I Heard It through the Grapevine

Dick Fontaine follows James Baldwin on an epic journey through haunted spaces of the southern US where crucial events in the fight for civil rights took place. Though Baldwin’s presence and words guide this emotional trip, he is often the one asking questions, making room for others to speak. An astonishing array of civil rights activists, leaders and writers—including his brother David—join Baldwin at the sites of traumatic turning points, including Atlanta, Birmingham, Selma and Philadelphia, Mississippi. Many places, like that of the Newark riots, remain virtually unchanged and neglected, while others, such as the former slave market in St. Augustine, Florida, lie hidden in plain sight, unacknowledged. By underlining the stories with his vast library of archival clips, Fontaine lends a graphic shock and presence to events that inevitably recall more recent crimes. Alongside the violence, Baldwin also finds wisdom and community, bravery and determination, joy and creativity. Unlike the “irrelevant” civil rights monuments Baldwin decries, this film stands as a vital, moving testament to the multitude of horrors, victories and voices that make up a complicated, endless battle. (Brittany Gravely)

On the 24th of October in the presence of Kathy Pakay.

Dick Fontaine: WILL THE REAL NORMAN MAILER PLEASE STAND UP? (1968), DOUBLE PISCES, SCORPIO RISING (1970), NORMAN MAILER V. FUN CITY (1970), DEATH OF A REVOLUTIONARY (1972, K), BEAT THIS: A HIP HOP HISTORY (1983), MALCOLM X: NO SELL OUT (1984, K), BOMBIN (1986), ART BLAKEY: THE JAZZ MESSENGER (1988), BETTY CARTER: NEW ALL THE TIME (1994, K), SONNY ROLLINS BEYOND THE NOTES (2014)