Photos: Maysles Documentary Center

Celebrating the art of cinema in the home of the Harlem Renaissance, The Harlem International Film Festival (Hi) inspires and entertains by honoring dynamic films by anyone about anything under the sun. Conceived from the belief that we all have unique experiences and perspectives to share, the Festival actively seeks and exhibits fresh and urgent work. Hi is committed to exemplifying the eminence that Harlem represents and is dedicated to bringing attention to the finest filmmakers from Harlem to Hong Kong.

ANOTHER PART OF ME + NULL ISLAND – CYANO SUN SUITE

Thursday, May 23rd at 6:30PM

ANOTHER PART OF ME

Ivan Lopez, 2023, 81 min, Spain

This is the story of how Gustavo Hernández (known as Gus Jackson) managed to become, chosen by the fans themselves, the best Michael Jackson impersonator in Europe and the second worldwide. Born in Ingenio (Gran Canaria), Gustavo Hernández began working in the late nineties as an imitator of the King of Pop and since then he has made this work his philosophy of life. The film approaches Gustavo’s day-to-day life and his efforts to achieve his dreams as a teenager, while deepening his relationship with fans around the world and showing how his work has become an influence and inspiration for thousands of people as Michael Jackson himself achieved in life.

Preceded by:

NULL ISLAND – CYANO SUN SUITE

Stefan Verna, 2023, 9 min, Canada

Music Video

NULL ISLAND is the fourth track off of CYANO SUN SUITE: a live concert film of poetry and improvised hipjazzsoulbopfunkhop shot at the iconic Montreal Biosphere. Directed by Stefan Verna; written, performed and produced by poet Tawhida Tanya Evanson; and featuring improvised music by members of Kalmunity Vibe Collective. This visual album is an afro-ancestral dream told through word, sound and science.

Thursday, May 23rd at 8:15PM

WHITE GUILT

Marcus Flemmings, 2024, 61 min, UK

Eleven affluent white individuals in their twenties and thirties head off in a bus, hoping to assuage their white guilt. They seek a unique pay-to-play service: experiencing reverse slavery. While this controversial service typically proceeds as planned, things take a dark twist when a carefree newcomer joins the crew and a woman of mixed-race ethnicity stands among the elite clientele.

Preceded by:

PEN, AGAIN

Julian J. Delacruz, 2023, 13 min, US

Mourning the unexpected loss of his wife, Leo embraces a new technology that promises to bring her back. We discover Leo just before he’s about to receive his “new” wife, Penelope. Not knowing what to expect, Leo discovers what he’s willing to accept in order to cope with the grief.

Friday, May 24th at 2PM

John Rogers, 2023, 105 min, Philippines

Gemma Stone is a social media influencer/content creator who’s burning out from trying to maintain the interest of her followers. She meets James, a struggling musician suffering from depression. They enter into a relationship with the mutual intent to capitalize on the other. Gemma uses James for content by presenting him as a perfect aspirational romantic partner, while James leeches off Gemma’s wealth and connections to further his own music career. But, as time passes, their intentions don’t pan out as they expect and a blur forms between real love and exploitation.

Friday, May 24th at 4PM

LA PURA VIDA

Dylan Verrechia, 2023, 90 min, Mexico

Nana and Fili live in Tijuana, Mexico, and try to make ends meet but struggle with money. Fili’s parents, Oscar and Angie, are on their way from their home in Valle de Guadalupe (the wine country in Baja California) to their second home in Cozumel. They stop uninvited to Nana’s house. The parents slowly invade her space, making it theirs, and in the course of it destroy her fragile couple with her husband-to-be. LA PURA VIDA tells the story of Nana who has to deal with the overbearing family of her boyfriend and overall abuse.

Preceded by:

HOMING

Ricardo J. Varona, 2023, 17 min, US

In a rapidly gentrifying Brooklyn neighborhood, a reclusive pigeon keeper is tasked with caring for his estranged daughter for a day, but is blindsided by a revelation that could mean losing her for good.

Friday, May 24th at 6:30PM

WHAT SOMALIA WANTS

Jade Bryan, 2023, 44 min, US

In this gentrified Harlem dramedy series, Somalia LaMine, a Black deaf fashion designer, pop-up store owner, and TikTok influencer experiences new challenges and hilarious situations associated with the pressures and demands of a Gen Z era.

KRYPTONITE

Cameron S. Mitchell, 2023, 6 min, US

Old flames Imani and Alex reconnect after being estranged for over two years. Imani has news that will change Alex’s life forever and together they must come to an acceptance of their new reality.

Friday, May 24th at 8PM

MY LAST BEST FRIEND

Filippo M. Prandi, 2023, 106 min, US

NYC. March 2020. At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, two men, both named Walter Stoyanov, watch their lives unravel as one of them falls ill and the other one is being investigated by FBI Agent John McCallany.

Preceded by:

ON POINT

Christian Schifano, 2023, 7 min, US

On a summer night in Harlem, Amy and Natalie wait for an Uber to go to a party downtown. Amy enters a bodega to buy a vape when she is suddenly interrupted by a man who feels he has a point to prove.

Saturday, May 25th at 12PM

SILENT FALLOUT

Hideaki Ito, 2023, 76 min, Japan

Narrated by Alec Baldwin, a documentary film by a Japanese director about the world’s biggest environmental problem. The U.S. government dropped 101 atomic bombs on the American continent as an experiment, resulting in radioactive contamination of the continent. As a result, in the 1960s, milk was contaminated, and women stood up to prove that their children were exposed to radiation. President Kennedy declared a halt to atmospheric nuclear testing. Radiation contamination seemed to be over.

Preceded by:

RE-ÉKSODOS

Julia Horta Paiva, 2023, 16 min, Brazil

The fun story of a soul who, with divine blessing wishes to be reincarnated as a house, but it’s not just any house. The film flirts with the anxiety and inconstant fluctuations of human beings, to show in a comical and even ironic way how humanity’s path is a pendulum. The film portrays syncretism, in the land of all saints, and illustrates, with ludic images and original music, the transition from urban space, polluted and busy, to a reconnection with nature, pure and contemplative.

Saturday, May 25th at 2PM

THE APOLOGY

Mimi Chakarova, 2024, 82 min, US

THE APOLOGY, a feature-length documentary by Mimi Chakarova, investigates an incident in the 1960s in which Alameda County and the City of Hayward dismantled the entire community of Russell City, pushing 1,400 residents out of their homes and off their land – all to claim the 200 acres for an industrial park.

Preceded by:

FOR THOSE THAT LIVED THERE

Shawn Antoine Il, 2023, 6 min, US

Amidst the ivy-draped remnants of once-notorious public housing projects, FOR THOSE THAT LIVED THERE weaves a visual tapestry, navigating the poignant impacts of gentrification, the displacement of Black legacies, and the emergent migrant narratives. Against Chicago’s ever-evolving skyline, this evocative exploration immerses audiences into the soul of a neighborhood transformed.

Saturday, May 25th at 4PM

Kelly Fyffe-Marshall, 2022, 92 min, Jamaica

A young boy struggles with his widowed mother’s decision to relocate the family from Jamaica to Canada.

INTERCEPTION: JAYNE KENNEDY, AMERICAN SPORTSCASTER

Saturday, May 25th at 6PM

ONE PERSON, ONE VOTE?

Maximina Juson, 2023, 78 min, US

ONE PERSON, ONE VOTE? is an award-winning documentary that takes an in-depth look at the US Electoral College, its slavery origins, and impact on American politics today.

Preceded by:

INTERCEPTION: JAYNE KENNEDY, AMERICAN SPORTSCASTER

Safiya Songhai, 2023, 15 min, US

When a bronze-skin bombshell rocks the world of Sunday Morning Football, millions tune in… but few know the tumultuous story of Jayne Kennedy, the first Black woman to boldly run interception on the racial lines of American sportscasting.

THE HISTORIC HBCU PHOTOGRAPH

Saturday, May 25th at 8PM

SING! FIGHT! SING! FIGHT! FROM LEROI TO AMIRI

Colin Still, 2023, 88 min, UK

A portrait of the African American poet & playwright Amiri Baraka, formerly LeRoi Jones.

Preceded by:

THE HISTORIC HBCU PHOTOGRAPH

Ciara D. Ingram, 2022, 27 min, US

In 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic put an abrupt halt to all in-person social activities across the nation. An ongoing wave of civil unrest ensued in the United States, triggered by the murder of George Floyd during his arrest by Minneapolis police officers on May 25, 2020, leading to riots and peaceful protests against years of systemic racism toward African Americans in the United States. In 2021, a vaccine was approved by the CDC, allowing social activities to slowly resume. As a result, HBCU alumni from across the country came together for one day on the steps of Morningside Park in Harlem for a Historic Photograph.

Sunday, May 26th at 12PM

Benoit Cohen, 2023, 91 min, France

France has been living alone in her apartment since her husband’s death. When she hears on the radio that an NGO is putting homeless migrants in touch with people who are willing to welcome them, she decides, against her only son’s opinion, to welcome Reza, a young Afghan broken by war and exile. Two worlds meet, and they begin to hold each other’s hands.

Sunday, May 26th at 1:45PM

VALLEY OF EXILE

Anna Fahr, 2023, 107 min, Lebanon

Two sisters arrive in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley at the onset of the Syrian war, embarking on a journey into exile that tests their loyalty to their country, their family and each other.

Preceded by:

THE ILLUSION OF DISTANCE

Sapho Wulana, 2023 10 min, South Africa

Boeta Allie, an 80-year-old man classified as “coloured” by the Apartheid government was separated from his childhood friend Isaac Mbenyane because of his race. The two were inseparable as children while living in District 6, before forced removals scattered communities and families across the Cape Flats. Boeta Allie and Isaac ended up in neighborhoods set aside for so-called “coloureds” and blacks by the ruling party of the day. Langa and Bonteheuwel are only divided by a highway, but because of pass laws and the restriction of movement, the friends did not see each other for more than 70 years. The film follows Boeta Allie’s journey as he is accompanied by ‘born-free’ filmmaker Sapho Wulana to try and find his long-lost friend Isaac.

I PROMISE YOU PARADISE

Sunday, May 26th at 3:45PM

A THOUSAND AND ONE BERBER NIGHTS

Hisham Aïdi, 2023, 53 min, US

In the late 1950s Hassan Ouakrim was a young dancer and actor in Morocco. Little did he know that he would soon become the protegé of La Mama Theatre founder Ellen Stewart, performing across America, forming friendships with the likes of jazz virtuosos Ornette Coleman and Randy Weston, and becoming a pioneer in spreading Berber dance and music in North America.

Preceded by:

I PROMISE YOU PARADISE

Morad Mostafa, 2023, 22 min, Egypt

Following a violent incident, Eissa, a 17 year old African migrant in Egypt, is in a quest against time to save his loved ones whatever it takes.

HOW TO SUE THE KLAN

Sunday, May 26th at 5:30PM

RETURN TO YOUR CORNER

Ashley Malcolm Morrison, 62 min, Australia

Who was the first Boxing World Champion from Africa? Why do so few people know his name? Sadly few know his name even in Africa because Battling Siki was a world Champion during the colonial era and so his world title is recorded as belonging to his colonial ruler. Siki faced severe racism during his career, but used the very thing used against him to promote himself and his fights. He also stood up to racism at a time when few did.

Preceded by:

NEVER HOLD ME DOWN

Toby Sidler, 4 min, US

Music Video

HOW TO SUE THE KLAN

John Beder, 2024, 34 min, US

From Producer Ben Crump. America’s first hate group, the Ku Klux Klan, dealt out hatred and violence for over a century without penalty – until five Black women and a young Black civil rights lawyer finally forced them to pay for their crimes. The strength of these women and the groundbreaking 1982 civil case set forth by their attorney established a legal precedent that paved the road for today’s fight against organized hate.

Sunday, May 26th at 7:30PM

STAKES IS HIGH

Jean-Pierre Caner, 2023, 90 min, US

We’ve all taken an Uber or Lyft and been driven around by complete strangers — How can they afford these cars? Can you really make money driving? How do they survive? The few films set in this world portray drivers as predators, preying on unsuspecting passengers – but our film uncovers another layer, how rideshare companies prey on drivers, making it impossible to survive.

Preceded by:

DAMN THING

Toby Sidler, 4 min, US

Music Video

GOLD RUSH

Jessie Klueter, 12 min, US

In this surrealist satire of the Ozempic era, a young woman must decide how far she’s willing to go to achieve the skin of her dreams.

Maysles Education Update

On Saturday, June 8th we will host our annual showcase of films, photos, and art from our three education classes: Teen DocMakers, Teen DocAuthors, and Vangaurd DocMakers. The event will start at 1pm with an art viewing, followed by a screening at 2pm. There will be an intermission reception with food from 3:30-5pm, and a second screening starting at 5pm. Stay tuned for more details!

Teen DocMakers Summer Program

Now accepting applications!

Teen DocMakers Summer Program will meet Fridays from July 5th – August 16th. Applications accepted until June 28th.

News and Events

There are many paths towards getting your next documentary feature film made. Learn from representatives from top arts organizations about the multifaceted paths available including fellowships, labs, incubators, grants and other funding opportunities for unscripted feature filmmakers. Don’t miss this exciting opportunity to navigate the myriad options available to you as you embark on the development of your next documentary film. This webinar will be accessible with live captions and a recording will be shared the day after.

Free entry to MDC films and events + free popcorn

$50 Membership

50% off entry MDC films and events + free popcorn

$30 Membership

Free popcorn at MDC films and events

Visit us at www.maysles.org for a list of all upcoming programs!