In 1972 filmmaker William Greaves gathered survivors of the Harlem Renaissance, including Richard Bruce Nugent, Aaron Douglas, Arna Bontemps and James Van Der Zee, and filmed them reminiscing and arguing; his son David Greaves completed the film more than 50 years later. It is a NYFF Main Slate selection and a rare color, 16mm record of that generation in its own words. If you care about New York's cultural history, this Queens screening lands before the film's theatrical opening.
What to expect
A 100-minute feature documentary in a museum cinema, presented by the New York Film Festival. Expect a festival audience and a program built around the film's New York premiere run.
Good to know
- The Museum of the Moving Image is at 36-01 35th Avenue; the M/R to Steinway St and the N/W to 36 Av are the closest trains.
- Book through Film at Lincoln Center's NYFF site; festival screenings can go to standby when sold out.
- The museum's permanent exhibition on film and TV production is worth arriving early for.
- Astoria's Steinway Street and 30th Avenue are close by for food after the film.
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Common questions
Where is this NYFF screening?
At the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, Queens, one of the festival's borough venues.
Who made the film?
William Greaves shot it in 1972, and his son David Greaves completed it decades later.
