Reel Sisters Film Fest Begins Tomorrow! Win A Free Ticket To The Awards Ceremony!

Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Festival + Lecture Series The Black Documentary Collective (BDC), Presenting Partner Long Island University/Brooklyn 1 University Plaza, Brooklyn, NY 11201 Featuring BDC Member* documentaries and panels! CLICK PIX FOR TICKETS! La Belle Vie (The Good Life) by Rachelle Salnave* Mary Lou Williams: The Lady Who Swings the Band by Carol Bash* Changing the Face of Medicine by Crystal Emery* AMEN: The Life and Music of Jester Hairston by Lillian Benson* Jimmy Goes to Nollywood by Jimmy Jean-Louis The Art of Ama Ata Aidoo by Yaba Badoe Taboo Yardies by Selena Blake Good Love (Re) presentations of Love & Sex in Black Women's Cinema Panelists: Michele Stephenson*, Yoruba Richen* and Nefertite Nguvu Discussing notions of love and sex in film and television as it relates to Black women and women of color. There have been too many films in which we are portrayed as not having diverse human thoughts and feelings when it comes to love and sex. Are the old tropes of Sapphire, Jezebel and Mammy still valid in light of women filmmakers who are creating roles for Black women in which we are not devalued - roles in which we are told we are not worthy of love, devotion and healthy sexual relationships?  This panel celebrates women of color filmmakers who are claiming spaces for us to solidly give and receive "Good Love"! Reel Sisters Awards Ceremony Oct. 25, 2015, 6:30 pm $35 BDC Members Eligible to Win Free Tickets! Email bdcnewyork@gmail.com for more information BET's Centric on Board to Film the Event! Award Ceremony Honors actresses Jessica Williams, beloved comedienne on Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, and Ebony Jo-Ann, renowned for her role as Ma Rainey in August Wilson's Ma Rainey's Black Bottom.

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The Whole Gritty City Screens THIS Wednesday! BDC at New Orleans Film Festival!

The Whole Gritty City by Richard Barber and Andre Lambertson THIS Wednesday, October 14th, 6-10 PM Dwyer Cultural Center 258 St. Nicholas Ave, btw 124th & 125th Sts. As the BDC enters its 15th year, we kick it off with a screening of The Whole Gritty City, followed by a Q&A and Cocktail Reception! Click Pix for Tickets  "Sensitive, intelligent and inspirational" "Marching bands have never been so captivating" THE WHOLE GRITTY CITY is a feature documentary that plunges viewers into the world of three New Orleans school marching bands.  The film follows kids growing up in America's most musical city, and one of its most dangerous, as their band directors get them ready to perform in the Mardi Gras parades, and teach them to succeed and to survive.  Navigating the urban minefield through moments of setback, loss, discovery, and triumph, these children and their adult leaders reveal the power and resilience of a culture. Click Here to Watch the Trailer! "Heartbreaking and hopeful" -LA Times "Sensitive, intelligent & inspirational" -NPR Fresh Air "Marching bands have never been so captivating." -Common Sense Media "Gritty City is glorious" -David Simon, "The Wire", "Treme"

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BDC at New Orleans Film Festival October 14 - 22 BaddDDD Sonia Sanchez & Mary Lou Williams: The Lady Who Swings the Band Click Here for New Orleans FF Tickets October 18th &19th October 18th &20th

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Sonia Sanchez, The Whole Gritty City, Netflix and More!

BDC's Sister Organization, BAD West Presents its 9th Annual Day of Black Docs Featuring BaddDDD Sonia Sanchez by Barbara Attie, Janet Goldwater and Sabrina Schmidt Gordon Co-Presented by Black Documentary Collective Saturday, October 10th 12-5 PM American Film Institute Mark Goodson Theater 2021 N. Western Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90027 Click Here for Tickets BaddDDD Sonia Sanchez is a new feature-length, performance-packed documentary about the renowned poet and activist's contribution to the world of poetry, her singular place in the Black Arts Movement, and her role in American culture over the last 50+ years. Featuring Amiri Baraka, Nikki Giovanni, and Haki Madhubuti, Questlove, Talib Kweli, Jessica Care Moore, Yasiin Bey (Mos Def), Ursula Rucker, Imani Uzuri and Bryonn Bain.

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The Whole Gritty City by Richard Barber and Andre Lambertson Wednesday, October 14th, 6-10 PM Dwyer Cultural Center 258 St. Nicholas Ave, btw 1245th & 125th Sts. As the BDC enters its 15th year, we kick it off with  a screening of The Whole Gritty City,  followed by a Q&A and Cocktail Reception! Click Pix for Tickets "Sensitive, intelligent and inspirational" "Marching bands have never been so captivating" THE WHOLE GRITTY CITY is a feature documentary that plunges viewers into the world of three New Orleans school marching bands.  The film follows kids growing up in America's most musical city, and one of its most dangerous, as their band directors get them ready to perform in the Mardi Gras parades, and teach them to succeed and to survive.  Navigating the urban minefield through moments of setback, loss, discovery, and triumph, these children and their adult leaders reveal the power and resilience of a culture. Watch The Whole Gritty City Trailer Here! "Heartbreaking and hopeful" -LA Times "Sensitive, intelligent & inspirational" -NPR Fresh Air "Marching bands have never been so captivating." -Common Sense Media "Gritty City is glorious" -David Simon, "The Wire", "Treme"

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Member Films Available on Netflix! DOCUMENTED Producer/Editor Sabrina Schmidt Gordon The New Black Producer/Director Yoruba Richen Soul Food Junkies Producer/Director Byron Hurt If you have a film available for sale or rental, please let us know and we'll share! Email BDC: bdcnewyork@gmail.com

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BDC Events

The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution Directed by Stanley Nelson Produced by Laurens Grant Opening in NYC at the Film Forum Wednesday, September 2 209 West Houston St., New York, NY 10014 Special guests and filmmaker Q&As throughout the run! Opening Night Screening Hosted by the Black Documentary Collective (BDC) 7:15 pm Q&A with Stanley Nelson, Laurens Grant  and Kathleen Cleaver (via Skype) (Click pix for ticket information) The Black Panthers is the first feature length documentary to explore the Black Panther Party, its significance to the broader American culture, its cultural and political awakening for black people, and the painful lessons wroght when a movement derails.  Stanley Nelson goes straight to the source, weaving a treasure trove of rare archival footage with the voices of the people who were there: police, FBI informants, journalists, white supportersand detractors, and Black Panthers who remained loyal to the party and those who left it. "The moment is right for a documentary history of the Panthers." - The New York Times "An essential portrait of a singular radical movement in the American experience." - The Baltimore Sun "The women's voices are as vital and important as those of their male counterparts, something not often seen in documentaries about times of social change.  The fact that these women aren't tied to their husbands  or lovers, but are seen as entities of their own, makes The Black Panthers all the more exceptional." - Buzzfeed

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**Save the Date!** Mary Lou Williams: The Lady Who Swings the Band by Carol Bash Premieres in NYC at Harlem Stage! *TUESDAY* September 22, 7:30 pm Special Performance by Geri Allen Mary Lou Williams: The Lady Who Swings the Band is a story of tragedy and triumph, seen through the eyes of a prodigy.  From World War I through the Vietnam War, from the birth of jazz to the height of rock and roll, we journey the 20th century through the lens of one of its leading musical innovators who is determined to create in a world that could not see past her race or gender.

* * * BDC Friends Join Imagenation's #ILoveSoulCinema Campaign! 4 DAYS LEFT! Click here to learn more! * * *

THE NEW BLACK, by Yoruba Richen is now available on iTunes!

Click here for more information!

iTunes link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/the-new-black/id991557803

#BaltimoreUprising; William Greaves Memorial; Haiti Film Fest; Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution KIckstarter Continues, and More!

Color of Change:

Demand that Governor Hogan Appoint Maryland's Attorney General
to Assist in the Case to Help Secure Justice for Freddie Gray

(click pix to sign the petition)

#BaltimorePolice: A Reign of Terror

It has been more than two weeks since Baltimore police killed Freddie Gray and no officer has been fired, arrested, or prosecuted. Local officials don't even have answers to the most basic questions: Why did police violently arrest Gray? Why was this healthy 25-year-old's voice box crushed, his spleen ruptured and 80% of his spine severed after 45 minutes with Baltimore law enforcement?

The lack of accountability for Gray's killing is unacceptable and the solution to Baltimore's policing crisis is not martial law or more militarized policing. Right now, we need widespread public pressure to ensure the necessary leadership and independent oversight to bring Gray's killers to justice and overhaul the Baltimore Police Department. Without independent oversight it's unlikely that Gray's killers will be held accountable. Local district attorneys work too closely with police on a day to day basis to hold them accountable - and they almost never do.

Tell Governor Hogan and Baltimore State Attorney Marilyn Mosby to bring in Attorney General Brian Fosh to help secure justice for Freddie Gray.

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WILLIAM GREAVES MEMORIAL

Celebrating His Life, His Art and His Legacy

Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture

515 Malcolm X Blvd, NYC

*TONIGHT* Thursday, April 30, 2015

7pm - 9PM EDT 

(click pix for details)

The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture 

in collaboration with the Greaves Family invite you to:

William Greaves: Celebrating His Life, His Art and His Legacy, a public tribute for pioneer filmmaker William Greaves and his leadership in film and television.The evening will feature several guest speakers and performers who have worked with or been inspired by Greaves' art and legacy.

 Director, producer and writer William Greaves began his career as a featured actor on Broadway and in motion pictures. His work behind the camera has earned him over 70 international film festival awards including an Emmy and four Emmy nominations. In 1980 he was inducted into the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame, and in the same year he was the recipient of a special homage at the first Black American Independent Film Festival in Paris.  In 1986, he received an Indy -- the special Life Achievement Award -- from the Association of Independent Video and Filmmakers. He was recently honored by the National Black Theater and Film Festival with its first award for Lifelong Achievement in Film

and for Contributions to Black Theater.

Greaves has produced and directed television, documentaries and feature films over the course of his career.  For two years, he served as executive producer and co-host of the pioneering network television series BLACK JOURNAL, for which he was awarded an Emmy.  His recent film, Ralph Bunche:  An American Odyssey, a 2 hour documentary which aired prime-time on PBS, was shown in competition at Sundance and has won a Gold Award from two International Film Festivals.   

Among his other outstanding documentary films are From These Roots, an in-depth study of the Harlem Renaissance which has won over 20 film festival awards and has become a classic in African American history studies and Ida B. Wells: A Passion for Justice, which has won 19 film festival awards and was nominated for a 1990 NAACP Image Award.  Greaves also served as Executive Producer of Universal Pictures Bustini Loose, starring Richard Pryor and Cicely Tyson, and produced, wrote and directed three feature films --Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One; The Marajuana Affair; and Ali, The Fighter, starring Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier.   

Retrospectives of William Greaves work have been held at the Museum of Modern Art and the Brooklyn Museum in New York.

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HAITI FILM FESTIVAL Presented by Haiti Cultural Exchange May 8 - 15 *Opening Night Party at DROM NYC* in partnership with the Black Documentary Collective (BDC) (click banner for fest lineup & ticket info) HCX is proud to announce the Third Biennial Haiti Film Fest taking place in venues throughout the city and kicking things off with the Haiti Film Fest Opening Night on Thursday, May 7th at DROM NYC.  Hosted by Haitian radio personality, Carel Pedre of CHOKARELLA; featuring short films Freedom by Matthew Brown and La Veuve by Wood-Jerry Gabriel, with performances by Sanba Zao of Lakou Mizik and Ioan Delice, New York's newest and hottest underground rap artist.

* * * Firelight Media's Kickstarter Campaign "Stretch Goal" to bring Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution to theaters across the country! Donate until Wednesday, May 6th! (click below to donate) Check out this message from Director, Stanley Nelson With less than a week to go, to go we have reached our goal of $50,000 to support a theatrical release of The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution! Thanks to your generous support we'll ensure this powerful history reaches diverse audiences in 13 cities this fall - including Oakland, New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Boston and Philadelphia. The crisis of police brutality, poverty and political disenfranchisement have pushed ordinary people to call for change. Just this week we saw residents come together to heal Baltimore, and meet the needs of the most vulnerable people affected by the violence and curfews. That spirit of empowerment has inspired us to dream bigger with this film. If we raise an additional $7,000 by May 6 we will host a free screening in Ferguson, and with more resources we will work to bring the film to theaters in additional cities like St. Louis and Cleveland. Please help us bring this powerful story to even more cities! As the Panthers say, All Power to the People!  Thank you! http://theblackpanthers.com/  #BlackPanthersDoc @panthersdoc * * *

Click image below to learn how you can help our Baltimore family: *** Haiti Film Fest is ALHaiti Film Fest is ALMOST HERE! Have you purchased  your tickets to Opening Night yet?  http://bit.ly/1AGVJ4c #HaitiFilmFest #HCX #nightlife The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution by Stanley Nelson and Laurens Grant Support the Theatrical Release KICKSTARTER Campaign Whether they were right or wrong, good or bad, The Black Panther Party remain powerful and enduring figures in our popular imagination.  The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution weaves voices from varied perspectives who lived this story-- police, FBI informants, journalists, white supporters, detractors, those who remained loyal to the party and those who left it. * * * BaddDDD Sonia Sanchez Directed by Barbara Attie, Janet Goldwater  and Sabrina Schmidt Gordon At Full Frame Documentary Film Festival!   Poet, playwright, teacher, activist. Mother, daughter, wife. Mentor to legions of poets and hip-hop artists. Champion for peace.   Sonia Sanchez is all of these, and more. BaddDDD Sonia Sanchez is a feature-length, performance-packed documentary about the renown poet and activist's contribution to the world of poetry, her singular place in the Black Arts Movement, and her role in American culture over the last 50+ years.  Deemed "a lion in literature's forest" by Maya Angelou, Sonia confronts all forms of injustice, exploring a wide range of global and humanist themes, particularly the struggles and triumphs of people of color in America.  Includes appearances by Questlove, Imani Uzuri, Tallib Kweli, Ursula Rucker, Ruby Dee, Amiri Baraka, Nikki Giovanni, Jessica Care Moore, Bryonn Bain and more. * * *