The New York Daily News gave it four out of five stars. “And you are left in a bracing state of confusion, wondering how much has changed and how the change took place,” The review in the New York Times concluded. “How did we get from the America of Stokely Carmichael to the America of Barack Obama, who represents a very different kind of black power?”
The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975 is the talk of the documentary film community. It steps into a time when black resistance and pride took center stage over the nonviolent resistance of Martin Luther King and the Southern Christian Leadership Coalition. It was a time when burning buildings and calling for a revolution was the common theme among those prepared to change things by any means necessary.
The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975 is the work of a group of Swedish journalist who documented the Black Power Movement in the United States during a period of upheaval stirred by youth tired of waiting for those with power to do the right thing. It tells the unsettling truth about why many weren’t enamored with the Gandhain, nonviolent strategy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The documentary delves into the perspectives of leaders like Angela David, Harry Belafonte and Louis Farrakhan, as well as ordinary residents of Harlem, Brooklyn and Oakland, California. It presents the reflections of younger people who have been influenced by the Black Power movement. You hear from Sonia Sanchez, Abiodun Oyewole, of the Last Poets, as well as musicians impacted by the movement.
The documentary is a must see. Although not a comprehensive history, it is a work that deserves to be seen and discussed. It will be shown this weekend as part of the 18th Annual Hayti Heritage Film Festival, February 9-12 at the Hayti Heritage Center.
The schedule for the festival is below. Check out The Black Power Mixtape and the rest of the films to be shown at the Hayti.
Thursday, February 9
COMMUNITY DAY FILM SCREENING (FREE)
6 p.m. STRAY a short film by Poetic Mike
STRAY (Part Uno) is a short film written and produced by Mike Anderson who is the CEO and Founder of Polished Souls. STRAY is an acronym that stands for Showing Truth Reaching All Youth. Part Uno, the first part of a three part series, has a primary focus of educating the youth about the unnecessary evils of the streets and gun violence. This film stars Dasan Ahanu, Donesha Pitts, Diamond Pitts, Ricky Cotton, and Mike Anderson himself who plays three roles in this film. Edwin Lewis, an awesome cinematogropher for CotLu films, also makes a featured appearance in STRAY. In front of the camera and behind the camera, Mike Anderson creates the perfect tool for educating youth thru the reality of making the wrong choices. You will be blown away by the plot as Mike Anderson takes you into the mind of the STREETS.
7 p.m. The Interrupters producer/director Steve James and producer Alex Kotlowitz
125 minutes
The Interrupters tells the moving and surprising stories of three Violence Interrupters who try to protect their Chicago communities from the violence they once employed. This film is an unusually intimate journey into the stubborn persistence of violence in our cities. Shot over the course of a year out ofKartemquin Films, The Interrupters captures a period in Chicago when it became a national symbol for the violence in our cities. During that period, the city was besieged by high-profile incidents, most notably the brutal beating of Derrion Albert, a Chicago High School student, whose death was caught on videotape.
The film's main subjects work for an innovative organization,CeaseFire. It was founded by an epidemiologist, Gary Slutkin, who believes that the spread of violence mimics the spread of infectious diseases, and so the treatment should be similar: go after the most infected, and stop the infection at its source. One of the cornerstones of the organization is the "Violence Interrupters" program, created by Tio Hardiman, who heads the program. The Interrupters - who have credibility on the streets because of their own personal histories - intervene in conflicts before they explode into violence. The Interrupters follows Ameena, Cobe and Eddie as they go about their work, and while doing so reveals their own inspired journeys of hope and redemption. The film attempts to make sense of what CeaseFire's Tio Hardiman calls, simply, "the madness".
Panel discussion on gang violence immediately afterwards....This is also a chance for our community to discuss this pressing issue. Through the wonders of Skype, one of the interrupters will be here to discuss their film and there will also be a panel featuring Mike Anderson, Poetic Mike, who will discuss his film Stray and well as others who have been involved in Gang intervention work.
Friday, February 10
5 p.m. Against All Odds A film by Sandra Pfeifer
82 minutes
In the works for over four years, Against All The Odds recounts the sometimes gruesome historical events that led to the birth of America's only 'All Black City', as well as taking an insider's look at the important grassroots community efforts that hold this unique city together today. It showcases many of the courageous citizens who work non-stop, in the worst of circumstances, to make their city a better place to live, despite the hopelessness that the outside world sees.
Against All The Odds sheds light on the courage, problems and accomplishments of a most unique and remarkably challenged city.
The issues of poverty, race and economic devastation are searing in East St Louis, Illinois and America's failure to deal with these issues on a national level comes home to roost in this remarkably challenged all Black city.
What has survived in East St Louis speaks to the depths of the human spirit, the fundamental need for human dignity, and the right to belong within a community, no matter what the circumstances.
Admission: $5
7 p.m. Payin' The Price directed by a New York teen, Jordan Coleman
Payin' The Price film was written and directed by Coleman when he was 14-years-old. It's a cautionary tale for teens. about dating violence. Payin' The Price chronicles the story of 17-year-old Jazz Johnson whose privileged life is turned upside down when a beautiful young girl from the "wrong" side of the tracks accuses him of brutally assaulting her. Johnson becomes the poster boy for teen dating violence as the film follows his relationship, arrest and trial; weaving between flashbacks of classmates, friends, family members and school officials.
According to statistics, one in three teenagers experience dating violence; one person tries to gain control over another through physical or verbal abuse. While the majority of victims are young ladies, young men are also affected and teen dating violence crosses racial, socio-economic and social lines.
A cautionary tale about teen dating violence. Jordan was inspired to tackle this issue after the Chris Brown and Rhianna "domestic violence incident." He said it was the first time that he and many of his peers had heard about domestic violence. To this day, Jordan said the conversation becomes heated among teens when asked who was at fault Chris or Rihanna. Their celebrity status brought the topic of dating violence into the homes of American families like never before.
At 16-years-old, he's a filmmaker, actor, author, education activist, honor roll student and athlete. He was recently named one the 25 Most Influential People in Our Children's Lives by Children's Health magazine. Jordan won the 2011 Martha's Vineyard African-American Film Festival HBO Best Feature Film competition with Payin' The Price.
Admission: $5
9 p.m. Dar He, The Story Of Emmett Till Rob Underhill, director/co-writer
68 minutes
In 1955, a 14-year-old Chicago youth named Emmett Till travels to the Mississippi Delta with country kinfolk and southern cooking on his mind. He walks off the train and into a world he could never understand: a world of thick color lines, of hard-held class systems and unspeakable taboos. Young Emmett crosses that line and steps into his gruesome fate by whistling at a white woman. Experience the story, trial and unbelievable confessions of the men accused of Emmett's murder in this riveting drama. DAR HE: They Lynching of Emmett Till, is the TRUE STORY crafted from public record; it transports us back to this historic tragedy that became a lightning rod for moral outrage and pivotal in inspiring a whole generation of young people to commit to social change in the 1950s. This is the Durham preview of this special film before it goes off to its World Premiere in California at the Pan African Film Festival.
Admission: $5
Saturday, February 11
10 a.m. The Start of Dreams directed by The Horne Brothers
The Start of Dreams, directed by The Horne Brothers, is the story of award-winning director Kenny Leon bringing aspiring teenage actors to a Broadway stage in his annual August Wilson Monologue competition. In a new age where Arts Education is considered expendable in such a penny-pinching economy, Leon is determined to use his celebrity and influence to expose kids across the country to the wonderful world of theatre. Featuring A-list actors like Denzel Washington, Samuel L. Jackson and Phylicia Rashad, "The Start of Dream" is packed with Hollywood's elite weighing in on this important art form and what it means to the United States.
Admission: $5
12 p.m. STUDENT FILM (Shorts) COMPETITION (FREE)
Sleeperz Awake - Terry Barnes - Living Arts College at School of Communication Arts
Pickaniny - Eric Barstow - St. Augustine's College
This was a film projects for a Motion Picture Directing class at St. Augustine's College. The assignment was to pick one of his paintings and use it as an inspiration for a short film, maximum of four minutes long. "Pickaninny" was inspired by Rockwell's Girl at Mirror which was the cover for the March 6, 1954 issue of The Saturday Evening Post. In the original painting, a young girl sits at a mirror with an open magazine on her lap turned to the page of a glamorous model. It's the theme of measuring up to societal standards of beauty.
Doc Wiggins Impact - Kai Smith - NC Central University
Seeing Through - Jessica Wright - Duke University
White Sugar in A Brown Pot - Rachel I. Johnson - New York University
White Sugar in a Black Pot an NYU thesis short film directed by Brooklyn native Rachel I. Johnson recently won a CINE Golden Eagle Award and will premiere at the 10th Annual San Diego Black Film Festival January 26 - 29th 2012. The film kicks off with the innocent hustle and bustle of the Mackey family and unravels to reveal a true to life family and a mother who faces a dilemma. Within the film, Johnson explores the family unit and female subjectivity. She also touches upon issues of gentrification, a heated topic in many Brooklyn neighborhoods.
Rediscovering Maggie Walker - Students from Legacy Media Institute/Virginia State U.
During jim crow era and segregation southern America, one woman revolutionised the way black Americans saw themselves. The first woman to start and charter a bank she gave hope in a time when hope seemed impossible. Now a group of youth, who seem lost go on a search to exhume her memory, to rediscover Maggie Walker.
2 p.m. Panel discussion (FREE)
Topics: new media, you tube, vimeo, social media and how it is impacting the modern day world of filmmaking, the current state of filmmaking around the country, both commerical and documentary style
Lana Garland, Documentary Filmmaker
Rob Underhill, Director of Dar He
Noel James, Event Planner
Tyrone Young, NAACP Image Award Nominee for 2011
Ablavi Gbenyon, Liberian American filmmaker
Mark Anthony Neal, Professor, African & African American Studies Duke University
4 p.m. Behind Closed Doors (Short Film) by Nicole Bowman (FREE)
A film about domestic violence.
4:30 p.m. HAYTI: The Legacy of Black America (FREE)
directed by Cultural Heritage Group. Written by: Victor Stone, Jaisun McMillian and Kelvin De'Marcus Allen
The film explores the rich African-American experience in Durham' North Carolina Hayti community during the city's first 100 years.
In the years after the Civil War, former slaves all over the south looked forward to new independence and the prospect of great opportunities ahead. Many migrated to Durham, NC to take advantage of the booming tobacco and textile industries. Durham quickly developed a vibrant Black community, the center of which was an area known as 'Hayti'. From the 1800's through the 1900's, Black Durham prospered both politically and socially as a self-reliant community.
Hayti became one of the most unique and successful Black communities in America, where in the early 20th some of the largest Black-owned and operated businesses existed. Recognized by prominent national Black leaders as the "The Black Capitol of the South", Durham's most well-knowned businesses were North Carolina Mutual Insurance Company and Mechanics & Farmers' Bank which would come to be known as "Black Wall Street." In 1910, Dr. James E. Shepard founded North Carolina Central University, the nation's first publicly supported liberal arts college for African-Americans.
5 p.m. MI, A Different Kind of Girl A Premiere Screening by Leslie Cunningham
48 minutes
Laine Brown, a spirited and passionate male impersonator born on North Carolina's rural coast, transforms by taping down her breasts, shaving her head, and studying the masculine performance of today's most famous male entertainers- to become the incomparable Nation Tyre, show-stopper and ground-breaker for women in the LGBT community, perfecting the craft of male illusion to cut a space in American popular culture for women in drag. Pushing the bounds of female gender identity, is there room for a lone performer to challenge the constraints at work in the African-American and LGBT community in pursuit of fame and visibility on the world's stage? In a new- millennium America deeply committed to our categories of race and culture, gender and sexuality, is there acceptance for an M.I.? Featuring special commentary and music by KIN4LIFE, the film features on-camera interviews with Laine Brown as Nation Tyre,The House of Tyre of Atlanta, Breyannah Allure, Paris Brooks, Image, First Lady, Hollywood and many more.
Admission $5
6:30 p.m. Honey Boy (Short) a film by Teri Burnett (FREE)
The Jackie Torrance story. This short film, which was originally told orally by the late, great storyteller Jackie Torrence of Salisbury, is a riveting story. This film is about a young man, who is suspected of being a Robin Hood-type, who robs the rich and gives to the poor people in his community. Someone who fits Honey Boy's description is killed for the reward money, and Honey Boy's mother is asked to identify his body, as community citizens watch to see if he is, in fact, the person who has been killed. Written, direted and edited by Teri Burnette,, the film features local actors and members of the NC Association of Black Storytellers as the cast. Using local donations, Burnette financed this film herself.
7:00 p.m. America's Dark Secrets a film by Kim Brummell (FREE)
Power, privilege and injustice can be more lethal than a car bomb in the heart of a major city. This film takes a look at some of the most infamous extremist, radical, and cult groups in American history and their crimes. This documentary is historical, ground breaking and full of tense, real life footage that exposes government secrets and dirty money. Filmmaker Kim Brummell will be available for discussion.
8:30 p.m. Filling the Gap film by Tyrone Young
Untold stories of African Americans during America's Civil War
83 minutes
Filling The Gap is a 2011 NAACP Image Award nominated film that shares little-known facts of American history, focusing on the Civil War and African-American contributions in their fight for human rights. It is a must-see as a resource in providing the "whole story" --completing afractured telling of America's Civil War era. It is a docudrama that allows viewers to see history from a new angle; offering vignettes with three dimensional portrayals of patriots such as Frederick Douglass, Abraham Lincoln, Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Phyllis Wheatley, and the numerous heroic acts of ordinary people of all colors who helped make America what it is today.
We believe, by presenting stories that fill in the "gaps" in our history, a new generation of Americans will be inspired to appreciate and embrace this new telling of our history with pride.
Admission $5
9:30 p.m. Being Elmo Directed and produced by Constance Marks
76 minutes
Beloved by children of all ages around the world, Elmo is an international icon. Few p eople know his creator, Kevin Clash, who dreamed of working with his idol, master puppeteer Jim Henson. Displaying his creativity and talent at a young age, Kevin ultimately found a home on Sesame Street. Narrated by Whoopi Goldberg, this documentary includes rare archival footage, interviews with Frank Oz, Rosie O'Donnell, Cheryl Henson, Joan Ganz Cooney and others and offers a behind-the-scenes look at Sesame Street and the Jim Henson Workshop.
This film was a tremendous success at last year's Full Frame Festival and we are proud to show it here at our festival.
Admission: $5
11 p.m. The Christmas Wish (FREE)
One year after his wife's Christmas Eve murder, Asia is on the brink of suicide, when he is approached by a stranger who convinces him that he can reunite him with his wife. Asia accepts the deal, only to discover the catch: He must relive the day of her death over and over again in order to be with her"
Sunday, February 12
FILM SHORTS (FREE)
12 p.m. Rediscovering Maggie Walker Produced at Tim Reid's studio
During jim crow era and segregation southern America, one woman revolutionised the way black Americans saw themselves. The first woman to start and charter a bank she gave hope in a time when hope seemed impossible. Now a group of youth, who seem lost go on a search to exhume her memory, to rediscover Maggie Walker.
12:30 p.m. Am I Your Favorite film by April Mials
1 p.m. Burned film by Phylllis Toben Bancroft
This film tells the story of a female firefighter and Air Force Veteran who returns from the Iraq War suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and stars former Raleigh native Bianca Jones. It was financed with a $100,000 "Lens on Talent" award from BET Network.
2 p.m. Chasing The Mad Lion Film Trailer
Global Center Initiative Shorts dealing with sports in Africa
Little Brother filmmakers Nicole Franklin and Jasmin Tiggett
Little Brother is a series of fifteen minute documentary films dedicated to giving Black boys a uinque voice. Beginning in 2010, filmmakers Nicole Franklin and Jasmin Tiggett take an annual look at Black boys as young as nine years old for a one-on-one conversation demystifyihng what society tends to rob them of : Love. "It's a rarity to see representations of black boys as they really are: beautiful, open, curious,k intelligent, funny and vulnerable. Little Brother, a caring documentary about the hopes, dreams and experiences of black boys is as important as it necessary.
2:45 White Wash Trespass Productions
60 minutes
White Wash, the documentary, is a film exploring the complexity of race in America through the eyes of the ocean. Examining the history of "black consciousness" as it triumphs and evolves into the minds of black surfers, we learn the power of transcending race as a constructive phenomenon. The story is narrated by the legendary, Grammy Award winner Ben Harper (Fistful of Mercy, Relentless 7, Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals) along with Tariq "Blackthought" Trotter of the Grammy Award winning hip hop group, The Roots whom also originally scored the film.
Admission $5
4 p.m. Black Power Mixtape Written and Directed by: Göran Hugo Olsson
96 minutes
The Black Power Mixtape is an award winning compilation feature documentary that displays the story of the African-American community 1967-1975, the people, the so ciety and the style that fueled a change. Told with sparkling, beautiful and deep footage, lost in the a rchives in Sweden for 30 years. This recently discovered 16mm footage, collated by filmmaker Göran Hugo Olsson into a vibrant 70s-style mixtape, allows us to see black America-and such iconic figures as Stokely Carmichael (Kwame Ture), Bobby Seale, Huey P. Newton, Angela Davis, and Eldridge Cleaver-in the heat of the times, unfiltered by the standard American media spin. This rich document intersperses commentary by present-day cultural icons and artists Cornel West, Robin D. G. Kelley, Harry Belafonte, Sonia Sanchez, Erykah Badu, ?uestlove, and Talib Kweli, all of whom have been inspired by and have participated in the movement.
Admission $5
6 p.m. Derek is Dying
Directed/written by London base filmmaker Stephen Lloyd Jackson
90 minutes
A young, successful hedge fund manager has just been told that he is HIV positive. He is informed of the possibility that his fiancée and unborn child could also be infected. Through an intense therapy session with his psychiatrist, David takes us on a pernicious journey that starts twelve months prior, exposing the women, the sex and the demons. David knows that he will die and he can live with that. But before that he must resolve the ghosts of his past before he can face his end. A disturbing psychodrama that illustrates the ugly side of love and tragic passion.
He's Lying, He's Loving, He's Dying.
Admission $5
8 p.m. ALL ME: The Life and Times of Winfred Rembert
Directed by Vivian Ducat
78 minutes
With his intensely autobiographical paintings depicting the day-to-day existence of African Americans in the segregated South, Winfred Rembert has preserved an important, if often disturbing, chapter of American history. His indelible images of toiling in the cotton fields, singing in church, dancing in juke joints, or working on a chain gang are especially powerful, not just because he lived every moment, but because he experienced so much of the injustice and bigotry they show as recently as the 1960s and 70s.
Now in his sixties, Rembert has developed a growing following among collectors and connoisseurs, and enjoyed a number of tributes and exhibitions of his work. In "ALL ME: The Life and Times of Winfred Rembert," the artist relives his turbulent life, abundantly visualized by his extensive paintings and, in a series of intimate reminiscences, shows us how even the most painful memories can be transformed into something meaningful and beautiful. A glowing portrait of how an artist-and his art-is made, "ALL ME" is also a triumphant saga of race in contemporary America.
Admission $5
10 p.m. A Small Town Called Descent Directed by Jahmil XT Qubeka
106 minutes
The South African film "A Small Town Called Descent" has made big waves at the seventh Dubai International Film Festival. It deals with the 2008 xenophobic attacks, in which over 60 people died.
Somewhere in a remote part of South Africa, a heinous crime is committed. Against the backdrop of Xenophobic riots that have swept across the country, two Zimbabwean brothers, along with a local girl, are brutally attacked The older brother (Getmore Sithole) is burnt alive whilst his younger sibling (Morgen Bousa) and the girl (Hlubi Mboya) are sodomised, raped and left for dead. Three investigators from the elite crime fighting unit known as the Scorpions are deployed to A Small Town Called Descent. Their mandate is clear : uncover the truth. However, are they the right men for the job? The senior Investigator (Vusi Kunene) has a proverbial Monkey on his back that has torn his family apart. The other two investigators; One (Paul Buckby) is an apartheid relic with a drug problem and the other (Vuyo Dabula) is a naive rookie with something to prove - seem an unlikely team to tackle the case. Guided by the zealous hand of an eccentric cleric (John Savage) they manouvre through the small town's complex, social dynamic to get to the truth.
Admission $5
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