sound (played by Aswad singer and former Double Decker Brinsley Forde), in the run-up to a competition with a rival crew led by Jah Shaka (who appears as himself). Over the course of the film Blue socialises with his friends and clashes with his family, employer, and a local clan of racists, before going on a spiritual and physical journey through small hours London where he encounters a series of trials and temptations that set up the film’s violent climax.
Shola Lynch, 2004, 76 min.
Unbought & Unbossed is the first historical documentary on Brooklyn Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm and her campaign to become the Democratic Partys presidential nominee in 1972. Following Chisholm from the announcement of her candidacy in January to the Democratic National Convention in Miami, Florida in July, the story is like her- fabulous, fierce, and fundamentally right on.
Trailer: http://www.pbs.org/pov/chisholm/
Dir. Wendell B. Harris Jr., 1989, 95 min.
Chameleon Street tells the story of a social chameleon who impersonates reporters, doctors and lawyers in order to make money. The film is a satire based on the life of Detroit con artist and high school drop-out William Douglas Street, Jr., who successfully impersonated professional reporters, lawyers, athletes, extortionists, and surgeons, going so far as to perform more than 36 successful hysterectomies. A Sundance Film Festival press release in 2008 described it as "one of the first films to examine how mellifluously race, class, and role-playing morph into the social fabric of America." Chameleon Street won the Grand Jury Prize at the 1990 Sundance Film Festival.
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