Free Screening of Once Upon a Time in Harlem

​A decade after his death, filmmaker William Greaves has one final trick up his sleeve: In 1972, he engineered a gathering of living luminaries from the Harlem Renaissance, many reuniting for the first time in fifty years. Over four hours, the group reminisced, debated, laughed, and reflected on their legacy and place in a changing cultural landscape.

​Shot on 16mm film, newly restored and now directed by Greaves’ son David, this film is a once in a lifetime work at once a self-exploration and an inquiry into the heart of the critical mass of energy called the Harlem Renaissance; as well as understand how culture has been passed on from one generation to another and the role that the artist plays in keeping it alive.