Initially inspired by the Philando Castile ruling in Minnesota, but continuously relevant, the focus centers around films that empower African-Americans, celebrate successful leaders, and offer historical context that leads to the continued unjust treatment of communities of color.
II. Uplifting Black Voices
NOVEMBER 1, 2017 WHOSE STREETS? @ SHEPHERD HALL ROOM OF THE CITY COLLEGE OF NY (HARLEM, NY)
Hosted by The Documentary Forum @City College of New York, Third World Newsreel, The Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership and the Center for Workers Education
Co-Director Sabaah Folayan in Attendance for Q&A
Told by the activists and leaders who live and breathe this movement for justice, Whose Streets?, by Filmmakers Sabaah Folayan and Damon Davis, is an unflinching look at the Ferguson uprising. When unarmed teenager Michael Brown is killed by police and left lying in the street for hours, it marks a breaking point for the residents of St. Louis, Missouri. Grief, long-standing racial tensions and renewed anger bring residents together to hold vigil and protest this latest tragedy. Empowered parents, artists, and teachers from around the country come together as freedom fighters. As the national guard descends on Ferguson with military grade weaponry, these young community members become the torchbearers of a new resistance.
OCTOBER 27, 2017 - TWO TRAINS RUNNIN’ @ METCALF AUDITORIUM @ RISD MUSEUM (PROVIDENCE, RI)
Presented with Dorcas International, with filmmaker Sam Pollard to introduce the film and do a Q&A.
FREE & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC!
7:00pm screening, with reception at 6:15pm!
OCTOBER 19, 2017 - REFUGEE KIDS @ HENRY FORD CENTENNIAL LIBRARY (DEARBORN, MI)
Presented with the Wayne State Equity Action Lab and the Damon J. Keith Center for Civil Rights
FREE with RSVP HERE
The Arab American National Museum in partnership with the Henry Ford Centennial Library is pleased to screen the short documentary, Refugee Kids: One Small School Takes On the World. The film follows students at a New York City summer program for youth seeking asylum from the world’s most volatile conflicts. The film presents the experiences and stories from the children themselves as they share stories of escaping war and conflict and the life-changing decision to resettle in America.
Immediately following the screening will be a Q&A with director Renée Silverman via Skype.
9TH ANNUAL BLACK PANTHER PARTY FILM FESTIVAL
SEPTEMBER 29 & 30, 2017 + OCTOBER 6 & 7, 2017
@ MAYSLES DOCUMENTARY CENTER (HARLEM, NY)
Produced by the Black Panther Commemoration Committee, NY and Maysles Cinema
THEME: No. 8 of the 10-point party platform
We Want Freedom For All Black Men Held In Federal, State, County And City Prisons And Jails. We believe that all Black people should be released from the many jails and prisons because they have not received a fair and impartial trial.
SEPTEMBER 28, 2017 @ DORIS DUKE THEATRE (HONOLULU, HI)
Syrian rebels who call themselves Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently risk their lives to document the atrocities committed by ISIS in their homeland. CITY OF GHOSTS, which had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, takes a hard-hitting, ground-level look at atrocities in a part of the world that may seem foreign to many viewers, but whose impact will be no less devastating.
Special guests: Two journalists from Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently will attend the opening Sept. 28 screening at 6pm. Join us for a post-screening talk with one of the founders of Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently Abdalaziz Alhamza and Walaa Altahaan. See Alhamza’s The New York Times‘ opinion piece here.
SEPTEMBER 23, 2017 @ MAYSLES DOCUMENTARY CENTER (HARLEM, NY)
Copwatch is the true story of We Copwatch, an organization whose mission is to film police activity as a non-violent form of protest and deterrent to police brutality. Around the country, a network of regular people take up cameras to bear witness to police actions and hold law enforcement to accountability. Director Camilla Hall profiles several We Copwatch members, including Kevin Moore, who filmed the arrest of Freddie Gray in Baltimore, and Ramsey Orta, the man who filmed Eric Garner’s fatal Staten Island arrest in the devastating video that has galvanized protestors and activists nationwide. And yet Orta is the only person involved in these incidents who has seen the inside of a jail cell. In her powerful directorial debut, Hall crafts an intriguing and incredibly timely profile of citizen-journalist-activists who are seeking to disrupt the ever-present challenge of police violence.
Q&As to be announced.