New film on the way directed by a close friend of the artist. Check out the details below…
In his short career, Jean-Michel Basquiat was a phenomenon. He became notorious for his graffiti art under the moniker Samo in the late 1970s on the Lower East Side scene, sold his first painting to Deborah Harry for $200, and became best friends with Andy Warhol. Appreciated by both the art cognoscenti and the public, Basquiat was launched into international stardom. However, soon his cult status began to override the art that had made him famous in the first place.
Director Tamra Davis pays homage to her friend in this definitive documentary but also delves into Basquiat as an iconoclast. His dense, bebop-influenced neoexpressionist work emerged while minimalist, conceptual art was the fad; as a successful black artist, he was constantly confronted by racism and misconceptions. Much can be gleaned from insider interviews and archival footage, but it is Basquiat’s own words and work that powerfully convey the mystique and allure of both the artist and the man.
I caught the promo for Rise up, a documentary about Reggae music on Large up. The screening of the documentary will take place at the Walter Reade Theater at Lincoln Center on February 25th. Below is the trailer for the movie.
I came across this over the weekend. Share and share alike they say, right? See the video below…
AFRICA UNITE is a singular and masterfully executed film by Stephanie Black that is at once concert tribute, Marley family travelogue, and humanitarian documentary, igniting the screen with the spirit of world-renowned reggae icon BOB MARLEY in its every frame. In commemoration of Bob’s 60th birthday, AFRICA UNITE is centered on the Marleys’ first-time-ever family trip to Ethiopia in 2005. Includes rare footage of Marley.
Vice Magazine recently published a great interview with the director of the classic Jamaican film Rockers, where he speaks on his life during and after the making of the film. Check out the quote from the interview below, on what became of most of the film’s stars…
“Most of them are dead. Half were murdered. Dirty Harry, for instance, was killed in New York. He went to jail for two years, probably for drugs or a fight. I’m not sure, I didn’t ask. Six months after he got out of jail someone killed him. The same with Natty Garfield.”
Tonight, the Caribbean Cultural Center in conjunction with the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation present a screening of When The Spirits Dance Mambo, the critically acclaimed film co-directed and produced by Bobby Shephard and Dr. Marta Moreno Vega. Check out the details below…
Tracing the role of sacred African thought and practices in the formation of Cuban society, culture and music, the documentary is a tribute to the spiritual energy that traveled form West Africa to Cuba and New York. The film was shot over a three month period in Cuba and New York. “When the Spirits Dance Mambo” documents the roots of the sacred African religion, La Regla de Ocha (known as Santeria). There will be a question and answer with Dr. Marta Moreno Vega directly following the film.
Hansborough Recreation Center
35 W 134th St
New York, NY 10037-2503
(212) 234-9603
El Súper is the quintessential Cuban film. A dramatic comedy, it focuses on the domestic experiences of a Cuban family that left Cuba after the outbreak of the revolution. It tells the story of Roberto Amador González, his wife, Aurelia, and their daughter, Aurelita, in New York City. Roberto, a middle-aged man of humble origins and underprivileged background, works as a building superintendent in Manhattan. The film concentrates on his family’s experiences as marginal people in a country with a language and traditions different from their own. The fact that they live in the basement of the building where Roberto works underscores the sense of imprisonment and marginalization that the characters suffer. Cold weather and snow enhance the sense of desolation in the film….
As usual, there’s no cover for the event. Following the screening is a Q&A with original play writer Iván Acosta and a performance by Cuban Jazz and Salsa outfit UNity. For more info hit up the BX Museums’s site.
One of our peoples put together a three-minute short video for Crunch Gym’s Gym Shorts contest. They’ve made it to the finals, and now have the chance to win the 10G grand prize. All they need is votes.
With the Carnival season wrapping it up, now is the perfect time for a film like this. I’d really love to see something similar for the goings on here in NYC, and in other regions. Check out the info below…
Grammy Award winner Don Letts tells the incredible story of Europe’s biggest street party – the Notting Hill Carnival. Wonderful interviews, unseen archive and an amazing soundtrack combine to chart the history of this celebration of multicultural London!
Starting out in 1959 as a response to the worst racial violence the streets of London has ever seen, Carnival began when over a hundred Caribbean Londoners came together, using music and dance in a show of harmony. Half a century later and this multicultural celebration of diversity attracts over a million people to London every year!
A balanced mix of reality and history, the film captivates young and old, black and white, with unseen archive, an amazing soundtrack and wonderful interviews with Sir Trevor McDonald, Paul Simonon of The Clash, Miquita Oliver, Norman Jay and Jazzie B.
If you haven’t gotten the chance to check out Estilo Hip Hop and you’re in our area, now’s your chance. The Maysles Cinema in Harlem will be featuring the film for a three-day engagement. Check the info below…
Thursday, August 20th - Saturday, August 22nd @7pm
Estilio Hip-Hop
Loira Limbal, Vee Bravo (2009) 56 Min
ESTILO HIP HOP chronicles the lives of three hip hop enthusiasts from Brazil, Chile and Cuba who firmly believe that hip hop can change the world. These three inspirational leaders mobilize young people to become politically active. However as the stakes assume greater risks, the leaders are faced with challenges and have to make life-altering decisions that ultimately impact the course of their lives and of the hip hop movement.
The Maysles Cinema
343 Malcolm X Blvd.
(Between 127th and 128th Street) Mayslesinstitute.org
The City Is Mine, is an movie by the up and coming director Patrick Pierre. Its in stores now on DVD.
A young man coming home after serving time in the penitentiary finds his city in control by local thugs, stops at nothing to gain sole control of a city he feels is rightfully his.
The lead actors in the film, Kirk Ponton and Jenelle Valle, were recently interviewed about the movie and the message behind it.
