Street Movies! @ Walt Whitman Arts Center

Location(s)

Writing History With Lightning by Charlotte Burger
Explores the impact of America's first feature film: D.W. Griffith's 1915 epic, "The Birth of a Nation." A stylistically innovative film, it overnight turned movies from a cheap novelty into a respected art form. At the same time, it unleashed a firestorm of controversy that tested the fragile state of race relations in early 20th century America. (USA, 2007, 10 min)

Amiri Baraka's "Something In The Way Of Things [In Town]" by Bryan Green
Shot on three different types of film and two different types of video over three months with fifty actors/extras in about twenty-five locations around the West Philly area, this film is a stunning visual adaptation of Baraka's scathing and foreboding social commentary with music by The Roots. (USA, 2007, 9 min)

African Underground: Hip Hop in Senegal by Magee McIlvaine, Ben Herson & Chris Moore
Step into the African Underground and listen to a new voice inspired by religion, politics, old school Hip Hop and Senegalese culture. (Senegal & USA, 2007, 6:14 min)

Asians Misbehavin' - Model Minority Man by Anula Shetty & Michael Kuetemeyer
In this episode, would-be superheroes Model Minority Man and Rice Rocket Kid join forces to valiantly protect fellow Asian Americans and the myth of the model minority. (USA, 2008, 5 min)

Locusts by Iqaa the Olivetone
Detroit-based Hip-Hop artists, Invincible and Finale, rhyme about how short-term profit-driven urban development schemes displace poor communities. Through music, lyrics, and interviews with youth and community activists, including Grace Lee Boggs, this groundbreaking documentary/music video offers alternative forms of economic development that engages communities and prioritizes the health and well-being of inner city neighborhoods. (USA, 2008, 11:27 min)

Ursula Rucker: Poet by Michael Dennis
An intimate performance film featuring appearances by Sonia Sanchez, Saul Williams and Gil Scott-Heron, this film provides a glimpse into what makes Rucker one of the most acclaimed artists of her generation. (USA, 2008, 30 mins)