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In search of the Harlem Renaissance: A 40-year journey

The African Diaspora  International Film Festival is Hosting   a fund-raiser for filmmaker William Greaves,
Thursday, Dec 9 @8:30PM –
The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
For Ticket Information Call the Schomburg Bookstore 212-491-2206

ADIFF is proud to serve as host to a fund-raiser for William Greaves’ upcoming 90-minute film exploring the cultural life in Harlem: Once Upon a  Time in Harlem.  The program  will include screenings of three short works about
Harlem, the Renaissance and  African-American culture, themes that the filmmaker has been exploring for over  40 years.
–   Memories  of the Harlem Renaissance  a rare public screening of  an unfinished work using footage shot by William  Greaves and his crew in  1970 at a party held at the elegant town house of Duke  Ellington.  There, legendary figures  of the Harlem Renaissance share memories of a time 40 years earlier when they  were part of that extraordinary cultural phenomenon;
–     An excerpt from Once Upon a Time in Harlem.  This version, which is currently in  production, incorporates some of the same footage but intercuts it with video  footage of Harlem today.  It looks  back to the roots of African-American culture and its future in the  multicultural, “postracial ” America of the 21st century;  and
–     From  These Roots  (1971), this completed film, the first documentary about the Harlem Renaissance  ever made, is constructed entirely from photographs, music and poetry of the  period, a novel approach to filmmaking at that time, earning it over 22  international film festival awards.
–    A  discussion and  Q&A with special guests will  follow the screenings.
The  program will open with a catered reception hosted by ADIFF and William Greaves’  friends and family. Proceeds from the evening will be donated to William Greaves  Productions to support the completion of Once Upon a Time
in Harlem. To  date, the production has received support from the Ford Foundation, the  Independent Television Service, the National Black Programming Consortium and  the New York State Council on the Arts.
For tickets, go to _rsvp.adiff@gmail.com_ (mailto:rsvp.adiff@gmail.com)   (Suggested donation $40)
William Greaves
Considered the dean of African-American filmmakers, William Greaves is  one of the most respected independents in film and television, producing,  directing and editing films for over four decades.  His documentary films  on the African-American experience include such classics as From These  Roots; Ida B. Wells: A Passion For Justice, and Ralph Bunche: An  American Odyssey.  He was writer and director of the two acclaimed  Symbiopsychotaxiplasm feature films (1967 and 2005), and was executive  producer of the successful Richard Pryor film, Bustin’ Loose.  His  documentaries have won over 70 international festival awards.  Greaves has  been the recipient of many honors and awards, including an Emmy for his work as  executive producer of the pioneering public television series, Black  Journal.  He is a member of the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame, received  a Lifetime Achievement Award from the  Association of Independent Film and  Videomakers, and was honored with a Career Achievement Award from the  International Documentary Association.  He is a longtime member of the  Actors Studio, where he often substituted for Lee Strasberg as moderator of  acting sessions. For more information, visit www.williamgreaves.com.

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