Flint, MI — Communities First, Inc. (CFI) and Flint Institute of Arts (FIA) are partnering to host a tenth season of their African American Film Series, free to the public.
Screenings started in November and are scheduled monthly through February. All films will be shown at the Flint Institute of Arts, at 1120 E Kearsley St, Flint.
“When choosing these films, we try to find topics that will expose people to new experiences that they otherwise might not have had,” said Chief Strategy Officer of CFI Essence Wilson in a press release. “I am honored that we have been able to sustain this film series for ten years, fostering discovery and celebrating diversity in our community.”
The hosts encourage guests to view FIA’s existing exhibitions, and partake in a complimentary dinner with live music prior to the screening. Dinner will start at 5:30 p.m. with each movie premiering at 6:45 p.m.
The remaining films of the season are Farming While Black, MLK/FBI, and This Is My Black, set for Dec. 19, Jan. 9, and Feb. 13. CFI provided synopses of each movie, included below:
Farming While Black, December 19, 2024
A feature-length documentary examining the historical plight of Black farmers in the United States and the rising generation reclaiming their rightful ownership of land and reconnecting with their ancestral roots.
MLK/FBI, January 9, 2025
This groundbreaking documentary is the first film to uncover the extent of the FBI’s surveillance and harassment of Martin Luther King, Jr. Based on newly discovered and declassified files, the documentary explores the government’s history of targeting Black activists and the contested meaning behind some of our most cherished ideals. From Emmy Award-winning director Sam Pollard and featuring interviews with Andrew Young, James Comey, Clarence Jones, and more.
This Is My Black, February 13, 2025
Students at Berks County’s Pine Forge Academy display that Black youth with agency can persist even in a world trying to stifle them. Opening with a glorious and rhythm-filled musical number, the students spotlight their gifts as well as their awareness of the precarity of Black life. Further expressed in choir rehearsal, where personal struggles yield results, a vulnerable moment allows the students to reveal the hardship of navigating a world where Black death consumes the media.