The Cool World

Saturday, February 5th, 7:30 pm

Harlem Homegrown

Under the Influence of Sharifa Rhodes-Pitts:

The Cool World

Dir. Shirley Clarke, 1964, 120 min.

With special guest, Ronnie “Hampton” Clanton

Sharifa Rhodes-Pitts told us  "I first heard of The Cool World because of its connection with poet and activist June Jordan, who worked as an assistant to producer

Frederick Wiseman. The film's attempt to capture the reality of streetlife in Harlem takes us directly into the problem of how the neighborhood has been represented, misrepresented, and imagined, which is also a big concern of my book  “Harlem is Nowhere: A Journey to the Mecca of Black America.” I look forward to viewing and discussing this film with Ronnie Clanton, who starred as its protagonist, Duke (credited in the film as Hampton Clanton)." Ronnie “Hampton” Clanton also stared in the seminal and groundbreaking film the Education of Sonny Carson (1974) as Sonny Carson.

After the Movie: Conversation, Q&A with Sharifa Rhodes-Pitts and Ronnie Clanton and a short reading from “Harlem is Nowhere” with Sharifa Rhodes-Pitts

Reception Sponsored By Sugar Hill Ale to follow screening and discussion!

Films by Petna Ndaliko Katondolo

Friday, February 4th, 7:30pm

Yole! Africa Presents

Films by Petna Ndaliko Katondolo

Lamokowang

Dir. Petna Ndaliko Katondolo, 2004, 13 min

The calabash is used as a metaphor for Africa and its representation of the cinema. The rhythm meddles into it to pose questions to yesterday's cinema and emphatically addresses tomorrow's: will the digital age be another dream or will it turn into a nightmare? With the Watmon Cultural Group, an new path for young African cinema, a mixture of fiction and documentary is being opened up.

Jazz Mama

Dir. Petna Ndaliko Katondolo, 2010, 30 min

“The rape of the land, the mutilation of the flesh.” La femme Congolaise - courageous and industrious despite the vicissitudes and the turbulence of life. She continues to fight for herself, taking on professions previously reserved for men. More often then not she must pay her children’s school fees and compensate for her husband who is either underpaid, unemployed, or absent. She sells kikwembe at Zando market ; she is an engineer repairing electronics on the corner of the street, she is a designer, a stylist, minister, or teacher… Demonstrating their incredible strength and their faith in their ability to continue their own advancement, these women stand strong in their communities even as they denounce the rape and the violence they experience. “Both earth and mother, she is the foundation, like Kinshasa herself, scorned and beloved.”

AFTER THE SCREENING: A discussion with director Petna Ndaliko Katondolo

Quarterback Princess

Wednesday, January 26th, 7:30pm

Curated by Laura Coxson

Jock Docs: Under the Influence of Dave Zirin

Quarterback Princess

Dir. Noel Black, 1983, 96 min.

Quarterback Princess is a fact-based drama about Tami Maida, a teenage girl from Canada who, in 1981 became a quarterback for the boys' junior varsity football team while living briefly in Oregon, and not only led the squad to a winning season but also was crowned homecoming princess, gave young TV veteran Helen Hunt her first starring role. Filmed on location in McMinnville, Oregon.

Q & A with Dave Zirin

Not Just a Game

Tuesday, January 25th, 7:30pm

Jock Docs: Under of the Influence of Dave Zirin

Curated by Laura Coxson

Not Just a Game

Dir. Jeremy Earp, 2010, 62 min.

We've been told again and again that sports and politics don't mix, that games are just games and athletes should just "shut up and play." But according to Nation magazine sports editor Dave Zirin, this notion is just flat-out wrong. In Not Just a Game, the powerful new documentary based on his bestselling book The People's History of Sports in the United States, Zirin argues that far from providing merely escapist entertainment, American sports have long been at the center of some of the major political debates and struggles of our time. In a fascinating tour of the good, the bad, and the ugly of American sports culture, Zirin first traces how American sports have glamorized militarism, racism, sexism, and homophobia, then excavates a largely forgotten history of rebel athletes who stood up to power and fought for social justice beyond the field of play. The result is as deeply moving as it is exhilarating: nothing less than an alternative history of political struggle in the United States as seen through the games its people have played.

Q&A with Dave Zirin

Sugar Hill Ale Reception to Follow

White Dog

Sunday, January 23rd, 7:30pm

White Dog

Dir. Samuel Fuller, 1982, 90 min.

Samuel Fuller’s White Dog, part exploitation flick, part uncompromising anti-racist parable, is the story of a young actress (Julie), played by “Teen Beat” generation star Kristy McNichol, who adopts a true “white dog.” In White Dog, this actual white-furred dog has been trained to attack and kill black people, forcing Julie to choose between putting the dog down or trying to “cure” the animal of its savage racism -- if that is even possible. The screenplay is loosely based on the non-fiction novel “White Dog” by Romain Gary, which is in turn based on real life experiences that Romain and his wife, the late actress Jean Seberg (Godard’s Breathless), endured when they unwittingly adopted a “white dog” in Alabama in the late 60s.  As film critic Armond White pointed out in his essay for Criterion, White Dog  was shelved almost 10 years before its U.S theatrical release because “No movie is ahead of its time, just ahead of cultural gatekeepers.”

White Dog

Saturday, January 22nd, 7:30pm

White Dog

Dir. Samuel Fuller, 1982, 90 min.

Samuel Fuller’s White Dog, part exploitation flick, part uncompromising anti-racist parable, is the story of a young actress (Julie), played by “Teen Beat” generation star Kristy McNichol, who adopts a true “white dog.” In White Dog, this actual white-furred dog has been trained to attack and kill black people, forcing Julie to choose between putting the dog down or trying to “cure” the animal of its savage racism -- if that is even possible. The screenplay is loosely based on the non-fiction novel “White Dog” by Romain Gary, which is in turn based on real life experiences that Romain and his wife, the late actress Jean Seberg (Godard’s Breathless), endured when they unwittingly adopted a “white dog” in Alabama in the late 60s.  As film critic Armond White pointed out in his essay for Criterion, White Dog  was shelved almost 10 years before its U.S theatrical release because “No movie is ahead of its time, just ahead of cultural gatekeepers.”

White Dog

Friday, January 21st

Ego Trip Presents:

White Dog

Dir. Samuel Fuller, 1982, 90 min.

Samuel Fuller’s White Dog, part exploitation flick, part uncompromising anti-racist parable, is the story of a young actress (Julie), played by “Teen Beat” generation star Kristy McNichol, who adopts a true “white dog.” In White Dog, this actual white-furred dog has been trained to attack and kill black people, forcing Julie to choose between putting the dog down or trying to “cure” the animal of its savage racism -- if that is even possible. The screenplay is loosely based on the non-fiction novel “White Dog” by Romain Gary, which is in turn based on real life experiences that Romain and his wife, the late actress Jean Seberg (Godard’s Breathless), endured when they unwittingly adopted a “white dog” in Alabama in the late 60s.  As film critic Armond White pointed out in his essay for Criterion, White Dog  was shelved almost 10 years before its U.S theatrical release because “No movie is ahead of its time, just ahead of cultural gatekeepers.”

Panel Discussion with Hip Hop collective Ego Trip to follow Friday’s screening

Sugar Hill Ale Reception to Follow

My Name is Albert Ayler

Thursday, January 20th, 7:30pm

My Name is Albert Ayler

Dir. Kasper Collin, 2005, 79 mins.

This film chronicles the life and times of Albert Ayler, the jazz saxophonist who influenced avant- garde jazz taking it to unexplored levels of artistic and experimental freedom. Originally from Cleveland, Ayler arrived on the New York jazz scene via a prolonged stint in Sweden where he recorded his first album in 1962. A mysterious figure in many ways, Ayler was found dead eight years later somewhere along the East River. This weighty film contemplates the man and his music and includes never before seen concert footage as well as extensive interviews with Ayler and his brother. “Swedish filmmaker Kasper Collin’s melancholy, beautiful feature debut does more than just chronicle this undervalued musician; it brings Ayler and his message of spiritual unity back to life”. - the Village Voice

Q and A with director after the screening

Sugar Hill Ale Reception to Follow

www.mynameisalbertayler.com

I See White People

A quarterly series that examines the role white racism, privilege and cultural attitudes play in shaping the perspectives that dominate American documentary and fiction film.

Lumumba

Monday, January 17th, 7:30pm

Friends of the Congo Present:

Lumumba

Dir. Raoul Peck, 2000, 100 min.

In honor of the 50th anniversary of the tragic assassination of Patrice Lumumba on January 17th, 1961 the Maysles Cinema  presents, in partnership with Friends of the Congo, the true story of the rise to power and brutal assassination of the legendary leader of independent Congo, Patrice Lumumba.

AFTER THE SCREENING: Panel discussion with Kambale Musavuli (Friends of the Congo) and Lubangi Muniania (Tabilulu Productions)

My Musical Heroes on Film

Tuesday, January 11th, 7:00-8:30pm

Jazz on Film

Presented by the National Jazz Museum of Harlem with Maysles Cinema

Christian McBride Hosts: My Musical Heroes on Film

This special edition of Jazz for Curious Listeners, at the Maysles Institute (where we hold monthly sessions), is not to be missed. One of the world’s greatest bassists, and the museum’s own Director Christian McBride, will share clips of his favorite artists from deep within his archives, covering a wide variety of musical genres and styles, all with a jazz denominator. A major collector as well as a brilliant musician, McBride is one of the most engaging and interesting hosts around – come and bring someone with you.

The Torture of Mothers: The Case of the Harlem Six

Monday, January 10th, 7:00pm
DocWatchers
Curated by Hellura Lyle
The Jena 6,
Big Noise, 2008, 28 min.

In a small town in Louisiana, six families are fighting for their sons lives. Two nooses are left as a warning to black students trying to integrate their playground, fights break out across town, a white man pulls a shotgun on black students, someone burns down most of the school, the DA puts six black students on trial for attempted murder, and the quiet town of Jena becomes the site of the largest civil rights demonstration in the South since the 1960s. The Jena 6 is a powerful symbol for, and example of, how racial justice works in America where the lynching noose has been replaced by the DA's pen. 

The Torture of Mothers: The Case of the Harlem Six

Woodie King, Jr., 1980, 52 min.

In 1963 a group of young Black boys living in Harlem were involved in an incident that earned them the nickname "The Harlem Six." Intent on protecting and clearing the names of their sons, several mothers bonded together to make their story known. This work emerges as a powerful close up of police brutality, and of power dynamics of 1960's Harlem.

Director Woodie King Jr. will be present for post-screening Q&A

Copy of The Torture of Mothers: The Case of the Harlem Six

Monday, January 10th, 7:00pm
DocWatchers
Curated by Hellura Lyle
The Jena 6,
Big Noise, 2008, 28 min.

In a small town in Louisiana, six families are fighting for their sons lives. Two nooses are left as a warning to black students trying to integrate their playground, fights break out across town, a white man pulls a shotgun on black students, someone burns down most of the school, the DA puts six black students on trial for attempted murder, and the quiet town of Jena becomes the site of the largest civil rights demonstration in the South since the 1960s. The Jena 6 is a powerful symbol for, and example of, how racial justice works in America where the lynching noose has been replaced by the DA's pen. 

The Torture of Mothers: The Case of the Harlem Six

Woodie King, Jr., 1980, 52 min.

In 1963 a group of young Black boys living in Harlem were involved in an incident that earned them the nickname "The Harlem Six." Intent on protecting and clearing the names of their sons, several mothers bonded together to make their story known. This work emerges as a powerful close up of police brutality, and of power dynamics of 1960's Harlem.

Director Woodie King Jr. will be present for post-screening Q&A