Our health and safety policies may have recently changed. Click HERE to learn more.
Presented as part of the Out of the Archive: Black Women Behind the Lens series.
Followed by a Q&A with Monica Freeman in person.
Featuring early work from pioneering artists, this program of shorts is a treasure trove of brilliant work ready for (re)discovery.
Valerie: A Woman, an Artist, a Philosophy of Life (1975, USA, 15 minutes) Dir. Monica Freeman
A portrait of sculptor Valerie Maynard which also explores, more broadly, what it means to be a Black woman and an artist.
Diary of an African Nun (1977, USA, 15 minutes) Dir. Julie Dash
A profile of the poet, educator, and performer as told by her daughter. A nun in Uganda is consumed by fear and doubt about her decision to take the solemn vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. Her anguish intensifies night after night as she lies on a hard bed in her small room at the convent and listens to the rhythmic, beckoning drums of her village. Adapted from a short story by Alice Walker, the DIARY OF AN AFRICAN NUN was a deliberate first move by director Julie Dash toward narrative filmmaking, The work precedes and anticipates her acclaimed film Daughters of the Dust.
Unspoken Conversation (1987, USA, 24 minutes) Dir. Iman Uqdah Hameen
A wife of a jazz musician, and mother of two, decides to return to college to pursue her dream of becoming a filmmaker. The story takes us through her journey as a budding creative striving to mesh her film school life with the demands of her marriage and family life.
Suzanne Suzanne (1982, USA, 25 minutes) Dir. Camille Billops
A devastating portrait of the artist’s niece, haunted by the abuse she suffered as a child and the passivity of the family members who allowed it to continue.
Killing Time (1979, USA, 9 minutes) Dir. Fronza Woods
An offbeat, wryly humorous look at the dilemma of a suicidal woman unable to find the right outfit to die in examines the personal habits, socialization, and complexities of life that keep us going.
Featured photo taken from Diary of an African Nun.