Four acclaimed filmmakers explore the African-American experience, through community, music, and art.
In this edition of Staff Picks: four films and four journeys, curated by the cinephiles atFilmBuff. The FilmBuff African-American Documentary Collection explores race and identity in America; from Brooklyn to boarding schools, from jazz to reggae, from visual art to community storytelling. Download the 4-documentary Bundle for $15 to unlock the archive, or pay $5 for each separate title.
Awake Zion (2010)
Awake Zion explores the unsuspecting connections between Rasta, Reggae, and Judaism, through one woman’s beat-laden adventure into the meaning of identity.
Brooklyn Boheme (2011)
An intimate portrait of the black arts movement that exploded in Fort Greene from the mid 1980s through the 90s as told by writer, historian and Brooklyn resident Nelson George.
Icons Among Us (2009)
Jazz is a living thing, a conversation between musicians and each other, as well as between musicians and the audience. By combining archival footage, interviews with 75 jazz artists and live recordings culled from 25 hours of concerts, Icons Among Us provides a dynamic and engaging document of many of the greatest jazz musicians of today.
The Russian Winter (2012)
GRAMMY-nominated singer/songwriter/producer John Forté embarks on a 9-week, 5-city tour across Russia to collaborate with some of the continent’s greatest talents amidst the starkness of the region’s most trying season. Part tour diary, part biopic, Forté documents the remarkable journey that takes him from Brownsville, Brooklyn to Phillips Exeter Academy.