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Maysles Cinema Presents
10: A Black Panther Party Film Festival
Wednesday, December 8th- Monday, December 13th
WE WANT land, bread, housing, education, clothing, justice and peace
The Black Panther Party (originally called the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense) exploded onto the scene in October 15, 1966. The party, founded by Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale, was originally created to protect people in the inner-city, particularly African-Americans, from the ravages of police brutality. The party with chapters throughout the United States became a shining light in the emerging Black Power movement, combining the black nationalism of Malcolm X with a socialist and communist world-view that emphasized liberating the proletariat from the oppression wrought by capitalism and imperialism. The Black Panthers struggled for a revolutionary overthrow of the United States government while simultaneously providing for the people living in the ghettos by creating Free Breakfast Clubs, health clinics and armed patrols capable of defending the people both from the cops and "criminals". The Black Panthers inspired and built alliances with other revolutionary groups of people of color as well as "white" groups committed to the same revolutionary goals. The Black Panthers were even organizing in the prison system as some of the films in the festival will show.
However, it is difficult to work for revolution and the betterment of the people without facing violent repression from the powers that be. The Black Panther Party was subject to a brutal counter-insurgency and counter-intelligence program unprecedented in domestic United States history. Programs like COINTELPRO and various other programs from the FBI and local and state police forces sought to undermine the Panthers by any means necessary. As the movies in this festival amply demonstrate the Panthers paid a heavy price for organizing and militating the ghetto against "the system" as young up and coming leaders like Fred Hampton were assassinated, journalists like Mumia Abu-Jamal placed on death row and other Panthers like Assata Shakur and Eldridge Cleaver forced to flee the country. Even Panthers who were already imprisoned were placed in solitary confinement like the Angola 3 or killed outright like George Jackson and Fred Hampton.
This festival is a stunning and varied showcase of films that combine archival footage of the Black Panthers from the 60's with modern documentaries that concern the legacy of the Black Panthers and current issues such as the case of Mumia Abu-Jamal. Organized under different themes like Political Prisoners, Free Your Mind and Pass the Torch these documentary films and speakers bring into focus various aspects of Black Panther history, legacy and the continuing fight against repression. Highlights of the festival include archival footage like the 75 minute interview Eldridge Cleaver- Black Panther as well as brand new documentaries like the concert film Black August and the new piece on Mumia Justice on Trial. Another interesting highlight, historically speaking, is a documentary called Aoki about Richard Aoki a Japanese-American who was placed with his family in an interment camp during World War II and ended up becoming a high ranking official within the Black Panther Party.
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Wednesday, December 8th
The Cultural Revolution
Black August 7:00 PM
Dir. Dream Hampton, 2010, 77 min.
Part documentary-part concert film Black August brings into focus the work done by the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement in raising awareness about political prisoners. The movie covers the MXGM sponsored Annual "Black August" concerts that have taken place all over the world and have included artists such as Mos Def, dead prez, Erykah Badu, Common, Talib Kweli and David Banner. The film also features rare interviews with Assata Shakur, Kathleen Cleaver, and Mutulu Shakur.
After the Screening: Q&A with Dir. Dream Hampton and Malcolm X Grassroot's Lumumba and Monifa Bandele
Thursday, December 9th To Live and Die for the Struggle
Fred Hampton 7:00 PM
Dir. Videofreex and Video Data Bank, 1969, 30 min.At the luxurious Chicago home of Lucy Montgomery, the radical video collective Videofreex conducted this interview of Fred Hampton a month before his brutal murder by Chicago police. Though he was only twenty one years old at the time Fred Hampton, head of the Illinois chapter of the BPP, speaks articulately and with passion about the Breakfast Club and free health clinic that the BPP was setting up in Chicago. He also talks about the Chicago conspiracy trail, the Weathermen and the dangers that face him.
Black Revolutionary- George Jackson 8:15 PM
91 min.This documentary recounts the extraordinary life of George Jackson, who like the Angola 3, became an influential member of the BPP while in prison. In 1970 he was accused of killing a prison guard and placed in solitary confinement for 23 hours a day where he managed to read hundreds of books and write two books "Blood in my Eye" and "Soledad Brother" that were both international best sellers. He was assassinated in 1971 for allegedly trying to escape. The film also covers his funeral proceedings.
After the Screening: Q&A with May Jackson & Thomas "Blood" McCeary (BPP New York State Chapter)
Friday, December 10th Unite to Fight
Eldridge Cleaver- Black Panther 7:00 PM
Dir. William Klein, 1970, 75 min.The time is 1969 and reporter William Klein is in Algeria covering the pan-African festival. While there he conducts a riveting interview with Black Panther in exile Eldridge Cleaver about everything ranging from the Vietnam War and the attempts on Cleaver's life to the relations between black-power groups and pan- African movements world-wide. This movie is the record of that interview.
Aoki 8:15 PM
Dir. Ben Wang and Mike Chen, 2009, 94 min.One of the best-kept secrets in the history of the Black Panther Party is the life of Richard Aoki, which is the subject of this documentary. Richard Aoki, who was placed in a Japanese interment camp along with his family when he was only four years old, grew up in Oakland, went to Berkeley and eventually joined the Black Panthers where he rose to become a field marshal, a Third World Liberation Front leader and a professor.
After the Screening: Q&A with "The Artist" Emory Douglas (Minister of Culture BPP)
Followed by Reception with music
Saturday, December 11th
Free Your Mind
COINTELPRO 101 4:00 PMDir. Andres Algria, Prentis Hemphill, Anita Johnson, 2010, 90 min.This movie is a straight-up educational documentary about COINTELPRO (counter intelligence program) which was a covert and often extra-legal war waged against various nationalist, anti-war and leftist movements by the FBI that involved in turn various modes of surveillance, framings and assassinations. The documentary includes interviews with Kathleen Cleaver and Ward Churchill.
After the Sceening: Q&A with Ward Churchill
In the Land of the Free 7:00 PM
Dir. Vadim Jean, 2010, 84 min.This 2010 documentary (narrated by Samuel L. Jackson) is about the Angola 3, three prisoners who while serving their time in Angola State Prison (the United States' most notorious penal colony) joined the BPP and participated in non- violent resistance campaigns protesting the terrible conditions, prisoner abuse and sexual slavery rampant inside the prison. As a result they were falsely accused of murder while in prison and have all been, with the exception of Robert King who was released in 2001, serving the last 38 years in solitary confinement.
Party and Book signing with King Wilkerson (one of the Angola 3)
Sunday, December 12thPolitical Prisoners
Justice on Trial: The Case of Mumia Abu-Jamal 2:00 PM
Dir. Kouross Esmaeli, 2009, 65 min.Directed by the Iranian born Kouross Esmaeli, "Justice on Trail" is an important re-examination of the case of America's most well known death row inmate Mumia Abu- Jamal. This film with the new evidence it uncovers and perspectives it reveals is incredibly relevant, especially at the present moment with the release of the right- wing anti-Mumia film "The Barrel of a Gun" as well as the upcoming release of the appeals court decision regarding his case.
After the Screening: Q&A with Justice on Trial producer Johanna Fernandez and
Pam Africa
In the Land of the Free 5:00 PM
Dir. Vadim Jean, 2010, 84 min.This 2010 documentary (narrated by Samuel L. Jackson) is about the Angola 3, three prisoners who while serving their time in Angola State Prison (the United States' most notorious penal colony) joined the BPP and participated in non- violent resistance campaigns protesting the terrible conditions, prisoner abuse and sexual slavery rampant inside the prison. As a result they were falsely accused of murder while in prison and have all been, with the exception of Robert King who was released in 2001, serving the last 38 years in solitary confinement.
After the Screening: Q&A with King Wilkerson (one of the Angola 3) and Dir. Vadim Jean
Monday, December 14th
Pass the Torch
New Haven Oral History 7:00 PM
43 min.This fascinating film deals with young students in New Haven who seek to uncover for themselves the important history of the Black Panthers in New Haven. When their teacher gives them an oral history assignment the topic they choose to investigate is the 1970 New Haven Black Panther trails. The movie is fascinating it how it looks at the legacy of the Black Panthers, the role of the youth in continuing the struggle as well as the importance of history, how we view it and the various ways that it can survive.
After the Screening: Q&A with Rosemari Mealy of the New Haven Chapter and others TBA
In Prison My Whole Life 8:30 PM
Marc Evans, 2007, 90 min.The title "In Prison My Whole Life" refers to the writer and producer of the film William Francome and how Mumia Abu- Jamal has been on death row all of his then twenty-five year long life. The movie, featuring interviews with the likes of Noam Chomsky, Angela Davis, Alice Walker, Amy Goodman, Snoop Dog and Mos Def, explores the issue of Mumia through the personal journey of William Francome as he seeks to explore for himself the life and case of Mumia Abu- Jamal.
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| Maysles Cinema
343 Lenox Ave
(127th and 128th streets)
New York, NY 10027 Please direct press inquiries, including requests for complimentary tickets to cinema@mayslesinstitute.org, or contact the Cinema at 212.582.6050 ext 221
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