About this Event
We're going live again at the Mechanics' Institute screening room. Join us at 6pm for a film followed by a lively discussion.
Masks are required for unvaccinated individuals.
June 3 - Harriet, 2019, 125 minutes, directed by Kasi Lemmons, starring Cynthia Erivo, Leslie Odom, Jr., and Janelle Monáe.
How was it that no one had told abolitionist Harriet Tubman's inspiring and heroic life story in a major feature film before 2019? Here it is at last, enlivened by Cynthia Erivo's complex and compelling titular performance. Harriet earned two Academy Award nominations, and both went to Erivo: for Best Actress, and as composer of "Stand Up," a stirring anthem to freedom heard during the end credits.
CinemaLit June 2022 – Black Lives/Black Directors
June at CinemaLit presents films made by black directors telling the stories of black lives. Two – Harriet (2019) and Selma (2014) - are bold depictions of watershed moments in American history. Two more – Do the Right Thing (1989) and Get Out (2017) – are visceral examinations of race and racism in America.
Director Kasi Lemmons (Harriet) was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1961. She began her career as a child actress on TV, later moving into films. She appeared in Spike Lee's School Daze (1988) and Jonathan Demme's The Silence of the Lambs (1991) before making her big screen directorial debut with the acclaimed Eve's Bayou (1997). She alternated directing assignments with teaching at UCLA, USC, Columbia, Yale, and MIT, and is currently Associate Arts Professor at New York University. Harriet (2019) represents a major step in her career. The resulting film made a tidy profit and earned multiple award nominations.
Ava DuVernay (Selma) was born and raised in and around Los Angeles, graduating from UCLA with a double major in English literature and African-American Studies. She came to direct Selma (2014) through varied experience in journalism, public relations, and documentary filmmaking. The release of Selma saw her career move into high gear, earning her a Golden Globe nomination for Best Director. She has since made 13th (2016), a shattering documentary on the history of mass incarceration of African Americans since 1865. With awards coming her way and a number of film and television projects on the horizon, her career as director, producer, and screenwriter thrives.
Spike Lee (Do the Right Thing) has been making thought provoking films on race, class, justice, crime and punishment, poverty, and politics for nearly forty years. He is both the writer and director of Do the Right Thing (1989), Mo' Better Blues (1990), Jungle Fever (1991), Crooklyn (1994), 4 Little Girls (1997), and 25th Hour (2002). His Malcolm X (1992) is an epic account of the life and times of the slain civil rights leader. He has received an Honorary Academy Award and a Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award for his 2018 film BlacKkKlansman.
Jordan Peele (Get Out) was born in New York City in 1979 and raised on the Upper West Side. After attending Sarah Lawrence College for two years, he found his first calling in television comedy on Mad TV, Key & Peele, and Fargo. His success on television led to his directorial debut with Get Out, which proved to be a sleeper smash hit. He has since produced Spike Lee's BlacKkKlansman (2018) and produced, directed, and wrote Us (2019). With his deft skills at comedy, drama, and horror, Peele has carved a unique place among contemporary filmmakers. His next foray into horror, Nope, is set for release in July.
Programming in "Civil Rights, Artistic Diversity, Historical Reckoning: Exploring the Film, Literature, and Lives of Marginalized Communities" has been made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy demands wisdom.
Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Mechanics' Institute, Mechanics' Institute, San Francisco, United States
USD 0.00 to USD 10.00