This Columbus Day weekend, Creatively Speaking Film
Series presents "Discovery Weekend: Uncovering Truths, Finding Ourselves" which will run from Friday, October 9th through Sunday,
October 11th, 2015, at at MIST Harlem, 46 West 116th Street, New York, NY.
The weekend kicks off on Friday evening, with a benefit sponsored by the Metro-Manhattan Chapter Links, Inc. for St.
Mary’s Center in Harlem, which provides individualized nursing services within a homelike environment for people living
with HIV/AIDS. A preview screening of "Wilhemina’s War", a new
documentary by June Cross, will accompany the benefit. The film chronicles the struggles of a formidable South Carolina grandmother – Wilhemina Dixon – fighting for generations of black women in her community living with HIV.
A conversation with the filmmaker will follow the screening, moderated by renowned former television journalist Carol Jenkins.
Other program highlights include: On Saturday, a screening of Thomas Allen Harris’ critically-lauded documentary film, "Through a Lens Darkly: Black
Photographers and the Emergence of a People," the first of its kind to explore the role of photography in shaping the identity, aspirations, and social emergence of African Americans from slavery to the present. And on Sunday evening, Stephanie Black’s wonderful "Africa United"" will screen – a film centered on the Marley family’s first ever family trip to Ethiopia in 2005, that is at once a concert tribute, Marley family travelogue, and humanitarian documentary on the spirit of reggae icon Bob Marley.
Following the screening of "Through a Lens Darkly" director Harris will present the transmedia project, "Digital Diaspora Family
Reunion Roadshow," an interactive presentation that urges attendees to share stories and family photographs (on
cellphones or in print), and discover connections between
personal family archives and the film’s historical narrative.
"PAN! Our Music Odyssey" – a documentary directed by Jérôme Guiot and Thierry Teston
and produced by Jean-Michel Gibert – will screen on Saturday evening. The film explores the steel pan, Trinidad’s national instrument, from its inception in
the early forties through its evolution to the present.
"The African Ancestry Experience: Connecting Identities through
Excellence and Success" kicks of Sunday’s program, beginning with a celebration of the 20th Anniversary of Creatively Speaking (limited seating available to the public).
Dr. Gina Paige, co-founder of African Ancestry, will give a presentation on The African Ancestry Experience, an initiative
designed to help people better understand their identity through tracing their ancestry. The Continuum Project founders
Nikkole Salter and NSangou Njikam will present a special performance that blends African theater, music and dance. Using
DNA testing, they aim to empower and heal people of the African Diaspora. The program will end with a special
ceremony led by Brother NSangou, who will reveal the ancestral roots of Creatively Speaking founders Kathryn Bowser and
Michelle Materre, who recently completed their DNA tests.
Also included in Sunday’s program will be a screening of Amanda Brown’s 2014 short film "Black Heirlooms" which is based on Brown’s own personal experience – when her 86 year old grandmother became ill, and her 8 children became irreconcilably divided over her small estate.
The evening ends with a screening of Stephanie Black’s "Africa United."
Below you’ll find the program schedule, along with links to purchase tickets:
– Friday, October 9th
6pm: Links presents a benefit reception and screening of Wilhemina’s War (62 mins.)
Tickets available at http://metromanhattanlinksinc.org/wilhemina
– Saturday, October 10th
5pm: Through a Lens Darkly (91 mins.) followed by Digital Diaspora Family Reunion Roadshow
9pm: PAN! Our Music Odyssey (85 mins.) followed by live music
Tickets available at http://tinyurl.com/ow32363
– Sunday, October 11th
5pm: Creatively Speaking 20th Anniversary Presentation and Performance (limited seating available to
the public) with The African Ancestry Experience and The Continuum Project and a screening of
Black Heirlooms (19 mins.)
7:30pm: Africa Unite! (89 mins.)
Tickets available at http://tinyurl.com/ow32363
Creatively Speaking Presents "Discovery Weekend: Uncovering Truths, Finding Ourselves" at MIST Harlm, 46 West 116th Street, New York, NY, October 9-11, 2015.
