The African American Museum of the East End will present the
7th Annual Black Film Festival at the new Herzog De Meuron
designed Parrish Art Museum, Montauk Highway, Watermill 119
on Saturday, November 17, 2012. The all-day film fest runs
from 12:30 pm- 9:00 pm. A major highlight of the festival
will be the New York Premiere of acclaimed filmmaker Janks
Mortons Hoodwinked, a film that focuses on the way
statistics and stereotypes impact on the souls of Black
folk. A special kickoff evening on Friday November 9 will
take place at the Southampton Cultural Center, 25 Pond Lane
from 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm and will feature Live Jazz & Spoken
Word. Proceeds will benefit the African American Museum of
the East End.
Five films will be featured in the marathon festival with a
45 minute break for dinner intermission.
12:30 pm is the family classic Raising Izzie-(2012).
Gertie and Izzie are two young girls on their own. Abandoned
by their father and orphaned by their mother, they are doing
the best they can to stay in school and remain undetected so
they can stay together. Directed by Roger M. Bobb and
featuring Rockmond Dunbar, Vanessa Williams, Han Soto and
Victoria Staley and written by David Martyn Conley.
2:15 pm, Purlie Victorious-(1963), The award winning
classic, Ossie Daviss Purlie Victorious premiered on
Broadway in 1961 when Americas Civil Rights movement was
gearing up for a tumultuous decade. This film version of the
play follows the dogged efforts of a black preacher (Ossie
Davis) and the young girl (Ruby Dee) who fancies him to
swindle an inheritance from the plantation owner he once
served (Sorrell Booke, of The Dukes of Hazzard) Alan Alda
co-stars in his first film role.
At 4:15 pm, there will be a screening of the short film The
Last/First Kiss-(2011).Two twenty-something strangers
accidentally encounter one another in a park and forge an
unexpected connection. Following which a spontaneous but yet
short lived romance develops between the two. Directed by
Brooklyn born Andrea Ashton.
(45 Minute Dinner Intermission)
5:15 The Learning Tree-(1969) a 1969 drama film The story,
set in Kansas during the 1920s, covers less than a year in
the life of a black teenager, and documents the veritable
deluge of events which force him into sudden manhood.
Written and directed by Gordon Parks, the film is based upon
his 1964 semi-autobiographical novel of the same name and is
the first Hollywood studio film to be directed by an African
American. In 1989, The Learning Tree was selected for
preservation in the United States National Film Registry by
the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically,
or aesthetically significant".
7:15 pm, Hoodwinked-(2012) a critically
praised film that examines the institutional forces that
shape perceptions of black males and affect how they regard
themselves. Documentarian Janks Morton has a simple message
when it comes to statistics that portray African-Americans
in a negative light: Go to the source and fact-check the
figures for yourself. Its probably one of the rare, if not
the only cinematic experience where you will see an array of
real life Black scholars-including Boyce Watkins, finance
professor at Syracuse University, Marc Lamont Hill, an
education professor at Columbia University and Ivory Toldson,
professor of counseling psychology at Howard
University-opining on statistics and stereotypes and their
impact on the souls of Black folk, particularly the young,
followed by a Q&A with producer Janks Morton.
The Friday Kickoff will feature Certain Moves and Kenneth
Morsch & Special Guest Yung D. Jones, Old School Ballads.
Tickets are $20.
All Day Film Festival tickets are $20 which includes all
films & refreshments. Tickets for a single film are $7. For
more info, Email
info@aamee.org or call Brenda Simmons,
631-873-7362; Nancy Stevens at 631-369-6163 or Cheryl Buck
at 631-897-0384.
About the African American Museum of the East
End
Treasure the Past, Tend to the Present, and Transform the
Future
The African-American Museum of the East End, formerly known
as Randys Barbershop, was declared a Landmark by the
Southampton Village Board of Historic Preservation and
Architectural Review on December 13, 2010. It is the first
Landmark in Southampton Village located outside of the four
Historic Districts which were established in 1986-1993. This
single story shingled structure was built circa 1950 by
Emanuel Seymore in a subdivision named Southampton Terrace.
During that time Emanuel Seymore owned and operated the
building as a Barber shop on one side and on the other side
a beauty parlor run by beauticians, Evelyn Baxter and
Katherine Spellman. In the 1970s the building was purchased
by Randy Conquest and he continued to utilize the space as a
barbershop which had three seats, and in the 1980s on the
other side continued to house a Beauty Parlor combined
briefly as a nail salon. From the early 50s until it closed
in 2006, 245 North Sea Rd was a popular gathering place for
the African-American community.
Several years later, when the building faced the possibility
of being demolished, a group of community leaders gathered
support to have the building purchased with Community
Preservation Funds (CPF). They formed a non-profit group,
which will be the steward, and they are now in the process
of raising funds so that the building can be restored as the
African-American Museum of the East End. Their goal is to
use the Museum to house historical records, provide
educational opportunities, and once again serve as a
gathering place for the entire community, which will
The 2012 7th Annual Black Film Festival is made possible in
part with funding by the Town of Southampton. Special thanks
to the Parrish Art Museum, Village of Southampton,
Southampton Cultural Center, Southampton Historical Museum &
the Langston Hughes Queens Library.
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