Kazembe Balagun, executive director of the Maysles Documentary Center, calls the vibrant screening room and education center “Harlem’s living room.” In 2005 the legendary documentary filmmaker Albert Maysles founded the film center, which favors community-based and politically engaged work, with screenings often accompanied by discussions. This program pays tribute to Maysles with a screening of his 1966 film Meet Marlon Brando, and includes three other documentary shorts, featuring the work of Gordon Parks, William Greaves, and Helen Levitt. (The film descriptions below are excerpted from Maysles Documentary Center program calendars).
Meet Marlon Brando. 1966. USA. Directed by Albert Maysles, David Maysles, and Charlotte Zwerin. With Marlon Brando. DCP courtesy Rebekah Maysles. English. 26 mins.
A delightful, unusually candid portrait of the world-famous movie star, a tongue-in-cheek confrontation with the press. While television journalists interview Brando about his most recent film, he counters their futile questions with wit and insight, a man unwilling to sell himself.
Diary of a Harlem Family. 1968. USA. Directed by Joseph Filipowic. 16mm print courtesy Indiana University Libraries. English. 20 mins.
The film reveals the all-too-common plight of one family living in New York City's black Harlem through the photographs of Gordon Parks.
In the Street. 1948. USA. Directed by James Agee, Helen Levitt, and Janice Loeb. 16mm print courtesy Light Cone. English. 16 mins.
An urban documentary focusing on the children of Spanish Harlem, capturing New York’s street energy with scenes of candid social interaction.
From These Roots. 1974. USA. Directed by William Greaves. Narrated by Brock Peters, music by Eubie Blake. 16mm print courtesy New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. English. 28 mins.
This vivid portrait of the Harlem Renaissance is created entirely with period photographs.