Doc Watchers Presents: Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin

Monday, September 9th, 7:00pm

Doc Watchers

Curated by Hellura Lyle

In Celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington Doc Watchers presents: Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin

Nancy Kates & Bennett Singer, 2003, 83 mins.

During his 60-year career as an activist, organizer and "troublemaker," Bayard Rustin formulated many of the strategies that propelled the American civil rights movement. His passionate belief in Gandhi's philosophy of nonviolence drew Martin Luther King Jr. and other leaders to him in the 1940's and 50's; his practice of those beliefs drew the attention of the FBI and police. In 1963, Rustin brought his unique skills to the crowning glory of his civil rights career: his work organizing the March on Washington, the biggest protest America had ever seen. But his open homosexuality forced him to remain in the background, marking him again and again as a "brother outsider." Brother Outsider: the Life of Bayard Rustin combines rare archival footage — some of it never before broadcast in the U.S. — with provocative interviews to illuminate the life and work of a forgotten prophet of social change.

Q&A with director Bennett Singer and reception to follow.

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFJDlzm5zDM

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/494303700660138/

BPT: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/460088

Docwatchers

Monday, July 1st, 7:00pm

DocWatchers

Curated by Hellura Lyle

Nora

Alla Kovgan and David Hinton, 2008, 35 min.

Based on the life of Zimbabwean-born dancer Nora Chipaumire, this film is part biopic, part fable, part dramatic cinema and part dance film. In the film, she returns to the landscape of her childhood and takes a journey through some vivid memories of her youth. Using performance and dance, she brings her history to life in a swiftly ­moving poem of sound and image. Shot entirely on location in Southern Africa, NORA includes a multitude of local performers and dancers of all ages, from young schoolchildren to ancient grandmothers, and much of the music is specially composed by a legend of Zimbabwean music Thomas Mapfumo.

Still Moving: Pilobolus at Forty

Jeffrey Ruoff, 2012, 38 min.

At Dartmouth College in the 1970s, four male athletes joined a dance class, improvising vigorous creations from scratch. Their collaborative work led to the formation of Pilobolus and the transformation of modern dance. Eschewing the bright lights of Manhattan, and naming themselves after a microscopic fungus, Pilobolus. The troupe honed a movement philosophy to teach dancers and non-dancers alike. Still Moving: Pilobolus at Forty focuses on the company's lifecycle--including a founder's death--its evolution, transformation, and regeneration. On the eve of its fortieth anniversary, the troupe returns to New Hampshire for a Dartmouth-commissioned world premiere of an innovative collaboration with cartoonist Art Spiegelman. At their studio, on the road, in community workshops, and on stage, Pilobolus thrives as an arts organism.

Q&A with directors Alla Kovgan & Jeffrey Rouff.

BPT: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/395981

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/141130906090965/

Doc Watchers: You Laugh But Its True

Doc Watchers

Curated by Hellura Lyle

Monday, June 3rd, 7:00pm

You Laugh But Its True

David Paul Meyer, 2011, 84 min, US/South Africa

In South Africa’s emerging world of stand-up comedy, comedians of color have only recently started performing on stage. With the opportunity to finally command the attention of a large audience, they go beyond just settling for easy laughs and confront the legacy of apartheid head on in their material. Against the backdrop of this volatile environment, 25-year-old Trevor Noah ambitiously pursues his passion to entertain. Yet his fledgling career as a comedian is largely relegated to headlining at corporate events due to the country’s comedy scene being so small. Determined to pursue his dream of performing all over the world, Trevor decides to produce his first one-man show, despite his lack of experience performing on stage. Based on the size of the proposed venue alone, it will be the most ambitious debut ever attempted by a comedian in South Africa. To prepare for the show, Trevor revisits his past, creating material from memories of growing up in the township under apartheid. As the child of an interracial couple, a union that was illegal in South Africa at the time of his birth, Trevor’s life reveals the story of an outsider who has somehow figured out a way to relate to everyone through his comedy. Despite this progress, the preparation for the show becomes increasingly difficult as Trevor faces a multitude of challenges: an underdeveloped comedy scene, criticism from other comics, strained personal relationships, lingering racial tension, and a shocking family tragedy. They combine to form a crisis that threatens not just the success of the show, but Trevor’s dreams of lifting himself and the South African comedy scene to the global stage.

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5PZcU9VE2k

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BPT: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/395981