About this Event
A Race in the Sun
An exploration of cycling culture through the eyes of Ayesha McGowan who rose through the ranks of the New York City underground cycling world to break barriers as the world's first African American woman to become a professional cyclist.
K. Nicole Mills is Los Angeles based filmmaker originally from the Washington DC area. After spending years learning the craft of filmmaking by working for several filmmakers, she recently produced and directed her first short film, A RACE IN THE SUN. The short film revolves around Ayesha McGowan, the first African American woman to become a professional cyclist.
K. Nicole has worked on films such as Space Jam: A New Legacy, and on series such as Amazon’s Harlem helmed by Tracy Oliver, Hulu’s Wu Tang: An American Saga, and several NBC pilots. She started her career in the NBC Page Program working in Development, and then went on to work in Alternative Programming and Development where she was involved in the development of series such as The Voice, The Biggest Loser and more. K. Nicole currently works at Universal Pictures.
Skate Night
Skate Night is a documentary film about freedom told through a unique community of inline skaters as they explore New York City on wheels.
This skating community, like the city itself, brings people together—every race, ethnicity, gender identity, age, religion, and nationality.
The motto is, “all wheels welcome.” To be included, all you have to do is show up with some way to “roll as one.”
The group of over a hundred skaters pumps through the arteries of New York City as a single organism, spreading joy, excitement and music, and delighting onlookers. Over the course of two hours and up to fifteen miles, they flash through tunnels, cross bridges, and pour through parks and squares, stopping to rest, do tricks, skate-dance and socialize as one “happy gang.”
Although New York City and the community itself are two of the main characters of Skate Night, the film highlights a few lovable individual skaters—each representing a different borough and a different lens into the life-changing effect rollerblading can have.
Emily Leibow is a first-time filmmaker. Before directing Skate Night, she worked in the fashion industry. Having worked in various merchandising roles, first at Ralph Lauren, then at Bloomingdale’s, Emily jokingly referred to herself as, “the real-life Rachel Green [from Friends)]”.
Emily was born and raised on the Upper West Side of Manhattan and currently lives and works in Greenwich Village. She started rollerblading again during the pandemic and discovered (and became a part of) the New York City inline skating community in October of 2020. Emily hopes that Skate Night is the beginning of an exciting and rewarding directing career.
Children must be accompanied by an adult. Content is geared toward adults, but people of all ages are welcome. Guests can arrive at any time between 12 and 12:30 pm (since this is a film screening we appreciate your timely arrival).
Photography: On occasion, we capture photographs or video for promotional and archival purposes. When registering for the event at The Forum, you give Columbia University in the City of New York the right to use you and your child's image for said purposes. We will never use your names, age or other identifying factors.
Questions? Email us at [email protected]
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
605 W 125th St, 605 West 125th Street, New York, United States
USD 0.00
