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Screen Time: Week of June 8

By Tom White


From Timothy Greenfield-Sanders' 'Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am,' now streaming on VOD platforms. Magnolia Pictures, the James L. Knight Foundation and  O Cinema will stream the film for free on June 21, followed by a virtual discussion on June 22. (c) Timothy Greenfield-Sanders/Courtesy of Magnolia Pictures

As we continue to process and reflect and figure out the way forward, we offer, in this Screen Time, a collection of both documentary work and discussions that serve to contextualize and underscore what we’ve been experiencing.

The second edition of Firelight Media's new Beyond Resilience series, happening June 12 at 7:00 pm, will address "Production During Crisis: Ethics, Care, and Imagination," exploring how docmakers fulfill their role in the midst of a pandemic and an uprising—taking into consideration new creative approaches and ethical considerations. Carrie Lozano, IDA's Enterprise Fund Director, moderates. The inaugural edition of Beyond Resilience from last week, entitled "Future Visions,"  featured Sabaah Folayan (Whose Streets?) in conversation with Firelight co-founder Stanley Nelson (The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution), Ursula Liang (Down a Dark Stairwell), Cecilia Aldarondo (Landfall), and Sian-Pierre Regis (Duty Free) is available for viewing on YouTube.

Now streaming on Topic, Black 14, from 2014 IDA Emerging Documentary Award honoree Darius Clark Monroe, tells the story of 14 African American football players at University of Wyoming who in 1969 were kicked off the team for protesting against the racist policies of the Mormon-run Brigham Young University—Wyoming’s next opponent.

Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am, from Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, profiles the Nobel Laureate author of such great American classics as Song of Solomon, Beloved and The Bluest Eye, highlighting her multifaceted career as an editor, artist, educator and most of all, icon of Black excellence. Streaming on YouTube, Google Play, Amazon Prime, Vudu and Hulu. In addition, the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, O Cinema and Magnolia Pictures will stream the film for free on June 21, followed by a community-based and led virtual conversation on June 22

Paul Robeson: Here I Stand, the IDA Documentary Award-winner from the late St. Clair Bourne, chronicles the life and work of the great athlete, attorney, singer, actor and, above all, activist, whose decades-long prowess on the frontlines of the civil rights movement earned him international renown—and led to harassment by the US government, who blacklisted him, took away his passport and derailed his career. Streaming on YouTube.

Now streaming on Independent Lens, Jacqueline Olive's Always in Season, an IDA Enterprise Documentary Fund grantee, follows the tragedy of African American teenager Lennon Lacy, who in August 2014, was found hanging from a swing set in Bladenboro, North Carolina. His suspicious death was ruled a suicide by law enforcement, but Lennon’s mother, Claudia, her family, and many others believe Lennon was lynched. The film chronicles Claudia's quest to learn the truth and takes a closer look at the lingering impact of more than a century of lynching African Americans and connects the dots to show us America’s history of lynching isn't history at all.

With 2.2 million people incarcerated in the US, millions more are impacted. We Are Witnesses, presented by The New Yorker and The Marshall Project, is a collection of short videos of individuals testifying to their first-hand experiences with the criminal justice system.