THE 3rd ANNUAL AFRO-PUNK MUSIC & FILM FESTIVAL
BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, JUNE 29 - JULY 7, 2007
Presented by the Brooklyn Academy of Music,
the Brooklyn Museum and Southpaw
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The 3rd Annual Afro-Punk Music & Film Festival will be held from June 28, 2007- July 7, 2007. The festival will take place at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, the Brooklyn Museum and Southpaw as well as a block party on Clinton Avenue, a Brooklyn public street where the inaugural Afro-Punk Block Party will commence. This celebration of the arts consists of eighteen fascinating films and twenty-two incomparable bands, which will perform over the nine-day period.
In the past year, James Spooner's seminal film
Afro-Punk was released on DVD to world-renowned acclaim and launched a notable effect on the landscape of the punk culture. The Afro-Punk community has been growing by leaps and bounds. The degrees of change are apparent. An abundance of punk/hardcore/rock bands featuring more black members, skate and punk culture is cropping up in the hip hop community as well as punk fashion and hair styles are becoming more present in the black community. Media giants like the New York Times, Entertainment Weekly and VIBE were inspired by this film, festival and global movement to dedicate their coveted page space to it.
More detailed information about the bands, the films and an event schedule is available on the website
www.afropunk.com.
THE FILMS
There will be a special test screening of James Spooner's second feature "White Lies, Black Sheep".
"White Lies, Black Sheep" starts where "Afro-Punk" left off. Part truth, part fiction, "White Lies, Black Sheep" will leave you wondering which is which. "Its all the truth", Spooner says, "I needed to explore new ways of telling our story". James Spooner does just that, telling the "other black experience" in a way that only he naturally could. In his sophomore effort, this film is part of a long film career.
The showcase spotlights the Black Panthers with Gloria Rolando's
Eyes of the Rainbow (1997), John Valadez's
Passin' It On (1992), Newsreel Collective shorts, and an illustrated lecture by Panther historian Roz Payne.
DISCUSSION WITH BOBBY SEALE Thursday, June 28 at 7pm
Join legendary Black Panther Co-Founder Bobby Seale in person for a discussion about the history of the movement: where it's been and where it's going. Accompanying this discussion are two historic short films from 1969 by the Newsreel collective:
May Day Panther, a document of the historic Free Huey rally in San Francisco, and
Bobby Seale, an interview conducted during his imprisonment. Don't miss your chance to start the Afro-Punk weekend right, with a visit from a man who helped start it all.
Discussion is followed by a book signing and art reception in the lobby featuring historic photographs from Stephen Shames, Black Panther-inspired work from students at Pratt, and more!
Question and Answer Workshops include this year's featured filmmakers': James Spooner, Herbert Danska, Woodie King Jr., William Greaves, D.A. Pennebaker, Chris Hegedus, and Cinque Lee.
Other films include:
Conquest Of The Planet Of The Apes, Mingus, Afro-Punk, White Dog, The Man, George Washington, Right On!, The Final Comedown, Still A Brother, Space Is The Place, Symbiopsychotaxiplasm Take One, Jimi Plays Monterey; Shake: Otis at Montrerey; and Chiefs, UR4 Given, What We Want, What We Believe, Love Story
THE FEATURED MUSIC ARTISTS
Cutlery * Bear in Wolf Fur† * Ellul * Taylor McFerrin * Tiombe Lockhart * Mighty Fine * Swivel * No Surrender * Game Rebellion * Whole Wheat Bread * The Objex * CX Kidtronik * Suffrajett * Apes * Philmore Browne * Drug Store Cowboys * The Exit * Dragons Of Zynth * The Smyrk *
DJ sets By: CX Kidtronik * King Cole * Rich Medina * The Dustbin Brothers
THE MUSIC SCHEDULE
Friday, June 29th, 9pm - BAMcafe Live concerts are Free!
Afro-Punk and BAMcafe Live presents;
Featuring - Ellul, Cutlery, Bear In Wolf Fur
Saturday, June 30th, 9pm - BAMcafe Live concerts are Free!
Afro-Punk and BAMcafe Live presents;
Featuring: Tiombe Lockhart, Mighty Fine, Swivel
Sunday, July 1st, 12-5 pm
AFRO-PUNK BLOCK PARTY
Clinton Avenue between Myrtle Avenue and Willoughby Street
Myrtle Avenue Brooklyn Partnership, in partnership with BAM and Afro-Punk, throw a massive block party featuring DJ's Rich Medina, The Dustbin Brothers, live musical performances by "No Surrender", artist marketplace, DIY street vendors, special discounts from Myrtle Avenue merchants, and children s activities. Sponsored by: Zipcar, Puma, Sesac, The Engine Room
12.00pm DJ set by: The Dustbin Brothers
1.00pm "NO SURRENDER"
1.30pm DJ set by: The Dustbin Brothers
2.30pm "Act 2"TBA
3.00pm DJ set by: Rich Medina
5.00pm Event finishes
Thursday, July 5th, 9pm
Southpaw, 125 5th Avenue, Brooklyn
CX KidTronik
Game Rebellion
Whole Wheat Bread
The Objex
9.00pm CX Kidtronik
10.00pm The Objex
11.00pm Whole Wheat Bread
12.00pm Game Rebellion
1.00am DJ set by: TBD
Friday, July 6th, 9pm
Southpaw, 125 5th Avenue, Brooklyn
Suffrajett
Apes
Philmore Browne
Drug Store Cowboys
9.00pm Drugstore Cowboys
10.00pm Philmore Browne
11.00pm Apes
12.00am Suffrajett
1.00am DJ set by: TBD
Thursday, July 7th - Brooklyn Museum, 6pm
Brooklyn Museum, 200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn, Free event
The Brooklyn Museum's Target First Saturday program will host a special outdoor concert, as a final culminating event for the Afro-Punk MUSIC & FILM Festival week. The concert will feature music by The Exit, Dragons of Zynth, The Smyrk, and DJ sets by CX Kidtronik and King Cole.
6.00pm DJ King Cool
7.00pm The Smyrk
7.30pm DJ CX KidTronik
8.30pm Dragons Of Zynth
9.00pm DJ CX KidTronik
10.00pm The Exit
THE FILM SCREENINGS SCHEDULE
FRIDAY, JUNE 29TH
Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972) 88min
Directed by J. Lee Thompson - featuring Roddy McDowall, Ricardo Montalban
What does a Planet of the Apes movie have to do with Afro-Punk? The parallels to the civil rights movement are explicit in this bizarre, campy, sci-fi freak-out as intelligent apes are enslaved and one hero rises to lead a revolution against the human oppressors.
Friday, June 29th at 2PM, Sunday, July 1st at 6:50PM
Mingus (2005) 75min
Directed by Thomas Reichman
Mingus is a frank, tender and sometimes shocking cinema verite portrait of the legendary bassist/composer as he faces hard times. Footage of Mingus on stage in a nightclub near Boston is intercut with scenes of the embittered musician in his cluttered New York loft, where-while awaiting eviction-he speaks candidly on topics ranging from music to sex to racism.
Friday, June 29th at 4:30PM, Saturday, June 30th at 9:30PM, Thursday, July 5th at 9:15PM
Afro-Punk (2003) 66min
Directed by James Spooner, *Q&A with James Spooner
Afro-Punk explores race identity within the punk scene. Channeling the raw sound of punk rock rebellion, this documentary tackles hard issues such as loneliness, exile, interracial dating, and black power. With Bad Brains Shorts, Dir. Nicola Lazenberg., a compilation of films featuring the legendary hardcore punk band, and A Conversation With Basquiat, Dir. Tamra Davis. Unseen for years, this portrait features some of the only known video of Basquiat working.
Friday, June 29th at 7PM*, Tuesday, July 3rd at 4:30PM
White Dog (1982) 84min
Directed by Samuel Fuller
Incredibly controversial (and a career-killer for legendary director Fuller), White Dog features Paul Winfield attempting to deprogram a vicious dog that has been trained to attack black people. A remarkably complex and unique study of racism and its conditioning. New Print! With NOW! (1965), Dir. Santiago Alvarez. By using a Lena Horne song that was banned in the United States, Alvarez constructs a powerful montage on racial discrimination in the US.
Friday, June 29th at 9:45PM, Monday, July 2nd at 9:30PM
SATURDAY, JUNE 30TH
The Man (1972) 93min
Directed by Joseph Sargent
With James Earl Jones After an accident kills the President, Senator James Earl Jones finds himself promoted to the highest office in the land. The script by Rod Serling is a poignant account of race and politics, as it grapples with the all-too-prescient question of whether a black man could ever be elected President.
Saturday, June 30th at 2PM
George Washington (2000) 89min
Directed by David Gordon Green
Green's debut feature starts out as an idiosyncratic tale of small-town Southern life, with a group of kids whiling away the summer hours, until a sudden tragedy brings about unexpected results. The tension between poor working class white and black families quietly simmers, invoking a style reminiscent of both Terence Malick and Charles Burnett
Saturday, June 30th at 4:30PM
Right On! (1969) 74min
Directed by Herbert Danska, featuring The Last Poets
*Q&A with Herbert Danska and producer Woodie King Jr.
A free-form music film featuring the incendiary rhymes and hard-hitting proto-rap of the Last Poets, shot on location in New York City with documentary scenes from Harlem woven into the musical tapestry.
Saturday, June 30th at 6:50PM*, Thursday, July 5th at 4:30PM
SUNDAY, JULY 1ST
The Final Comedown (1972) 83min
Directed by Oscar Williams, featuring Billy Dee Williams
Billy Dee Williams plays a young militant who takes to the streets to declare war on racism itself while director Williams balances a realistic portrayal of social issues with gun-toting shoot-outs in this rarely seen cult favorite.
Sunday, July 1st at 2PM
Still a Brother (1968) 85min
Directed by William Greaves, co-produced by William Branch
Greaves, one of the most important American documentarians, made this work in 1968 to focus on black professionals, contrasting white suburban values with issues of identity and what it means to be black and middle class.
Sunday, July 1st at 4:30PM
Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972) 88min
Directed by J. Lee Thompson - featuring Roddy McDowall, Ricardo Montalban
What does a Planet of the Apes movie have to do with Afro-Punk? The parallels to the civil rights movement are explicit in this bizarre, campy, sci-fi freak-out as intelligent apes are enslaved and one hero rises to lead a revolution against the human oppressors.
Friday, June 29th at 2PM, Sunday, July 1st at 6:50PM
MONDAY JULY, 2ND
Space is The Place (1974), 82min
Directed by John Coney
Can one film ever truly capture the brilliant madness that was Sun Ra? Space Is The Place does with its mix of sci-fi otherworldliness, as Ra lands in Oakland and makes his way through card games, exploding planets, and footage of the Arkestra in action.
Monday, July 2nd at 4:30PM, Wednesday, July 4th at 9:30PM
Symbiopsychotaxiplasm Take One (1968)
Directed by William Greaves - *Q&A with William Greaves
Black filmmaker Greaves presides over the shooting of a film in Central Park, but then abandons the crew to their own devices, who secretly film themselves discussing Greaves. As the crew struggles to comprehend Greaves' purpose, they inadvertently reveal themselves and their notions on race, love, and film itself.
Monday, July 2nd at 6:50PM*
White Dog (1982) 84min
Directed by Samuel Fuller
Incredibly controversial (and a career-killer for legendary director Fuller) White Dog features Paul Winfield attempting to deprogram a vicious dog that has been trained to attack black people. A remarkably complex and unique study of racism and its conditioning. New Print! With NOW! (1965), Dir. Santiago Alvarez. By using a Lena Horne song that was banned in the United States, Alvarez constructs a powerful montage on racial discrimination in the US.
Friday, June 29th at 9:45PM, Monday, July 2nd at 9:30PM
TUESDAY, JULY, 3RD
Jimi Plays Monterey; Shake; Otis at Monterey; and Chiefs 98min
Directed by D.A. Pennebaker, Chris Hegedus, David Dawkins.
*Q&A with D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus
Jimi Plays Monterey (1985), 50min
1968's Monterey Pop concert revisited: Jimi Hendrix's legend-making, literally incendiary performance. With Shake: Otis At Monterey (1986) 30min. Redding, like Hendrix, was one of the greatest performers of the last century. Here he delivers devastating versions of "Shake," "Respect" and more. With Chiefs (1968), 18min. Directed by Richard Leacock & Noel E. Permente. A short document of a police convention where the officers discuss protests, Black Panthers, and the newest methods to stop them.
Tuesday, July 3rd at 7PM*
UR4 Given (2004), 95min
Directed by Cinque Lee - *Q&A with Cinque Lee
Written and directed by Fort Greene fixture Cinque Lee, UR4 Given raises questions about the responsibility of documentaries. Monica Deo plays a filmmaker who urges victims of child-abuse to confront their abusers so she can get the results on tape; the episodes are sometimes funny and sometimes horrifying.
Tuesday, July 3rd at 9:40PM*
Afro-Punk (2003) 66min
Directed by James Spooner - *Q&A with James Spooner Afro-Punk explores race identity within the punk scene. Channeling the raw sound of punk rock rebellion, this documentary tackles hard issues such as loneliness, exile, interracial dating, and black power. With Bad Brains Shorts, Dir. Nicola L., a compilation of films featuring the legendary hardcore punk band, and A Conversation With Basquiat, Dir. Tamra Davis. Unseen for years, this portrait features some of the only known video of Basquiat working.
Friday, June 29th at 7PM*, Tuesday, July 3rd at 4:30PM
WEDNESDAY, JULY, 4TH
Eyes of the Rainbow (1997), 47min
Directed by Gloria Rolando
This documentary about Black Panther leader Assata Shakur explores both Shakur's political past, as well as her Afro-Cuban heritage. With Sun Up Til' Sun Down: No More Prisons, 22min. Directed by Tania Cuevas-Martinez. This doc looks at the campaign to stop the construction of jails for youth in New York.
Wednesday, July 4th at 2PM
What We Want, What We Believe
In this illustrated lecture presentation, Black Panther Film Archives historian Roz Payne presents a look at the history of this alternative political party, through firsthand photographs, interviews, and screenings of the short films Off The Pig and Repression.
Wednesday, July 4th at 4:30PM*
Black Panther Program
Includes: Passin' It On (1992) 57min
Directed by John Valadez
This look at Panther leader Dhoruba Bin Wahad uses his wrongful arrest and conviction to examine struggles the Black Panther Party faced on a daily basis. With a pair of documentary shorts from the late 1960s: May Day Panther, 15 min, and Bobby Seale, 15 min. Co-presented with Third World Newsreel.
Wednesday, July 4th at 7:20PM
Space is The Place (1974), 82min
Directed by John Coney
Can one film ever truly capture the brilliant madness that was Sun Ra? Space Is The Place does with its mix of sci-fi otherworldliness, as Ra lands in Oakland and makes his way through card games, exploding planets, and footage of the Arkestra in action
Monday, July 2nd at 4:30PM, Wednesday, July 4th at 9:30PM
THURSDAY, JULY, 5TH
Love Story (2006), 110min
Directed by Mike Kerry, Chris Hall
You don't have to play CBGB's to be punk. Case in point: this documentary about Arthur Lee, a black musician who started out in the 1950s R&B scene, then moved to surf, and finally psychedelia with his band Love (best known for the song "Alone Again Or").
Thursday, July 5th at 6:50PM
Right On! (1969) 74min
Directed by Herbert Danska - With the Last Poets
*Q&A with Herbert Danska and producer Woodie King Jr.
A free-form music film featuring the incendiary rhymes and hard-hitting proto-rap of the Last Poets, shot on location in New York City with documentary scenes from Harlem woven into the musical tapestry.
Saturday, June 30th at 6:50PM*, Thursday, July 5th at 4:30PM
Mingus (2005) 75min
Directed by Thomas Reichman
Mingus is a frank, tender and sometimes shocking cinema verite portrait of the legendary bassist/composer as he faces hard times. Footage of Mingus on stage in a nightclub near Boston is intercut with scenes of the embittered musician in his cluttered New York loft, where-while awaiting eviction-he speaks candidly on topics ranging from music to sex to racism.
Friday, June 29th at 4:30PM, Saturday, June 30th at 9:30PM, Thursday, July 5th at 9:15PM
For more information, please log onto
www.afropunk.com.
MUSIC PERFORMANCE TICKETS INFORMATION
Please log onto www.ticketweb.com.
FILM TICKETS INFORMATION
*all films are playing at BAM Rose Cinemas (30 Lafayette Ave, Brooklyn)
Tickets: $11 per screening for adults, $7.50 for students 25 and under (with valid I.D. Monday-Thursday, except holidays), seniors, children under twelve, and $7 BAM Cinema Club members Tickets available by phone at 718.777.FILM (order by "name of movie" option) Call 718.636.4100 or visit www.BAM.org.