| Feature
Films
June 25, 2009
Cosmic Slop
Pre-Screening Reception
at 5 pm, Feature Film at 6pm; Auditorium; free
This Afro-centric Twilight Zone inspired trilogy celebrates
its 15th anniversary at the festival. A three-part anthology
combining fantasy and topical social issues.
In "Space Traders,"
aliens offer solutions to the United States' problems
in exchange for all African-Americans. The country has
five days to decide.
In "Tang," a woman
living with an abusive boyfriend receives a package
containing a gun and instructions for the "revolution."
In "The First Commandment,"
a young Catholic priest is torn between church doctrine
and his congregation, which believes that the statue
of a saint is both a Catholic and Afro-Cuban deity.
His faith is tested when the statue comes to life and
performs miracles. A special thanks to HBO video. 1994,
83 minutes
Speaker: Warrington Hudlin, Filmmaker, DVRepublic.org
July 2, 2009
This is My Africa
Pre-Screening Reception
at 5 pm, Feature Film at 6pm; Auditorium; free
Award-winning documentary has been described as a “50-minute
crash course in African culture.” Film chronicles
a unique journey into an Africa that many may not know
about, with recollections by writers and artists on
food, books, art, music and film. 2008, 50 minutes
Speaker: Zina Saro-Wiwa, Writer/Filmmaker/Director
July 9, 2009
Dreams Deferred: The Sakia Gunn Film Project
Pre-Screening Reception
at 5 pm, Feature Film at 6pm; Auditorium; free
In 2003, 15-year old Sakia Gunn was murdered on the
streets of Newark because she dared to be herself: a
young, Black lesbian. Taken from her world, her friends,
and her family before her life truly began, Sakia’s
story has only begun to be told. And her story demands
attention and compassion, not just for Sakia, but for
all of the young Black women and men who pay the price
of intolerance, shame, hate, and silence.
Speaker: Charles B. Brack, Producer/Director
July 16, 2009
Medicine for Melancholy
Pre-Screening Reception
at 5 pm, Feature Film at 6pm; Auditorium; free
A love story of bikes and on-night stands through the
eyes of two twenty-something urbanites in search of
self-definition. Barry Jenkin’s award-winning
independent film redefines the date movie, giving it
new life, new edge, and a brand new soul. Starring Wyatt
Cenac and Tracey Heggins. 2007, 88 minutes
Speaker: Tracey Heggins, Actor
July 23, 2009
A Place Out of Time: The Bordentown School
Pre-Screening Reception
at 5 pm, Feature Film at 6pm; Auditorium; free
New Jersey’s Bordentown School was an educational
utopia that taught values, disciplines and life skills
to generations of children. This film examines a seventy-year
period when America cared little about the education
of African Americans. 2008, 60 minutes
Speaker: David Davidson, Producer/Filmmaker/Director
and Amber Edwards, Co-Producer.
July 30, 2009
The Birth of a Nation &
Within Our Gates
Pre-Screening Reception
at 5 pm, Feature Film at 6pm; Auditorium; free
Birth of a Nation (segments)
This classic 1915 silent film directed by D.W. Griffith
was an innovative cinematic breakthrough for its time.
But Griffith’s “masterpiece” was made
at the expense of African-Americans, telling a story
of American life that sprang from a deeply distorted,
fundamentally racist perspective. This controversial
Civil War epic damaged American race relations for many
decades, through its vicious caricaturing of African-American
citizens, and its glorification of the Ku Klux Klan’s
terrorism. 1915, segments only
Within Our Gates
This 1920 film by the pioneering black film maker and
entrepreneur Oscar Micheaux is an early depiction of
race and race relations in America during the formative
years of Jim Crow and racial terrorism. It is considered
a response to The Birth of a Nation, with a story focusing
on an African American woman who travels north to help
a minister raise funds in support of a school of impoverished
black children. 1920, 79 minutes
Speaker: Speaker: Donald Bogle, Film Historian and
Author
Youth
Cinema
June 25, 2009
Ages: 4-12; 1:00 PM;
Auditorium; free
Mattie, Johnny and Smooth White Stones
Slaves Mattie and Johnny are in love and one day hope
to marry. When they learn that one of them is about
to be sold, they decide to escape on the Underground
Railroad. 20 minutes
The Good Day
This animated tale takes Barney, Betty, Beemer and
Bonnie Beaver from their home in the North American
forest and back again. During their travels, they experience
a society of animals that have decided to live without
fighting for one day each month.
30 minutes
July 2, 2009
Ages: 4-12; 1:00 PM;
Auditorium; free
Global Wonders
Children will learn about African-American culture
in this interactive adventure, featuring a mix of animation,
live-action footage and original songs. Discover the
art of Horace Pippin, music of Louis Armstrong, achievements
of Jackie Robinson and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and
more. 56 minutes
July 9, 2009
Ages: 4-12; 1:00 PM;
Auditorium; free
Chato and the Party Animals
Chato's friend, Novio Boy, has never had a birthday
party, and doesn't know when his birthday is. So Chato,
being a good friend decides to throw him one - a "pachanga,"
and everyone is invited - including you! 10 minutes
Incredible Voyage of Bill Pinkney
Narrated by Bill Cosby, this documentary tells the
story of the first African-American to sail around the
world, and Bill Pinkney's high seas adventures from
Boston to Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, Brazil,
South Africa, Tasmania and Uruguay. 45 minutes
July 16, 2009
Ages: 4-12; 1:00 PM;
Auditorium; free
I Lost My Tooth in Africa
Story of a young girl who loses a tooth while visiting
her father's family in Africa. In the African tradition,
the girl places the tooth under a gourd and, in return,
gets two chickens from the Tooth Fairy. Emmy Award-winning
PBS children's series, Reading Rainbow . 30 minutes
Lincoln and Douglass
In celebration of Abraham Lincoln's 200th birthday
in February 2009, we present this story of the unusual
friendship between two great American leaders. At a
time when racial tensions were high and racial equality
was not yet established, Lincoln and Douglass formed
a strong bond over shared ideals. 12 minutes
Apple for Harriet Tubman
Children will learn about the life of Harriet Tubman,
including the significance of apples for this remarkable
American. The program follows Tubman's life from the
hardships that she endured as a child slave through
her escape to freedom and her legendary role as a conductor
on the Underground Railroad to her life as freewoman
in upstate New York. 12 minutes
July 23, 2009
Ages: 4-12; 1:00 PM;
Auditorium; free
Cliques, Phonies & Other Baloney
This animated program offers helpful suggestions on
how children can dare to be different, keep an open
mind about others and remain true to themselves. 30
minutes
Garrett’s Gift: The Story of Garrett Morgan
Narrated by Queen Latifah, this animated program tells
the story of African-American inventor Garrett Morgan
and his struggle to discover his talent. Years later,
Garrett achieves his dreams as he introduces the world
to his many wonderful inventions, including the traffic
signal. 19 minutes
The Hunterman and the Crocodile
Traditional West African folktale about the importance
of living in harmony with nature. 10 minutes
July 30, 2009
Ages: 4-12; 1:00 PM;
Auditorium; free
The Story of Ruby Bridges
Learn about six-year-old Ruby Bridges' difficult first
months at an all-white elementary school in New Orleans.
12 minutes
The Lion’s Drum
An African hunter discovers a lion playing a magic
tree stump deep in the jungle and must convince the
villagers of what he has seen and heard. 23 minutes
Obara & The Merchants
In this animated adaptation of the traditional Nigerian
folktale, a powerful hunter returns home to find some
unexpected dinner guests. 8 minutes
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