Lightbox Film Center Presents Screening with BlackStar Film Festival, Scribe Video Center

Continuing a robust summer schedule of online screenings, Lightbox Film Center joins BlackStar Film Festival and Scribe Video Center as a co-presenter of Nationtime - Gary, screening Aug. 23 at 7 p.m. This feature documentary by William Greaves explores the National Black Political Convention of 1972 in Gary, Indiana, which saw 10,000 Black politicians, activists and artists forge a national unity platform in advance of the Republican and Democratic presidential conventions. 

The film highlights important Black political voices who attended the convention, including Rev. Amiri Baraka, Charles Diggs, Dick Gregory, Richard Hatcher, Jesse Jackson, Coretta Scott King and H. Carl McCall. With the 2020 presidential conventions looming and Black Lives Matter at the forefront of the social, racial and political conversation in the U.S., Nationtime is a must-see for all who care about ending racist attitudes and practices in this country.

William Greaves was a prolific documentarian of Black history, culture and politics who made more than 100 documentary films throughout his career. According to the American Film Institute, the director agreed to document the 1972 convention without a budget because he recognized the historical significance of the event. While an edited 60-minute version of the film was circulated when it was initially released, this screening is a special opportunity to see the original 90-minute directors’ cut, which was only recently restored by IndieCollect after it was discovered in 2018 in an abandoned Pittsburgh warehouse once owned by WRS Film Holdings Lab. 

The presentation of this film as part of the 2020 BlackStar Film Festival lineup is a fitting venue to showcase Greaves’ work. Described as “the world’s premier celebration of Black, Brown, and Indigenous film and video artists” in a recent press release, the festival boasts a roster of more than 80 short films and feature-length debuts from a wide array of filmmakers. In addition to citing the event as “the Black Sundance” for its emphasis on emerging talents, IndieWire extolled the ninth iteration of the festival as continuing to provide “an invaluable service, not only to the city of Philadelphia, but for filmmakers of color around the world.”

UArts students and Lightbox members are eligible for admission to this screening. Visit lightboxfilmcenter.org/become-a-member to become a member today. General admission is $5 with the BlackStar Day Pass. 

Purchase your Aug. 23 Day Pass for this screening.

Learn more about Lightbox Film Center and upcoming online screenings.