REELBLACK PRESENTS

Discoveries and Re-Discoveries of African-American Film. Hosted by WKDU-FM's MONICA PETERS. Sponsored by Rolling Out Weekly, WURD-AM 900, L.W. Farmbry and Associates and International House.

REELBLACK PRESENTS, PHILLY'S LONGEST-RUNNING SCREENING SERIES DEVOTED TO AFRICAN-AMERICAN FILM ANNOUNCES THE FIRST HALF OF IT'S SEASON FIVE LINEUP. ALL SHOWS TAKE PLACE AT INTERNATIONAL HOUSE, 3701 CHESTNUT STREET AND BEGIN AT 7 PM.

ADMISSION IS $5.00 Reelblack Members and Students, $7.00 ADULTS (Except where noted)

Monday February 25

Please bring a few extra dollars to participate in a SPECIALRAFFLE to benefit Children’s Muscular Distrophy.

Prizes will include items signed by Jill Scott, Mo’nique
& Harry Belafonte + a pairof tickets to see CHRIS ROCK LIVE 2/26 at the Academy of Music.

Darius Goes West (2007/Color/92 min./ DVD/ dir. Logan Smalley) Where would you go if you’d never been away from home? What would you do if you didn’t have much time left? DARIUS WENT WEST!

Meet 15-year-old Darius Weems from Athens, Georgia, who was born with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), the most common fatal genetic disorder to affect children worldwide. In 1999, he watched his beloved older brother, Mario, pass away from the same disease at age 19. Soon after, Darius lost use of the muscles in his legs and had to begin using a wheelchair.

A group of Darius’s college-age friends decided there was no need for his quality of life to disintegrate along with his muscles. In the summer of 2005, they rented a wheelchair-accessible RV and took Darius, who had never seen mountains, the ocean or even crossed a state line, on the adventure of a lifetime. The ultimate goal of their 7,000-mile cross-country journey was to reach Los Angeles and convince MTV’s hit show “Pimp My Ride” to customize Darius’s wheelchair. Along the way, they evaluated wheelchair accessibility in America, celebrated the 15th anniversary of the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) and raised awareness of DMD—particularly among a generation not familiar with Jerry Lewis. They also found joy, brotherhood and the knowledge that life, even when imperfect, is always worth the ride.

Darius Goes West has won awards at over a dozen festivals and received National attention on ABC’s Nightline and NBC’s The Today Show. Profits from a special raffle the night of the screening will be donated to Charley’s Fund (www.charleysfund.org) for DMD research in hopes of finding treatment or a cure for this disease.

Tuesday March 11

La Rebelle (2006 / Haiti /Beta/ 93 min./ In French/Creole w/ English Subtitles/ dir. Sacha Parisot) Philadelphia Premiere Cast: Nathalie Ambroise, Reginald Lubin, Nadine Stephenson, Ashley Laraque, Sandra Lobir, Fresnel Larosiliere, Marlie Philippe, Maikadou

This is a coming-of-age story about a Haitian teenage girl who turns to alcohol, drugs, and sex when she sees her single dad with a new girlfriend. Just how far will she take her personal rebellion? From Sacha Parisot, director of Skin Deep (Reelblack Season 1)
Best Film: Montreal International Haitian Film Festival, 2006
Special Recognition: Boston International Film Festival, 2006

Tuesday April 22

Our April Movie has been moved to May 2 at Point of Destination Cafe so you can vote. See below for details.

Tuesday May 13

Reelblack’s
BEST IN PHILLY SHORT FILM SHOWCASE
Reelblack concludes it’s Fifth Season with a special program showcasing some of the best new work by filmmakers of color in the Tri-state area.

Come for an exciting night of narrative, documentary, PSA, music video and animation by filmmakers Shannon Newby, Fantz T. Excellent, Nadine Patterson, Patrick Pierre Belinda M. Wilson, Rick Morris, Bryan Greene, Roz Fulton, Tim Greene, Mike D. Ben Foster and Joseph H. Lewis III & Eugene Haynes. Discover the next wave of visual storytellers raised on cheesesteaks, pretzels and Schuylkill punch.

Tuesday May 13 at 7pm (doors 6:30) INTERNATIONAL HOUSE 3701 Chestnut Street Philadelphia, PA 19104 215-387-5125
Admission $5 students & members/ $7.00 Adults.

SOUL FOOD CINEMA
Proudly Independent Films In An Intimate Setting.

At The Point Of Destination Cafe, 6460 Greene Street (above the Upsal R8 Train Station). Philadelphia, PA 19119. Admission if FREE with the purchase of a Soul Food Friday Meal ($10.00 and up.)* Info 215-849-7771.

BLACKOUT

DVD PREMIERE PARTY!

Friday February 1 at 7pm. Admission id FREE with the purchase of a SOUL FOOD FRIDAY Meal ($10 and up).

The Point Of Destination Cafe, Greene and Upsal Streets in Mt. Airy (above the R8 Train Station). Call 215-849-7771 for details.

Please arrive early as seating is limited.

If you plan to attend, please email Miked@reelblack.com so we plan food properly.

Synopsis:

On August 14, 2003, the largest blackout in American history- known as the Northeast Blackout of 2003-was widely reported as peaceful. But in Brooklyn's forgotten East Flatbush neighborhood, mayhem unfolded when the power shut down. This is the untold story of the blackout, based on true incidents.

The action focuses on a handful of neighbors: James (Sean Blakemore), the young professional who witnessed the September 11 terrorist attack and who is so traumatized he's hardly left his apartment in two years; his anguished girlfriend Claudine (Zoe Saldana), who doesn't know how to help James and is on the verge of giving up on him; three ladies who hang around outside an apartment building and gossip in front of the sign that says ""No Hanging Out""; the barbershop crowd (led by Jeffrey Wright in a gem of a performance); George (Melvin Van Peebles), the black building super and the building's white owner (Saul Rubinek), who are thrown together by the emergency; the street prophet; and C.J. (Michael B. Jordan), the young man who represents not only what is most hopeful about all of us, but also what could be the fate of hope itself.Director Jerry Lamothe smartly weaves together this dynamic ensemble cast that plays out a forgotten story of a time when, as night fell in a corner of Brooklyn, looters emerged, violence surfaced, and residents feared for their lives.

Official Selection: Vibe/Urbanworld Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival. www.blackoutpicture.com

Friday March 21

What: Soul Food Cinema Presents THE MAN (1972)
When: Friday March 21 at 7PM (Doors 6:30)
Where: Point of Destination Cafe, Greene & Upsal Streets (at the Upsal R8 Train Station)
Cost: FREE w/ purchase of a Soul Food Friday Meal ($12.00 and up)

Space is extremely limited. Please arrive early. Email miked@reelblack.com so we can plan food properly.

Join us as we offer a rare public screening of THE MAN (1972), starring James Earl Jones as America’s first Black President.

Based on the Irving Wallace novel with a screenplay by Rod Serling (The Twilight Zone), Douglass Dilman (Jones) is the president pro tempore of the Senate. Because the Vice President has suffered a stroke, he becomes President after the incumbent and the Speaker of the House are killed while attending a summit conference in Germany. Will he rightfully take his place or be the puppet of lesser's? In order to do so, this former university professor and inconsequential Senator must prove to be THE MAN.

Preceded by a montage of comedic takes on the First Black President featuring Eddie Murphy, Chris Rock and Richard Pryor.

Space is extremely limited. Please arrive early. Email miked@reelblack.com for more info on attending.

May 2

NEO NED (2006/USA/ 97min/ dir Van Fischer)

DVD RELEASE PARTY! Contest and giveaways.

Like most kids, Ned (Jeremy Renner)idolized his father and dreamed of following in his footsteps. Unfortunately, his father spent most of his life in jail. Taken from his talk show addict mother, Ned bounced from foster home to foster home. Claiming responsibility for the murder of an African American man he did not kill, Ned is placed in a mental hospital where he is mesmerized by a young African American girl, Rachael (Gabrielle Union), who pretends that Adolph Hitler was reincarnated in her. The unlikely pair then escape in search of the perfect life together, only to find they have very different ideas of what life should be.

* You must purchase a meal in order to be seated. No exceptions.