Films of Charles Burnett—Arriving at the Truth: Nov. 3-6 @ IU Cinema

Five movies directed by critically acclaimed filmmaker Charles Burnett will be featured Nov. 3-6 at the IU Cinema, an event that coincides with the 30th anniversary of IU’s Black Film Center/Archive.

Michael Martin, a professor of American Studies and Communication and Culture who is director of the Black Film Center/Archive, will host a public interview with Burnett at 3 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 3, at the IU Cinema.

“Consummate cineaste and recipient of a prestigious Guggenheim fellowship and a MacArthur ‘genius’ award, Charles Burnett is a raconteur of extraordinary sensitivity and among the most discerning cinematic voices in America,” Martin said. “Having Burnett on the IU campus and featuring a selection of his more notable and recent films at the IU Cinema offers the Bloomington public and campus community a rare and unique opportunity to engage with this world-class filmmaker.”

As part of the “Arriving at the Truth” film series, the IU Cinema will screen Killer of Sheep, My Brother’s Wedding, To Sleep with Anger, The Glass Shield and Namibia: the Struggle for Liberation, as well as a series of short films by Burnett. A complete list of dates and times is available at http://www.cinema.indiana.edu/. As with all visiting filmmakers to the IU Cinema, Burnett will also be visiting film production classes and having informal conversations with faculty and students.

Indianapolis Museum of Art Screens Nollywood Babylon – Sept 1 @ 7pm

Film Still from Nollywood Babylon

Thursday, September 1 » 7 pm

The Toby

(2008, dirs. S. Mallal & B. Addelman, 74 mins., Canada)

Nigeria’s home-movie industry, Nollywood, is the third largest in the world. This documentary captures the explosive energy, economic power, and cultural influence of the industry. The film drops viewers into the chaos of metropolitan Lagos’ Idumota market, where, among the bustling stalls, films are sold and unlikely stars are born. Unfazed by low budgets, and sometimes propelled by religious agendas, enterprising filmmakers create brash B-movies where voodoo and Christian messages overlay with urban drama, echoing the collision of mysticism and modern culture that Nigerians experience every day. From director Lancelot Oduwa Imasuen, at work on his 157^th feature (“The business of filmmaking is about making money and making statements,” Lancelot proclaims), to producer Helen Ukpabio, also head of a large gospel church, the players in Nollywood Babylon portray a complex and populist movie machine. Nollywood Babylon was an official selection at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival.

Film shown in connection with Dynasty and Divinity: Ife Art in Ancient Nigeria. Film presented by the IUPUI Committee on African and African-American Studies and IMA with additional support from Indy Film Fest. Film shown in DVD.

Indiana Black Expo Film Festival – this weekend

This weekend the Indiana Black Expo Film Festival is coming to the Indianapolis Museum of Art.  This year’s festival is part of the 41st Annual Indiana Black Expo.

First-time director Sultan Sharrief’s film, Bilal’s Stand, which premiered at Sundance in 2010, is a must-see.  It will be showing on Saturday afternoon, and Sharrief is scheduled to attend the screening.  Check out the trailer HERE.

Schedule & descriptions below (from the IMA):

Saturday, July 9

12 pm – Maafa21: 21st Century Genocide (2 hours, 19 mins., dir. Mark Crutcher) Documentary about the long-term political agenda adopted to maintain an elite status quo.

2:25 pm – Zero Currency (10 mins., dir. Brad Barber) Documentary short challenging us to give up money and examine how it affects our true nature.

2:35 pm – Walk of Redemption (53 mins., dirs. Jason North and Tim Sutherland) Documentary on inspiring story of reformed Bahamas gang leader and his influence on gang violence.

3:35 pm – Wounded Healers (39 mins., dirs. Mark Stendal). Short documentary of extraordinary personal accounts of Rwanda’s genocide survivors facing the killers

4:15 pm – Bilal’s Stand (86 mins., dir. Sultan Sharrief) Dramatic feature on a Muslim high school senior’s struggle to pursue his chance for a scholarship and social mobility.

Sunday, July 10

1 pm – For Once in My Life (89 mins, dirs. Jim Gigham and Mark Moormann) Documentary about special needs adults who dream to make music.

2:40 pm – Boom Squad: A Beat in the Street (32 mins., dir. Jane Owen). Documentary short featuring Evansville, Indiana at-risk students discovering hope.

3:20 pm – Wounded Healers (39 min., dirs. Mark Stendal). Short documentary of extraordinary personal accounts of Rwanda’s genocide survivors facing the killers.

4 pm – Zero Currency (10 mins., dir. Brad Barber) Documentary short challenging us to give up money and examine how it affects our true nature.

4:10 pm – The Wayman Tisdale Story (78 mins., dir. Brian Schodorf) Documentary on the life and battle with cancer of the late NCAA Hall of Famer, NBA star, Indiana Pacers’ center and power forward, and renowned jazz musician Wayman Tisdale.

Indianapolis Museum of Art: Mr. Dial Has Something to Say

The fascinating documentary Mr. Dial Has Something to Say is currently showing at the Indianapolis Museum of Art in conjunction with the exhibit Hard Truths: The Art of Thornton Dial.  The film screens in a continuous loop in the IMA’s Davis Lab until the exhibit closes on September 18, 2011.

See trailers here, and here.

Indiana Black Expo Black Film Festival, July 11, 2010

The 40th Annual Indiana Black Expo will feature its Black Film Festival on July 11, 2010 from 2:30 pm-6:oo pm.

Two films will be featured: Ten9Eight and Soundtrack for a Revolution.

The festival will take place at the Indianapolis Museum of Art‘s Toby Theater.

Admission costs $5.

Indianapolis Museum of Art: 100 Acres to Roam, No Restrictions

The Fairbanks Art & Nature Park, opening next weekend, “is one of the largest in the United States and rare in its focus on temporary, site-specific commission. ‘We’re resisting this tendency in the last few decades to collect giant sculptures and then try to keep them forever outside,’ [the park's curator] said. ‘These things have lives to live and at a certain point will be retired’.”

New York Times 06/13/10

Click her to read the entire article.