Film Forum

WINNER of the 2026 Library of Congress Lavine/Ken Burns Prize for Film

August 1972: A reunion of Harlem Renaissance luminaries is held at Duke Ellington’s St. Nicholas Ave. townhouse. Though many of these figures haven’t seen each other in 50 years, sharp memories, vigorous debates, and unsettled scores soon flow through this stunner of a cocktail party, which features (among others): artists Romare Bearden, Aaron Douglas, and Richard Bruce Nugent; composer Eubie Blake; poet Arna Bontemps; photographer James Van Der Zee; and activists Richard B. Moore and Louise Patterson. After organizing and shooting this extraordinary gathering, filmmaker William Greaves (SYMBIOPSYCHOTAXIPLASM: TAKE ONE) was unable to complete the film before his death in 2014. One of the cameramen that day was his son David, who expertly reshaped this never-before-seen, newly-restored footage into “a film for the ages…one of the greatest cinematic works of creative nonfiction that I’ve ever seen.” – Richard Brody, The New Yorker

NOTE: A William Greaves centennial series plays on our repertory screen October 23 – 29.

Presented with support from The Ada Katz Fund for Literature in Film, The Helen Frankenthaler Endowed Fund for Films on Art, and The Roy Lichtenstein Fund

2026     100 MIN.     USA     NEON

Open Caption (OC) Screenings:
Saturday, October 17, 12:15 show
Sunday, October 18, 2:30 show
Monday, October 19, 7:00 show
Tuesday, October 20, 2:30 show

Trailer

Reviews

“Outstanding... [A] heroic endeavor... with sharp, touchingly personal, adamantly political remembrances that make history both thrilling and urgent...”
– Manohla Dargis, The New York Times

“An atmospheric, electrifying documentary, and a moving testament to the importance of remembering.”
– Shirley Li, The Atlantic
 
“An intergenerational feat... A documentary brimming with the wise, the thought-provoking and the deeply entertaining... [A] glimmering gift... with something that resembles a calling forth of the ancestors... A vivid and layered time capsule... Turns viewers into time travelers but also invited guests, rightly grateful to be in the room. For some of us, this film might evoke the wonder of a great-grandchild listening in on grown-up reminiscences. Nodding at the substance. Smiling at the style.”
– Lisa Kennedy, Variety
 
“[A] rich doc crafted from gorgeously restored footage. A triumph of DIY filmmaking and an act of cinematic resistance.”
– Jourdain Searles, The Hollywood Reporter

“A masterpiece.”
– David Fear, Rolling Stone

“Not only the biggest surprise of this year’s Sundance, but a revelation.”
– Chris O’Falt, IndieWire

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