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The Inaugural Black Arkansas Film Showcase

Film
Great Hall
FREE
This event has passed
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art will be closed Monday, May 13, to prepare for the visit of Antiques Roadshow. We will return to normal hours of operation Wednesday, May 15.

Join us and our partners at The University of Arkansas’s Juneteenth Committee, the Fayetteville Film Festival, DAYVISION Films, and the Arkansas Cinema Society for an evening honoring Black filmmakers in Arkansas. The inaugural Black Films of Arkansas Showcase brings awareness,  exposure, and networking opportunities for Black filmmakers in Arkansas. The showcase includes both live screens and Q&As with filmmakers.

The Showcase will begin at 5:30 p.m. with a screening of five short films, including Change Gonna Come by De Shunn T. Berry, 21 Daze by Chris James, Therapy by Kayla ‘Kay Kay’ Woods, Color Me Black by T.J Andrews and Fugusta Neal, and Focus by Michael Day, followed by a panel discussion with film’s directors and actors at 6:30 p.m.

Free, registration required.

Crowd of patrons seated in the Great Hall
© 2016 Stephen Ironside/Ironside Photography

Following a brief intermission, the feature length documentary film Dreamland will be screened at 7:30 p.m., followed by a discussion with producer Tanisha Joe-Conway. Dreamland explores the history of Little Rock’s West 9th Street, a once vibrant African American business and entertainment district. The film highlights the lone remaining building, the Dreamland Ballroom, which showcased regional and national African American bands and stage shows. The film explores the spirit of the West 9th Street community and the implications of federal programs such as Urban Renewal, school desegregation, and the Eisenhower Interstate Program.

Sponsored by The University of Arkansas Juneteenth Committee, The Fayetteville Film Festival, and the Arkansas Cinema Society.

Per CDC guidelines, guests and staff who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 are no longer required to wear face coverings. If guests are not vaccinated, face coverings are still required. Face coverings are still recommended for children 2 and up, unless they are vaccinated. Face coverings will be available upon entry for those who do not have one.