FILMS AND VIDEOS
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NEW
The Art of Love and Struggle
Jessica Habie
In this film, artists, singers, emcees, activists, poets and writers come together in an explosive exploration of feminine creation. Each lady brings to the screen her innermost struggles in an attempt to outline the obstacles that face the female artist. "The Art of Love and Struggle" navigates the challenges of poverty, politics and personal sacrifice and explores love, identity and urban culture.
78 minutes | 2006
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Democracy in Dakar
Ben Herson, Magee McIlvaine & Chris Moore
Nomadic Wax and Sol Productions
"Democracy in Dakar" explores the transformative role of Hip-Hop in politics in Senegal, West Africa during the 2007 presidential election campaign. This documentary mixes interviews, freestyles, and commentary from journalists, artists and politicians. Senegalese society is seen on the brink of democratic change, where Hip-Hop artists are one of the few groups unafraid of speaking out.
66 minutes | 2007
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Frekuensia Kolombiana
Vanessa Gocksch
FREKUENSIA KOLOMBIANA profiles the grassroots Hip-Hop scene in Colombia, exploring the popularity of all the elements--MCing, breakdancing, graffiti, and DJing--and their relation to the political and class realities of Colombia. Told through interviews of Hip-Hop artists, as well as regular residents of communities in Medellin, Bogota, Cali, and Barranquilla, we see the ways in which Hip-Hop's musical form is shaped specifically by Vallenato--Colombian folk music, as well as the political corruption, poverty, and the suppressed voices of the Colombian masses.
In Colombia, Hip-Hop culture is truly underground with no established industry, no radio stations willing to play Colombian Hip-Hop, and the police actively targeting the outspoken artists. However, out of this exclusion comes the youth programs teaching young people the aesthetic skills of graffiti, breakdancing, and DJing and the crews of Colombian youth practicing rapping in cyphers and on their own recordings.
By exploring groups such as Por Razones de Estado, Camajan Club, Zona Marginal and others, we are able to view the social realities of life in the ghettos of Columbia and that impact on their cultural production. For this generation of young Colombians Hip-Hop is not only about creative expression or resistance, but a spiritual experience that gives them place and meaning in the world. FREKUENSIA KOLOMBIANA explores these different meanings and conveys the true power of Hip-Hop culture to the dispossessed.
58 minutes | 2006
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I Love Hip Hop in Morocco
Joshua Asen & Jennifer Needleman
Rizz Productions, Inc.
This feature-length documentary follows the creation of Morocco's first-ever Hip-Hop festival, from inception all the way to the stage. Along the way we meet DJ Key, a self-taught turntable prodigy who is torn between his love for Hip-Hop and his
devotion to Islam; H-Kayne, a pioneer rap group on the verge of stardom; and Fati, a high school girl who's trying to make it as a female rapper in an Arab man's world. This film reflects the thoughts and dreams of the true future of the Arab world through the window of innovative and energizing music.
80 minutes | 2007
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Inventos: Hip Hop Cubano
Eli Jacobs-Fantauzzi
INVENTOS explores the burgeoning Hip-Hop scene in Cuba. In spite of the US trade embargo against Cuba, the Hip-Hop movement is flourishing with popular innovative groups such as EPG&B, Grandes Ligas, Anonimo Consejo, and Sexto Sentido offering creative energy and powerful social commentary on Cuban social issues and politics. Groups such as Orishas are profiled as one of the few Cuban Hip-Hop groups that live outside of Cuba and have a worldwide following. The film follows these artists to their homes, various performances, the Cuban Hip-Hop festival, and for many, their first time abroad to perform and record in New York. Though materially these artists do not have access to the same resources that American Hip-Hop artists have, as MC Kokino of Anonimo Consejo says, "out of little, we make a lot." Inventos truly shows us that the best art is made from pure creativity, inspiration, and drive. The film also features American hip-hop artists Dead Prez and Tony Touch.
50 minutes | 2005
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Jails, Hospitals, and Hip Hop
Mark Benjamin & Danny Hoch
From the mind of Brooklyn actor, performance artist and Hip-Hop activist Danny Hoch, spins out the stories of ten lives shocked by global Hip-Hop, the prison system and life in general. Moving masterfully in and out of the characters while the camera cuts from film narrative to live performances, Danny blows your mind and makes you look at cultural power in a new way that is hysterically funny, tragically sad and uplifting all at once.
90 minutes | 2000
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Lockdown, USA
Michael Skolnik & Rebecca Chaiklin
In 1973, New York State enacted the Rockefeller Drug Laws, which are the harshest drug control measures ever passed in any democratic nation. President Reagan declared the National “War on Drugs” in 1982 and cited The Rockefeller Laws as the model for new drug regulations. By 1983, 48 states had passed drug control measures based on the Rockefeller Drug Laws. These laws have resulted in the US prison population quadrupling and prisons becoming a thriving, profitable industry. There are currently over two million people behind bars in America. One out of every 38 Americans is currently in prison or on parole and or probation. The US now spends over $100,000,000 dollars a week building new prisons.
LOCKDOWN, USA is a feature documentary set on the front lines of the dramatic campaign to end the “War on Drugs” and repeal the Rockefeller Drug Laws. The film follows Wanda Best, whose husband was sentenced 15 years to life, as a first time non-violent drug offender. She is now raising five children on her own. The documentary interweaves the story of the Best family with a behind the scenes look at Hip Hop Impresario, Russell Simmons’ colorful, unorthodox campaign to reform the Drug Laws.
In the fall of 2001, Darrell Best was convicted of possession of cocaine. Darrell had been doing handy work at his uncle’s house and signed for a Fed-Ex that was addressed to a neighbor. The package contained a pound of cocaine. The District Attorney offered Darrell Best a one-year plea bargain, if he admitted guilt. Darrell refused to take the plea, insisting on his innocence and claiming he wanted to set an example of integrity and honesty for his children. The Judge apologized as he read Darrell Best his sentence, 15 years to life; the minimum sentence he could give Darrell under the Rockefeller Drug Laws. The film will bare witness to the devastating impact Darrell’s incarceration has had on his family and the noble fight his wife Wanda has launched, in an effort to bring him home. In the spring of 2003, the Best family got a glimmer of hope. An unusual Coalition, helmed by Russell Simmons, assembled to fight the “War on Drugs” and declared that the first battle would be to repeal the Rockefeller Drug Laws.
The film follows Russell Simmons as he orchastrates a high profile campaign, to raise awareness around the Rockefeller Drug Laws, with the intention of creating tremendous public pressure, forcing the politicians to enact reform. Russell recruits high profile artists such as P Diddy, Jay-Z, 50 Cent, Mariah Carey and Tim Robbins to join the campaign and speak out on the issue; he rallies tens of thousands of people and works throughout the night in heated behind the scenes negotiations with New York State Governor George Pataki and the State’s top politicians. The question remains, will they be able to make a deal? LOCKDOWN, USA captures the stranger than fiction, historic series of events as they have unfolded; where the political establishment has been forced to reconcile with the burgeoning power of hip-hop.
84 minutes | 2006
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Masizakhe: Building Each Other
Angelica and Scott Macklin
Open Hand Reel
"Masizakhe, Building Each Other" explores the role of art, social activism and Hip-Hop in education and presents students, teachers, artists and principals working to support each other while re-establishing individual and cultural identities.This is an important and inspiring film that demonstrates that Hip-Hop is a global culture committed to peace and youth liberation. It has been a powerful means of initiating classroom and community discussions on these topics.
The film features South African spoken word artisits and hip hop groups like Ghetto Youth Uprising. Stunningly beautiful, Masizakhe: Let Us Build Together will stimulate discussions on art, education, language, race, and African studies.
80 minutes | 2008
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Mr. Devious
John Fredericks
MR. DEVIOUS is an exploration of the life and impact of South African Hip-Hop artist Mr. Devious on the youth and community of Cape Flats in Cape Town, South Africa. The film traces Mr. Devious' introduction to Hip-Hop, his hardcore style of rapping about ghetto life in Cape Flats, his experiences being signed to a major record label and then returning to life as an independent artist, his international traveling and recording, his mentoring of youth in and outside of prison, and his untimely murder. Throughout the film we watch his evolution, from a teenager influenced by the street life of his peers, to a young man choosing to become a formal mentor and role model to youth, speaking to them about life skills, violence, HIV/AIDS, corrupt politicians and developing programs for them within schools and prisons. We also see the close relationship he has with his family and their role in continuing his legacy after his death.
Mr. Devious was much more than just a hip-hop artist but a community leader who worked to make a difference in the lives of young people in Cape Town. Truly this is a story about Hip-Hop's transformative power as a medium for artistic expression and social activism.
73 minutes | 2006
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Rebirth of a Nation
DJ Spooky That Subliminal Kid
First released in 1915, D.W. Griffith's BIRTH OF A NATION ignited worldwide controversy with its graphic depiction of racism and white supremacy in the post-Civil War south. Nearly 100 years later, conceptual artist/ musician/writer DJ Spooky That Subliminal Kid creates a daring remix of Griffith's epic to expose the film's true meaning and relate it to the socio-political conflicts of America today.
100 minutes | 2004
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Afro-punk
James Spooner
AFRO-PUNK explores race identity within the punk scene. This film tackles hard questions, such as issues of loneliness, exile, inter-racial dating and black power. We follow the lives of four people who have dedicated themselves to the punk rock lifestyle. They find themselves in conflicting situations, living the dual life of a person of color in a mostly white community. Afro-Punk features performances by Bad Brains, Tamar Kali, Cipher, and Ten Grand. It also contains exclusive interviews by members of Fishbone, 247- spyz, Dead Kennedys, Candiria, Orange 9mm and TV on the Radio to name a few.
66 minutes | 2003
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...and Justice For Whom?
Faith Pennick
Third World Newsreel
Taking up themes of freedom, privacy and policy after the attacks on September 11th, this video looks at how legislation ostensibly geared towards domestic security will affect various communities in the United States and throughout the world.
11 minutes | 2001
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Breakin' In: the Making of a Hip Hop Dancer
Elizabeth St. Philip
The images are everywhere: young black women shaking their assets in music videos featuring the biggest names in hip-hop. The dancers appear to be pretty props, gyrating to songs with misogynistic lyrics sung by mostly male rappers?images that appear to be exploitative and stereotypical. Yet auditions are highly sought after. This edgy documentary goes behind the scenes to follow Linda, Michelle and Tracy, three young women competing for roles in music videos. What drives these women to risk everything for a chance at fame? What role do these images play in shaping young women’s goals and identities? Through their personal accounts, we see how this world has impacted their personal values, career ambitions and concepts of beauty and self-image. A National Film Board of Canada production.
45 minutes | 2005
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La Bruja: A Witch from the Bronx
Felix Rodriguez
Art, labor and family blend in this intimate documentary about performance artist Caridad De La Luz, better know as 'La Bruja'. Born and raised in the Bronx, this daughter of Puerto Rican immigrants takes the number 6 train to downtown Manhattan where she performs at popular New York City venues. She reads her poetry in Joe's Pub, stages her one-woman show in the Nuyorican Poets Cafe, and performs at Def Poetry Jam. But opportunities are scarce and she struggles to make ends meet in an industry where 'to keep it real' often means to work for free. But La Bruja is not alone in her struggle. Her husband, G-Bo, is a music producer and DJ that sacrifices his own artistic career to work full-time, take care of their two kids and help La Bruja with her music album. Her parents encourage her to continue developing her talents, while her Spanish-speaking grandmother happily baby-sits when La Bruja performs late at night. This documentary is a celebration of La Bruja's perseverance to gain visibility and recognition in the entertainment industry and her extended family's unconditional support.
50 minutes | 2005
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Dreams Deferred: The Sakia Gunn Film Project
Charles B. Brack
Charles B. Brack, CoProduced with Third World Newsreel
This documentary tells the little known story of Sakia Gunn, a 15 year old student who was fatally stabbed in a gay hate crime in Newark, New Jersey. Sakia was an Aggressive, according to GLAAD, a homosexual woman of color who dresses in masculine attire but does not necessarily identify as either lesbian or female-to-male transgender. Sakia held promise as a basketball player and was an "A" student, looking forward to becoming a senior at Newark's West Side High School. On the night Sakia was murdered, she and her friends were returning from socializing at New York City's Greenwich Village piers, at Christopher street, a popular spot for Lesbian, Gay and Transgendered youth. Two men targeted the group at a Newark bus stop station first flirting with and then propositioning them. The girls rebuffed the sexual advances of the much older assailants. Words were exchanged, a fight ensued, and Sakia was stabbed. "Sakia and her friends didn't mean anybody any harm that night. They were coming back from having fun at the Pier in New York, a place where they felt safe to be who they were." says Laquetta Nelson of the Newark Pride Alliance.
"Dreams Deferred: The Sakia Gunn Film Project" depicts the homophobia that caused this murder and questions the lack of media coverage of the murder of a Black Gay teenager. "This 15 year old black lesbian was murdered, and I didn't know about it", says activist Swazzi Sowo of Black Rap in San Francisco. The documentary follows the reaction of the Newark community where several rallies and vigils were held, galvanizing the community and prompting several LGBT organizations to form, including the Newark Pride Alliance and Sakia Gunn Aggressives & Femmes, as well as a scholarship fund in her name. May 23, the day Sakia was murdered, was declared by the city of Newark's Mayor as "No Name Calling Day".
The story unfolds with the testimonies of Sakia's family and friends during the sentencing hearing of the murderer. The hearing is inter-cut with interviews of LGBT community leaders, opinions of people in the community, interviews of Sakia's best friend, Valencia, and exclusive footage of Sakia's vigil. "Dreams Deferred" pays homage to this young Aggressive and exposes the sensitive issues not often addressed regarding gender-identity, homophobia and racism.
58 minutes | 2008
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Hip Hop Sp
Francisco Cesar
Young Black members of Sao Paulo's hip hop movement depict their experience and views of Black Brazilian history through their music, dance and graffiti.
11 minutes | 1990
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Living the Hiplife
Jesse W Shipley
This film is a musical portrait of street life in urban West Africa. It follows the birth of Hiplife music in Accra, Ghana, a mix of various African musical forms and American hip hop. Archival footage and hip hop music videos are remixed with interviews and the daily lives of rap artists. We follow Reggie Rockstone, the Godfather of Hiplife in the founding of the musical movement, as well as the Mobile Boys a group of aspiring rap artists as they try to make it in the music business. With humor and personality these characters move across the political and musical landscape of urban Ghana.
61 minutes | 2007
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Respect is Due
Cyrille Phipps
Third World Newsreel Workshop
In keeping with the doctrines of Wall Street and Madison Avenue, sex sells rap music. In this video, Black youth examine the ways women of African descent are frequently portrayed in rap lyrics and music videos. Hip-hop riffs and clips from rap videos illustrate interviews with young rap enthusiasts, art critics, activists and rapper "Sista Souljah". Excellent for discussions on sexism, gender roles, and sexuality.
10 minutes | 1992
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Scene Not Heard
Maori Karmael Holmes
Right from the beginning of the hip hop movement, Philadelphia's artists have made major contributions as emcees, grafitti artists, dancers, and especially as deejays. Native talents such as Will Smith, The Roots and Eve have made great strides domestically and internationally. But somehow Philly still doesn't get the kind of props that L.A. or even Atlanta does, despite its unique proliferation of women emcees, vocalists, poets and deejays. Scene Not Heard seeks to tell the story of these women--the legends and the ingenues--as they struggle to succeed in a male-dominated industry.
“Scene Not Heard” features interviews with pioneer hip hop artists Lady B, Schoolly D, Rennie Harris, Bahamadia and Ursula Rucker, as well as emerging talents such as Versus, Keen of Subliminal Orphans and Michele Byrd-McPhee of Montazh, intercut with scholars, critics and local promoters.
45 minutes | 2005
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She Rhymes Like a Girl
J.T. Takagi
Third World Newsreel
Toni Blackman and the FreeStyle Union are challenging the male dominated world of hip hop and empowering women to speak their minds in freestyle workshops. This music video/documentary hopes to promote a movement of female MCs. Part of the Call for Change Series.
7 minutes | 2005
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