Black Film Fridays—A Socially-Distanced Film Festival
University of Nevada, Reno’s (UNR) Core Humanities and Nevada Humanities Present
Black Film Fridays—A Socially-Distanced Film Festival
Each Friday in the month of October, UNR’s Core Humanities program and Nevada Humanities will be hosting a live discussion as viewers stream a different film each Friday. Our films this month feature the artistry of Black directors or focus on what it means to be Black in America. The line-up is an exciting one, ranging from the sublime to the absurd, from the learned to the gory. Before starting the film, be sure to login to Crowdcast. At 7pm, we’ll form a live and lively but socially-distanced audience, first viewing an expert introduction and then starting the week’s film on our own devices and chatting our reactions. Participation is limited to the first one hundred participants.
The films are available on popular platforms, listed below. We will start the introductions and conversations at 7pm each Friday before counting down to start watching together.
(N.B. Many of the films contain adult or offensive language or heavy themes. Our Halloween film is violent and may be disturbing to some viewers.)
Schedule of films
October 2: I Am Not Your Negro
(Available from Netflix)
This experimental documentary film features the writing of visionary writer and public intellectual James Baldwin. Narrated by Samuel L. Jackson, Baldwin’s words about civil rights leaders of the past take on new meaning for our contemporary moment. This event kicks off the series. Before starting the film and conversation at 7 pm, find a little time earlier in the day to listen to an opening welcome from film scholar and Core Humanities director Katherine Fusco.
Introduction: Katherine Fusco, Associate Professor of English and Director of Core Humanities at UNR
October 9: Sorry to Bother You
(Available from Hulu)
Part comedy, part social critique, part surrealist nightmare, Sorry to Bother You tracks a Black call center worker’s advancement when he puts on “white voice” as well as his conflicted relationship to political movement. This film goes wild in the second half, and hip hop scholar Professor Jody Lykes will help us understand more about the film’s aesthetic with his introduction.
October 16: What Happened, Miss Simone? (Available from Netflix)
The documentary What Happened Miss Simone tracks the rise, political work, and unravelling of legendary singer Nina Simone. Among other things, the film takes seriously the mental toll of being “young, gifted, and black.” As a special treat, the introduction to this film comes from Professor Young, an instructor in the Core Humanities program and professional dancer who starred in director Julie Dash’s experimental film Four Women, set to the Simone song of the same title. Watch the dance film and Professor Young’s intro before starting up the film at 7 pm.
October 23: Horror Noire (Available free on Shudder here. )
The documentary Horror Noire reviews the history of Black Americans’ relationship to the horror genre. As Professor Coleman says, “we’ve always loved horror; it’s just that horror, unfortunately, hasn’t always loved us.”
October 30: Assassination Nation
(Available from Hulu)
Our Halloween offering: Although the white-directed contemporary horror film Assassination Nation looks like a dorm-room cult classic, Professor Mikal Gaines will tell us how to look for the way race informs even the most pop of pop cultural items. Watch his introduction first, and then join us for some scares and social commentary at 7 pm.
Introduction: Mikal Gaines, Assistant Professor of English at MCPHS
