Black Women Make Movies

A showcase + mixer featuring a curated selection of shorts written and directed by Black women. Open to all, but especially for Black women filmmakers and the folx who love them. Come for the visuals, stay for the vibes. One (1) complimentary drink included with each ticket purchased.

FEATURED SHORTS

Writer, filmmaker and multidisciplinary artist Saaret E. Yoseph will show an episode from her visual docupoem anthology _JOURNEY(S)_, which she wrote, directed and edited, along with a preview of _ABYSSINIA & HARLEM_, her current archival project. Filmmaker, director, and producer Najma Nuriddin will share a sample of BEFORE THE CALL (working title), a personal documentary exploring faith, memory, identity, and belonging through the lens of her Black American Muslim upbringing.

Filmmaker and programmer Britt Sankofa will screen CURIOSITY , a two-part reenactment film exploring intimacy, family stories, and inheritance, as well as in-progress clips from her upcoming MFA thesis exhibition. ODESSA’S REIGN, directed by Robin Hamilton, is a portrait of the life of Odessa Madre, a Black queer female gangster who ran a widespread gambling and numbers-running ring in mid-20th century DC. Kamilah Thurmon’s THE LEGACY OF LEE?S FLOWER SHOP chronicles the history of one of DC’s oldest continuously, Black family-owned businesses and a longtime fixture in the U Street community.

 

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The Promise and Perils of Public Art: Ben Shahn’s Murals on Social Security

Join Professor Laura Katzman as she discusses the public art of Ben Shahn (1898-1969), focusing on his most prominent New Deal fresco murals, The Meaning of Social Security, which were commissioned by the Public Works Agency’s Section of Fine Arts (1940-1942) for the Wilbur J. Cohen Federal Building in Washington.

Dr. Katzman will address how Shahn navigated the demands of federal agencies, the needs of his own art/activism, and the larger goals of his social criticism. The program will illuminate the status of Shahn’s murals in the context of the current administration?s controversial efforts to sell specific government buildings and its drastic staff cuts to the General Services Administration––the official steward of federally funded art in government buildings across the United States.

 

 

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Supreme Court Justice Arthur and Dorothy Goldberg’s Legendary Passover Seders

In 1960s Washington, the Goldbergs hosted annual seders famous for weaving the Haggadah together with the songs and history of the labor movement. As Arthur Goldberg’s career carried him from representing steelworkers, to serving as JFK’s Labor Secretary, to a seat on the Supreme Court, the guest list grew from local Jewish families and labor leaders to include Washington’s A-list. Arthur and his wife, Dorothy––an artist and activist in her own right––filled their civil-rights-themed seders with joy and music.

Join us for a night of stories from guests lucky enough to have known the Goldbergs and attended these gatherings.

 

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(Picture Dorothy singing Yiddish labor songs, AFL-CIO leader George Meany belting Irish ballads, and Chief Justice Earl Warren warbling – The Yellow Rose of Texas.)

Forging a More Perfect Union: American Jews and Democracy with Professor Lauren Strauss

Journey through the history of American Jewish political activism in the 20th and 21st centuries. In this 250th year since American independence, Professor Lauren Strauss goes beyond theoretical discussions about the nation’s founding to focus on the many ways that Jewish Americans have engaged politically. From the streets to the courts to Capitol Hill, Jews in the U.S.––especially in Washington, DC––have helped to redefine what it means to live in a democracy. An ASL Interpreter will be present.

Presented in partnership with Moment Magazine.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Lauren Strauss teaches Jewish history and literature at American University in Washington, DC, and is Director of Undergraduate Studies for AU’s Jewish Studies Program.

 

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