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“Sounder,” the 1972 movie that earned Cicely Tyson an Oscar nomination for best actress,” will be screened Dec. 12 at Harvey B. gantt Center for African American Arts + Culture. |
The Harvey B. Gantt Center for African American Arts + Culture will show the 1972 film “Sounder” as part of the Classic Black Cinema Series Dec. 12 at 2 p.m. for those ages 18 and older. Directly following the program, event curator Felix Curtis will answer questions and lead discussion based on the film. Admission is $9 and free for members.
“Sounder” is an American period drama that follows the story of the Morgans, a family of Black sharecroppers in Louisiana circa 1933. The father, Nathan Lee Morgan, is convicted of a crime and sent to the local jail, where his own family is restricted from visiting. Eventually, he is shipped to a prison camp far from home. The son, David, sets out on a journey to visit his father. When he is turned away at the camp, he must make the trek back home. Along the way, he meets a schoolteacher who inspires him to one day attend classes at the school.
The film is just one installment in the Classic Black Cinema series that takes place every second Sunday of the month at the Gantt Center. Created by Curtis in 2008, the series is designed to expose the Charlotte community to the value of Black film and the impact it has made on cultures around the world.
Each viewing showcases the different experiences of African Americans over the centuries. The films tackle themes that parallel Black culture both in the past and present. Altogether, the film series tells a whole history.
At the end of each film, Curtis leads a discussion as part of his goal to bring a diverse group of people together to discuss social issues and explore the vast history of Black filmmaking.
“The majority of the themes in Black cinema are around racial issues,” he said. “And so, it is very easy to elicit commentary around some of the themes of the films that were produced in the past and how they relate to some of the scenarios that are happening today.”
Curtis moved to Charlotte in 2006 from California, where he was curator of The San Francisco Black Film Festival and Black Filmworks. He was also executive director of the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame. When he arrived, Curtis was compelled to showcase lesser-known Black films. He felt there was a deep-rooted history that needed to be told and a film series was a perfect way to bring large audiences together to do so.
Curtis curates the films featured in the series. “Sounder” has never been included in any of his series in the past, but he is eager to show audiences its impact.
“’Sounder’ was one that I hadn’t shown because it had been nominated for Academy Awards and was a signature film the year it came out,” he said. “Cicely Tyson, Paul Winfield and Kevin Hooks, who plays a young boy and whose son is now a director and actor, were all in it. I thought this line of actors showed the whole evolution of Black cinema. I’m hoping that people will connect this legacy of Black film making and the excellence of actors of like Paul Winfield and Cicely Tyson and see how their legacy continues.”
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