Hairstory. 2000. USA. Directed by LaTanya Richardson Jackson. DCP. 4K restoration world premiere. 30 min.
In LaTanya Richardson Jackson’s “lost” film Hairstory —it hasn’t been screened since its release in 2000—a mother experiences growth as a parent as she comes to terms with her daughter’s differing interests. Cherrie (Richardson Jackson) is looking to achieve her fifth win in the annual Mother’s Day Hair Show with her teenage daughter Berta (Shakira Singho). Unfortunately, she doesn’t accept Berta’s protests against participating again, creating a rift between mother and daughter. And while Berta’s rebelliousness at the hair show may cost her the championship, even at the risk of embarrassing her mother, her actions actually bring them closer together. Hairstory is a gorgeous film about family love: acknowledging, understanding, and honoring what makes each of us unique.
New 4K restoration by Indiecollect, funded by the HFPA Trust and IndieCollect donors to the Jane Fonda Fund for Women Directors.
A Question of Color. 1993. USA. Directed by Kathe Sandler. DCP. 4K restoration world premiere. 57 min.
Kathe Sandler’s historic 1993 film was the first documentary to confront the taboo of color prejudice within the Black community. Sandler digs into the often subconscious world of colorism, a caste system within the African American community that deems the lightest skin tones to be the most beautiful and socially acceptable. Tackling a painful subject with great sensitivity, the film helps viewers understand the complex interplay between racial identity, culture, and self-image.
Restored in cooperation with the Black Film Study Center/Archive at Indiana University. New 4K restoration by Indiecollect, funded with support from the HFPA Trust and IndieCollect donors to the Jane Fonda Fund for Women Directors.
The June 29 screening is followed by a discussion moderated by Maya S. Cade, Brooklyn-based, award-winning writer, founder and curator of Black Film Archive—a first-of-its-kind digital streaming archive contextualizing Black cinema—and a scholar-in-residence at the Library of Congress.