Join us for an afternoon screening of Med Hondo’s West Indies: The Fugitive Slaves of Liberty (1979). Using an enormous mock slave ship as the film’s only soundstage, director Med Hondo investigates more than three centuries of imperialist oppression in this watershed event for African cinema–the continent’s first musical. The story traverses the West Indies, Europe, and the Middle Passage; jumps across time to depict the effects of official French policy upon the colonized, the enslaved, and their descendants; and surveys the actions and motivations of the resigned, the revolutionary, and the powers that be (along with their lackeys). No mere extravaganza, West Indies is a call to arms for a spectacular yet critical cinematic reimagining of an entire people’s history of resistance and struggle.
Enjoy the film and snacks as part of this series. Come early or stay late to visit our galleries—free admission is included with your ticket!
Screening Room, YBCA
Tickets: $15
Ticket includes the film, snacks—while supplies last—and gallery admission.
The film starts promptly at 2pm and there are no trailers. Please arrive a few minutes early to be seated.
Free for YBCA Members.
