May 29, 2018
SFFILM
SAN FRANCISCO, CA — SFFILM and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA) announce the sixth season of Modern Cinema, the collaborative film series exploring the dynamic relationships between the past and present of cinema as one of the modern era’s essential art forms. Season six, entitled Black Powers: Reframing Hollywood, starts July 12, and presents a decades-spanning program exploring African American filmmakers navigating inside the Hollywood machine and operating outside its boundaries. Filmmakers and other guests participating in onstage introductions and post-screening Q&As will be announced closer to the event date.
“The popular and commercial successes of films like Black Panther and Moonlight have been a welcome and long-overdue corrective for American cinema and represent new hope for filmmakers of color to have their work made, seen, and appreciated,” said SFFILM Senior Programmer Rod Armstrong. “With an eye to a more inclusive cinema of the future, it’s a perfect time to revisit these wide-reaching and genre-spanning works by African American directors.”
“This series is a unique opportunity to see these important and powerful films both in relation to one another and to the contemporary art on view in the museum, creating a dynamic, exciting dialogue,” said Gina Basso, Manager of Film Programs, SFMOMA. “Black Powers: Reframing Hollywood shows how the American storytelling tradition comprises many perspectives, while underscoring the importance of elevating African American voices in cinema.”
Black Powers: Reframing Hollywood features work from pioneers such as Melvin Van Peebles, Gordon Parks, and Bill Gunn, whose films of the 1970s were revolutionary and counter to prevailing ideas about Blackness, alongside the resistance-fueled Black independent film movement coming out of the LA Rebellion. Continuing into the 1980s, the series explores the relationship-driven films of Spike Lee and Kathleen Collins that shined a light on a variety of experiences in Black America and inspired a new wave of independent filmmaking. The big budget hits and independent classics of the 1990s paved the way for contemporary directors like Barry Jenkins, Ava DuVernay, and Ryan Coogler, whose films were met with wide acclaim in Hollywood and beyond, demonstrating a full spectrum of compelling stories directed by a growing list of African American filmmakers.
A film series exploring the dynamic interactions between cinema’s past and present, Modern Cinema seeks to highlight the historical continuity and ongoing impact of this modern art form. All screenings and talks take place in the Phyllis Wattis Theater at SFMOMA.
WEEK ONE
THURSDAY, JULY 12
6:00 pm – Body and Soul (Oscar Micheaux, USA, 1925, 93 min)
FRIDAY, JULY 13
6:00 pm – Chameleon Street (Wendell B. Harris, USA, 1989, 94 min)
8:30 pm – Get Out (Jordan Peele, USA, 2017, 103 min)
SATURDAY JULY 14
1:00 pm – Killer of Sheep (Charles Burnett, USA, 1978, 80 min) – 35mm
4:00 pm – Do the Right Thing (Spike Lee, USA, 1989, 120 min) – 35mm
7:00 pm – Medicine for Melancholy (Barry Jenkins, USA, 2008, 88 min)
SUNDAY JULY 15
1:00 pm – Eve’s Bayou (Kasi Lemmons, USA, 1997, 109 min) – 35mm
4:00 pm – Losing Ground (Kathleen Collins, USA, 1982, 86 min)
6:30 pm – Love Jones (Theodore Witcher, USA, 1997, 104 min) – 35mm
WEEK TWO
THURSDAY JULY 19
6:00 pm – Shaft (Gordon Parks, USA, 1971, 100 min) – 35mm
8:15 pm – Mahogany (Berry Gordy, USA, 1975, 109 min)
FRIDAY JULY 20
6:00 pm – The Watermelon Woman (Cheryl Dunye, USA, 1996, 90 min) – special introduction by director Cheryl Dunye
8:30 pm – House Party (Reginald Hudlin, USA, 1990, 100 min) – 35mm
SATURDAY JULY 21
1:00 pm – The Learning Tree (Gordon Parks, USA, 1969, 107 min) – 35mm
4:00 pm – Just Another Girl on the I.R.T. (Leslie Harris, USA, 1992, 92 min)
7:00 pm – Car Wash (Michael Schultz, USA, 1976, 102 min) – 35mm
SUNDAY JULY 22
1:00 pm – Watermelon Man (Melvin Van Peebles, USA, 1970, 100 min) – 35mm
4:00 pm – Krush Groove (Michael Schultz, USA, 1985, 97 min)
6:30 pm – Devil in a Blue Dress (Carl Franklin, USA, 1995, 102 min) – 35mm
WEEK THREE
THURSDAY JULY 26
7:00 pm – Fruitvale Station (Ryan Coogler, USA, 2013, 85 min)
FRIDAY JULY 27
6:00 pm – Pariah (Dee Rees, USA, 2011, 86 min)
8:30 pm – Ganja and Hess (Bill Gunn, USA, 1973, 90 min) – new digital restoration
SATURDAY JULY 28
1:00 pm – Daughters of the Dust (Julie Dash, USA, 1991, 112 min)
4:00 pm – Middle of Nowhere (Ava DuVernay, USA, 2012, 97 min)
7:00 pm – The Spook Who Sat by the Door (Ivan Dixon, USA, 1973, 102 min) – 35mm
SUNDAY JULY 29
1:00 pm – Cotton Comes to Harlem (Ossie Davis, USA, 1970, 100 min) – 35mm
3:30 pm – Love & Basketball (Gina Prince-Bythewood, USA, 2000, 124 min) – 35mm
6:30 pm – Hollywood Shuffle (Robert Townsend, USA, 1987, 78 min) – 35mm
Tickets & Information
Tickets are currently on sale to SFMOMA and SFFILM members only. Tickets go on sale to the general public June 5. Early-bird SFMOMA and SFFILM member tickets (purchased through July 11) are $5; regular member tickets are $10; general admission tickets are $12.
Tickets are available online or onsite at SFMOMA during regular business hours. Modern Cinema tickets do not include admission to SFMOMA galleries. Ticketholders for Modern Cinema should enter through the museum’s Joyce and Larry Stupski Entrance on Minna Street (between Third and New Montgomery Streets). For up-to-date program information and tickets, visit sfmoma.org/modern-cinema.
About the Phyllis Wattis Theater at SFMOMA
As part of the opening of the expanded SFMOMA in May 2016, the Phyllis Wattis Theater also received a major renovation and system update creating one of the most enjoyable places to see film in the Bay Area. A new, state-of-the-art NEC digital projector offers Modern Cinema the ability to present films on a 24 x 12-foot screen with the capacity to show aspect ratios of 1:37, 1:66, 1:85, and 2:39. The Wattis Theater can also screen films via new Kinoton projectors in 16 and 35mm formats. Because sound is integral to the cinematic experience, a new Meyer Sound Cinema Surround System enhances the nuance and precision intended by the filmmaker. Comfortable new seating with cup holders round out the Wattis Theater experience.
Supporters
Modern Cinema‘s Founding Supporters are Carla Emil and Rich Silverstein. Generous support is provided by Nion T. McEvoy and the Susan Wildberg Morgenstein Fund.
SFFILM Presents
SFFILM produces a robust slate of public programs throughout the year, including red carpet premiere events, advance member screenings, and in-depth film series. With diverse offerings and a commitment to excellence in world cinema, SFFILM is the home of great film in the Bay Area all year long. For more information visit sffilm.org/presents.
SFFILM
SFFILM is a nonprofit organization with a mission to champion the world’s finest films and filmmakers through programs anchored in and inspired by the spirit and values of the San Francisco Bay Area. Presenter of the San Francisco International Film Festival, SFFILM is a year-round organization delivering screenings and events to more than 100,000 film lovers and media education programs to more than 10,000 students and teachers annually. In addition to its public programs, SFFILM supports the careers of independent filmmakers from the Bay Area and beyond with grants, residencies, and other creative development services. For more information visit sffilm.org.
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
SFMOMA is dedicated to making the art for our time a vital and meaningful part of public life. Founded in 1935 as the first West Coast museum devoted to modern and contemporary art, a thoroughly transformed SFMOMA, with triple the gallery space, an enhanced education center, and new public galleries, opened to the public on May 14, 2016. The museum welcomed more than 1.2 million visitors in its inaugural year. www.sfmoma.org
###