Produced by the Black Panther Commemoration Committee, NY and Maysles Cinema
800 Years
Deggra Stratton, 24 min
Cruel and Unusual
Vadim Jean, 2017, 95 min
Introduced by director Vadim Jean
Cruel and Unusual is the story of three men who have spent longer in solitary confinement than any other prisoners in the US because of the murder of a prison guard in 1972 at Angola, the Louisiana state penitentiary. Robert King, Herman Wallace and Albert Woodfox were convicted by bribed and blind eye witnesses and with no physical evidence. Targeted as members of the Black Panther Party, the film follows their struggle against the miscarriage of justice and their cruel and unusual treatment. Their story culminated in 2016 with the release of Albert Woodfox after 43 years in solitary confinement.
Closing party to follow.
This program is in partnership with the Seventh Art Stand: Uplifting Black Voices which is a national film screening and discussion series which utilizes film to bridge communities and create new inroads for civil rights discourse. This series enters its second installment with Uplifting Black Voices Now and Then focused on the continually relevant need for films that empower African-Americans.
Seventhartstand.com