Mark Anthony Neal's Blog, page 381

Framing the Conversation: Stanley Nelson

'Our continued series of discussions with documentary trailblazers welcomes Full Frame founder and award-winning filmmaker Nancy Buirski back to the moderator’s chair. Our 2019 interview is with celebrated filmmaker Stanley Nelson. A winner of multiple Emmys and a recipient of the MacArthur “Genius Grant,” as well as the National Humanities Medal from President Barack Obama, Nelson is one of the most significant documentarians of the African American experience. Nelson also founded Firelight Media, inspiring generations of new voices in documentary film.' -- Full Frame Documentary Film Fest
Framing the Conversation: Stanley Nelson from Full Frame Documentary Film Fest on Vimeo.

Dyana Williams: Black Music Month

Music and radio industry veteran Dyana Williams discusses the legacy of Black Music Month 
Dyana Williams: Black Music Month from CumulusNYC on Vimeo.

Ava DuVernay Didn't Want to be a "Social Justice Girl" With Her Work

'Ava DuVernay (When They See Us) joins Close Up with The Hollywood Reporter's TV Directors Roundtable to talk about her initial reluctance to being considered a "social justice girl" with her work, having counselors on set for the actors when dealing with true, traumatic stories, and more.' 

Decolonizing the Color of Queerness

'Artist Cristina Pitter helps us open Pride Month with a paean from her performance piece, Decolonizing the Color of Queerness.' -- Art Movements

'Last Black Man in San Francisco' Filmmakers on Bringing Bay Area Gentrification to the Screen

'Joe Talbot and Jimmie Fails first met as teenagers, after Fails and his family were pushed out of their home in San Francisco's historically black Fillmore District. They moved into public housing projects not far from where Talbot’s family lived, and the two men The soon realized they were creatively in sync. Now in their 20s, they have collaborated on a film called The Last Black Man in San Francisco, based loosely on Fails’ life. In the film, directed by Talbot, Fails plays a character, also named Jimmie Fails, who attempts to return to his family’s home in a gentrified San Francisco that no longer seems to have space for black Americans.  The Takeaway sat down with Fails and Talbot to learn more about how they brought this story of Bay Area gentrification to the screen.'

Left of Black S9:E20: Stew & The Negro Problem – Notes of a Native Song

Left of Black host Mark Anthony Neal (@NewBlackMan) is joined in the studio by Stew Stewart of Stew & The Negro Problem (@StewTNP) to discuss his music, his work on James Baldwin, and his teaching. Stew & The Negro Problem recently performed Notes of a Native Song – written for Harlem Stage’s Baldwin centenary celebration and named for Baldwin’s 1955 collection of essays on being black in America – at Duke University. Stew and his mighty band the Negro Problem use Baldwin’s work to examine our lingering civil rights woes through a rapturous mix of rock, jazz, and soul. The show turns Baldwin into a sort of rock star, which has how Stew has long seen him — a flawed, essential visionary who transforms how we see ourselves.

Is Diversity For Asian Americans?: The College Admissions Crisis

'Jeff Chang visits Berkeley and Harvard to uncover how Asian Americans have shaped discussions about diversity and discrimination in colleges, and are now playing a central role in the future of racial justice. Will they choose to resegregate or desegregate America?' -- Indie Lens Storycast

S2.EP 6| Professional Black Girl JAZZ HENRY

'Jazz Henry. Musician. Member of the Original Pinettes Brass Band. Actress. Serious 'bout a Second Line. Fan of the Footwork. Professional Black Girl.' 

No I.D. on Working with Common, Jay-Z, Kanye West and Being Humble

'No I.D. sat down with Chicago journalist Andrew Barber to discuss his early years with Common, managing Kanye West, becoming friends with Jay-Z and why humility and focus are key to success in this public lecture as part of the Red Bull Music Festival Chicago 2018.' -- Red Bull Music Academy 

Chokehold: Policing Black Men

'Georgetown Professor Paul Butler, a former federal prosecutor, joins At Liberty to discuss his book, Chokehold: Policing Black Men; how the criminal legal system has Black men in its grip; and why it's so hard to change the system from within.'