Original Sisters Film Screening Session One: Inspirational Black Women

As part of our programming during the exhibit Original Sisters: 365 Portraits of Tenacity and Courage by Anita Kunz (OC DFA) we are turning to 16mm film and resident artist Sebastian Di Trolio who has curated a series of films that highlight women who have influenced future generations and history. This is session one of a two part series.

TWO DOLLARS & A DREAM

Stanley Nelson | 1987 | USA | 52 minutes

A biography of Madame C.J. Walker, the child of slaves freed by the Civil War, who became America's first self-made millionairess. By interweaving social, economic, and political history, it also offers a view of Black America from 1867 to the 1930s. Mrs. Walker's fortune was built on skin and hair care products. She parlayed a homemade beauty formula into a prosperous business, marketing her products from coast to coast. Her daughter, A'Leilia Walker, was also an important patron of the Harlem Renaissance. The two women lived in royal style, complete with a mansion and chauffeured limousines.

This little known story is both entertaining and informative, combining interviews, historical photos, and unique film footage including scenes from Harlem's famous Cotton Club. The film is punctuated with the music of Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway and other masters of that era.

HAIR PIECE: A FILM FOR NAPPY HEADED PEOPLE

Ayoka Chenzira | 1984 | USA | 10 minutes

In this satirical short, Chenzira utilizes mixed media and animation to unpack the stereotypes associated with Black hair while critiquing the limits of the European beauty standard. She draws attention to the physical pain Black women endure to straighten their hair, and the emotional pain that comes as a result of the pressure to conform.

LORRAINE HANSBERRY: The Black Experience in the Creation of Drama

Ralph J. Tangney | 1975 | USA | 35 minutes

Traces the artistic growth and vision of the African American playwright Lorraine Hansberry, largely in her own words and in her own voice. Describes the author's childhood in Chicago, student days at the University of Wisconsin, work as a journalist in Harlem, life as a housewife in Greenwich Village, and success on Broadway.

SPIRIT TO SPIRIT: NIKKI GIOVANNI

Mirra Banks | 1986 | USA | 29 minutes

Once crowned "The Princess of Black Poetry," the prolific and political Nikki Giovanni has become one of America's most popular poets. This lyrical and visually provocative film details the poet's coming-of-age against the background of her times: the Civil Rights struggle, Vietnam, and the Women's Movement.

Run time is approx 120 minutes plus intermission. Presented on 16mm film in partnership with @FramesFilmSeries