Event
LHAAFF, NAAM, and NFF present Birth of a Nation/Within Our Gates
Monday, April 13 at the Northwest African American Museum, 2300 S Massachusetts Street, Seattle, 98144. Time:7-9 pm
Presented by Northwest African American Museum, Northwest Film Forum, and Langston Hughes African American Film Festival. With Charles Mudede and Zola Mumford
For 12 years, the Langston Hughes African American Film Festival has provided a platform for community dialogue about films that nurture, celebrate and challenge our perceptions of life by and about Black people from around the globe. On April 13th, 2015, the festival continues this tradition with an event in collaboration with the Northwest Film Forum and the Northwest African American Museum.
The year 2015 marks the one-hundredth anniversary of the release of D.W. Griffith's film Birth of a Nation, which was based on the novel The Clansman by Thomas Dixon. Long considered one of the most damaging films ever made for its negative depiction of Blacks in America, this program will examine the impact of this film in 1915, and the groundwork laid for the portrayal of Blacks in the mainstream entertainment industry for the 100 years that followed. Charles Mudede (columnist, The Stranger) will discuss the lasting effect of racial stereotypes and racially charged narratives in the film, and their persistence in mass media.
Pioneering Black American filmmaker Oscar Micheaux (1884-1951) produced Within Our Gates in 1919 and released the film in 1920. Like Birth of a Nation, the film includes a scene of interracial sexual assault; however, in Within Our Gates the roles of aggressor and victim are reversed. The film also includes a double lynching of the heroine's parents, unusual in that it was the first film depiction of this atrocity presented from the perspective of African Americans. Given the social and political realities of the times, Micheaux had to soften the film's political messages through the use of flashbacks and a melodramatic plot. Despite this, the film met with controversy upon its limited release. Zola Mumford will show clips from the film and provide historical context for the production and legacy of Within Our Gates. The audience is welcome to join the discussion following the presentation.
** Please note: no films will be shown at the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center on Monday evening, April 13.**
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LocationNorthwest African American Museum (View)
2300 S. Massachusetts St.
Seattle, WA 98144
United States
Categories
| Dog Friendly: No |
| Non-Smoking: Yes! |
| Wheelchair Accessible: Yes! |
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