A celebratory evening dedicated to the great works of pioneering and contemporary African-American female directors. With a special introduction by Maya Cade, founder of Black Film Archive in New York.
These films disrupt traditional narratives and offer a multifaceted portrayal of Black womanhood and creativity, resisting the dominant subjectivity of the ‘cinema canon’.
Program
FOUR WOMEN (JULIE DASH, 1975, 7′)
In this experimental short by Julie Dash – which is one of the first experimental films by a Black woman filmmaker – dancer Linda Martina Young interprets the same-titled ballad by Nina Simone and embodies the spirits of four women: Aunt Sarah, Saffronia, Sweet Thing and Peaches. These women represent common stereotypes of Black women attempting to survive in America.
KILLING TIME (FRONZA WOODS, 1979, 9′)
In this offbeat, wryly humorous look at the dilemma of a suicidal woman unable to find the right outfit to die in, director Fronza Woods examines the personal habits, socialisation, and complexities of life that keep us going.
AMERICA (GARRETT BRADLEY, 2020, 29′)
America explores the intersection of race, history, and visual storytelling through a series of 12 silent, black and white films, starting from 1915 to 1926. America was inspired by the MoMA’s recent discovery of the earliest surviving footage for a feature film Lime Kiln Club Field Day, made by an interracial cast and crew for a Black audience. In the first quarter of the 20th century, 100 years ago, Black people and white people made films together with Black casts and narratives of joy. The majority of these films were lost or destroyed. Each of the 12 films represents one year and some ordinarily extraordinary things that happened in the United States.
TO BE FREE (ADEPERO ODUYE, 2017, 13′)
Late night in a jazz club, Nina Simone finds, for one moment, to be free. Actress, writer and director Adepero Oduye takes the stage as the great Nina Simone for an intimate and defiant performance. With stunning cinematography by Oscar-nominated Bradford Young.
EYE on Art 