The Black Lounge Series Looks To Spotlight Thought Provoking Films About The African Diaspora Experience
MIAMI – The rich history of music and entertainment in Overtown, makes it a perfect backdrop for the Black Lounge Film Series (BLFS) set to kick off on February 16th, 2018 for Black History Month at the Overtown Performing Arts Center (1074 N.W. 3rd Avenue, Miami, Florida,33136.
The film presented will be PBS American Masters film Sammy Davis Jr.: I’ve Gotta Be Me directed by Sam Pollard.
The documentary is the first significant film documentary to examine Mr. Davis’ immense talent and his journey for identity through the shifting tides of civil rights and racial progress in 20th-century America. The creator behind the series is Haitian American filmmaker, Rachelle Salnave, a 2016 Knight Arts challenge recipient.
The series is committed to investing in Overtown, by activating venues in this historical neighborhood using the platform of cinema.
The Knight Arts Challenge funds the best ideas for engaging and enriching communities through the art. The film showcase will be held monthly, and also include free quarterly outdoor screenings at Gibson Park and a Speaker Series at Culmer Library, both located in Historic Overtown.
The series is made possible with the support of the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor, Board of County Commissioners and Knight Foundation.
“In the 1960’s Overtown was often referred to as the “Harlem of the South,” with many Black musicians and artists using it a creative and restorative pit stop during their journey’s across the country states, states Rachelle Salnave, Creator of the Black Lounge Series. “By anchoring this new film series in Overtown, we can hearken back to these storied days while ensuring that a legacy of Black creative excellence is restored to this community and not displaced.”
“Artists tell our stories, and we’re delighted that the Black Lounge Film Series will bring these stories to the big screen and to the community, to helping us to remember the past, explore our present, and dream of what can be,” said Victoria Rogers, VP/Arts At Knight Foundation.
