MOOZ-Lum (A Film by Q) Premieres This Friday, February 11th, 2011 In 10 Cities - A Must See Film Of The Africana Experience!!

Official Website: moozlumthemovie.com/

UPDATED Wednesday, June 15th, 2011
NOW ON DVD!

Synopsis:
Pulled between his strict Muslim upbringing by his father and the normal social life he's never had, Tariq Mahdi enters college in a state of confusion. New relationships with Muslims and non-Muslims alike challenge his already shaken ideals, and the estrangement with his mother and sister troubles him. With the help of new friends, family and mentors, he begins to find himself and open up to an Islam he hasn't been exposed to. But when the attacks of 9/11 happen without warning, he is forced to face his past and make the biggest decisions of his life.

MOOZ-lum Theatrical Trailer from Qasim Basir on Vimeo.

Last week on Thursday, February 3rd, 2011 I took a friend with me to see an advanced screening of the film MOOZ-Lum at the Walter Reade Theater at Lincoln Center in the Manhattan. The film stars Evan Ross, Nia Long, Roger Guenveur Smith and Danny Glover.

Both of came away with a most spectacular experience. I can genuinely say that this is one of the best pieces of cinema produced from the Africana experience that I have have seen a long while. It really is that good FAMILY!

And not only we were treated to a great story with great acting (especially Nia Long who played a strong Black woman which was sooooo good to see), but we were treated to a LIVE Q&A session via a Skype computer connection from 30 year old African-American director Qasim "Q" Basir. And then a 5 panel Q&A discussion called Islam and the Black Experience.

And EXTRA EXTRA SPECIAL was a special appearance by actor and activist Ruby Dee who sat in the audience and watched the film with us. When she was mentioned she got a standing ovation from people in the audience INCLUDING ME!!

Ruby Dee Made a Quick Statement On The Stage
Walter Reade Theater At Lincoln Center

Marketing of this film has been done totally on-line with word of mouth and a new marketing campaign which looks to get bigger in the future called DEMAND IT service whereby the people in their respective cities who voted for the film will get the film exhibitioned.

As a result when the film opens THIS FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 11TH, 2011 it will be playing in 10 cities!! Below is the info and a link for local listings:

ATLANTA ● CHICAGO ● DALLAS ● DETROIT
HOUSTON ● LOS ANGELES ● NEW YORK
PHILLY ● SAN FRANCISCO ● WASHINGTON, DC

And Now Mooz-Lum Has Opened
In 5 More Cities February 18th, 2011:

COLUMBUS, OH ● ELIZABETH, NJ
MINNEAPOLIS, MN ● PHOENIX, AZ ● SEATTLE, WA

Purchase your tickets now: http://bit.ly/moozlum-tickets

LIVE From Detroit, We Were Treated To A Q&A Session
With Director Qasim "Q" Basir
Via A Skype Computer Connection

Actor Roger Guenveur Smith (pictured right)

Mooz-Lum Starring Evan Ross

Actor Nia Long

THEATER INFO FOR NEW YORKERS:

AMC Empire 25
234 West 42nd Street
(between 7th & 8th Avenues)
New York City 10036

AMC Empire 25 Webpage

GOOGLE MAPS


CHECK HERE FOR ALL OTHER CITIES:
- Purchase your tickets now -
http://bit.ly/moozlum-tickets

Official Website: moozlumthemovie.com/

Theater Play: THE MEETING A Secret Meeting Between Malcolm X & Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.Kumble Theater (Bklyn)Thur, Jan. 13th, 2011

The Circle of Brothers Fundraising Committee
INVITES YOU TO ATTEND
at Kumble Theater


Click To Enlarge
Tickets: KumbleTheater.org


















THE MEETING

A Shades of Truth Theatre and Kumble Theatre Presentation

Thursday, January 13th, 2011
@ 7:30 PM

SPECIAL DISCOUNT FOR YOU AS A CIRCLE OF BROTHERS GUEST

ONLY $20.00 WITH PROMOTION CODE – “COB11”

Written by Jeff Stetson
Directed by Eric Coleman
with
Lawrence Winslow as Malcolm X,
Michael Green as Martin Luther King, Jr.
and
Ron Wilks as Rashad

Synopsis:

THE MEETING is an engaging and intelligent play that depicts a fictional account of a secret meeting between Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Following the bombing of Malcolm X’s home and shortly before he was assassinated, Malcolm and Martin meet in a room inside the historic Theresa Hotel. This riveting play deals with issues that are still relevant today, such as war, poverty, racism and the need for Black self-empowerment. They were two men with different ideologies, but a common understanding of the plight of Black America.

THE MEETING by Jeff Stetson
Directed by Eric Coleman
Starring
Michael Green as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr
Lawrence Winslow as Malcolm X
and Ron Wilks as Rashad

Kumble Theater for the Performing Arts
Long Island University @ One University Plaza, Brooklyn, NY 11201
(Flatbush Ave between DeKalb Ave & Willoughby St)

Box office (718) 488-1624
Open 1pm – 6pm Monday through Friday & Weekends of shows.
Purchase tickets online @ www.kumbletheater.org
Use Promotion Code - "COB11"

For more info contact Michael Green @ 212-690-0797/646-488-9576

Email: shadesoftruththeatre[at]gmail.com
Website: www.shadesoftruththeatre.com

Marriage Equality: Byron Rushing And The Fight For Fairness A Documentary Film On Same-Sex Marriage From An African-American Perspective

Denise & Mattie's Wedding Day

Dear Rod,

How are you? Hope you are having a great summer. We were hoping you could help regarding our new project.

I am an associate producer on Thomas Allen Harris' new upcoming documentary project about Same Sex marriage from an African American perspective entitled Marriage Equality: Byron Rushing and the Fight for Fairness. The film was commissioned by Tribeca All Access Program and the Nelson Mandela Foundation in South Africa to highlight individuals who embody the principals of Nelson Mandela. We chose to focus on Massachusetts State Representative and Civil Rights Movement veteran Byron Rushing, who together with a group of progressive Black leaders, successfully confronted African American clergy to win hearts, minds and votes on the emotionally divisive issue of same-sex marriage, which is now legal in Massachusetts. Byron, who is heterosexual, is perhaps an unlikely same gender loving hero.

Byron Rushing

Although we have made great progress we are still trying to reach our fundraising goal of $10K with only 6 days left via the United Artists website listed below. You can view a clip of the film (below)...

Arnold & Joseph
(Together For 40 Years, Married 5 Years)

Any mention on your blog would help us greatly as did a recent mention in Indiewire's In The Works. Can you do this? Any support would be greatly appreciated.

Please feel free to contact me with any other outreach suggestions as well, thanks.

greg

Chipanzee Productions
68 East 131st Street, Suite #700
Harlem, NY 10037
(212) 281-6002 Office
(212) 234-7032 Fax
(917) 312-1433 Cell

Through The Ages: Our Journey Through Music A Concert Chronicling The African American Experience From 1930 - 2010 Through Song

Click Image To Enlarge


The Fire This Time Festival and Horse Trade Theater Group

present

THROUGH THE AGES
Our Journey Through Music

A Concert Event

The Kraine Theater
85 East 4th Street
(Between Bowery and 2nd Avenue)
New York City
GOOGLE MAP

Sunday, September 12th, 2010
4:00 PM

Tickets $25
Buy Tickets Here
Donations Welcome

Proceeds to benefit the artists in year two of the
Fire This Time Festival of Short Plays.

e-mail:
FireThisTimeFestival[at]gmail.com

About the Festival
www.horsetrade.info/index.htm



THROUGH THE AGES
Our Journey Through Music

Steve Strickland
Host

Featuring the musical talents of

Travis Allen, Kristopher Jean, Chris Marcus,
Royale Mosley, P. Murray, LeeAnet Noble
Femi Shiri, J. Stone, Robert Urban, and Christine Yarde

Musical Director/Arranger
Germono Toussaint


About The Fire This Time Festival...
The Fire This Time Festival showcases new short plays
from talented writers of African descent.
The Festival explores the diverse possibilities of
contemporary American drama and challenging new directions
for 21st century black theatre.


Year One Playwrights:
Asiimwe, Radha Blank, Kelley Girod, Katori Hall,
Derek Lee McPhatter, Germono Toussaint, and Pia Wilson

Year Two Playwrights:
Jesse Cameron Alick, Christine Chambers, Camille Darby,
Marcus Gardley, Yusef Miller, and Dominique Morisseau


Production Partners
A Mile in My Shoes, Inc.
Under the Spell Productions, Inc.

LET'S STAY TOGETHER Film Trailer A Grassroots Independent Film By Writer/Producer/Director Joshua Bee Alafia

Pictured Left To Right:
Amma Jelani (Photographer), Writer/Director Joshua Bee Alafia,
Tanda (Actor) and ME [BIG ROD] (Sound Technician)
Photo By: Malik Cumbo

Hey African Family

I'm proud to share the trailer to the independent film Let's Stay Together. I've been working with writer/producer /director Joshua Bee Alafia on this film in the capacity of sound technician and some cinematography work for 2 years now.

It's really nice to see the elements of the project coming together slowly in motion picture form; and it feels good to be a part of a project and a storyline of substance about African folk and relationships.

Anyway, check it out below.

For Love of Liberty: The Story of America's Black Patriots A 4 Hour HD Documentary Narrated by Avery Brooks 10 YEARS IN THE MAKING!!

For Love of Liberty Official Website

THE REVOLUTION

THE WAR OF 1812

THE CIVIL WAR

THE INDIAN WARS

THE SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR

WORLD WAR I

WORLD WAR II

THE KOREAN WAR

THE VIETNAM WAR

THE MIDDLE EAST

We encourage you, your family and friends
to watch and be inspired by an extraordinary film, titled
For Love of Liberty: The Story of America's Black Patriots.

The film is a powerful, four-hour, two-part, HD production hosted by Halle Berry, narrated by Avery Brooks, introduced by General Colin Powell and featuring more than 50 of America's leading entertainers, including Morgan Freeman, Danny Glover, Delroy Lindo, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Angela Bassett, and many others.

Ten years in the making, For Love of Liberty dramatically brings to life the tragedies and triumphs of African Americans who bravely fought to serve this country while fighting for the right to serve. Their gripping personal stories paint a deeply moving chronicle of sacrifice and service, from the Revolutionary War to the current battle against global terrorism. For Love of Liberty is an epic saga of perseverance and triumph. Its theme, the price of liberty, is timeless.

Filmmaker George Lucas describes For Love of Liberty as "a long-overdue document celebrating, commemorating, and at long last, acknowledging the heroic efforts of our country's African-American soldiers," while award-winning documentarian Ken Burns says, "I believe this is a story - both entertaining and educational - that is relevant to all Americans." The film has received support from Congressman Charles Rangel, Senator John McCain, Senator Carl Levin, many major veterans organizations and all branches of the United States military.

The film will air through Memorial Day on Public Television. Call your local affiliate for dates and times and please help us spread the word. If you're interested in setting up a screening event, the film's education task force will provide free discs to assist you.

The media may choose to ignore this important documentary, but you cannot! Please support the African-American servicemen and women who deserve to have their stories told.

For more information, log on to www.forloveofliberty.org or contact the film's producer/director Frank Martin at liberty1[at]eleventhday.com. We also encourage you to join us on Facebook.com. Search: For Love of Liberty

IT'S IMPORTANT THAT YOU PUT
"For Love of Liberty: The Story of America's Black Patriots"
ON YOUR VIEWING LIST!

Download the For Love of Liberty Press Packet (PDF)

UPDATE (Thursday, March 3rd, 2010):

I just started watching the opening credits to Part 1 of this 4-hour documentary and I just wanted to make note of the artistic heavy hitters of the African Diaspora who have lent their voice (literally) to this projects.

It's quite an INCREDIBLE list.You will notice that some of these artists have passed (Ibaye) onto the ancestors:

Angela Bassett
Roscoe Lee Brown
LeVar Burton
Anthony Chisholm
Bill Cosby
Ossie Davis
Michael Clarke Duncan
Charles S. Dutton
Morgan Freeman
Danny Glover
Louis Gossett, Jr.
Isaac Hayes
Ice-T
Eriq LaSalle
Delroy Lindo
Jesse L. Martin
Harold Perrineau, Jr.
Ruben Santiago-Hudson
Larenz Tate (AH! My Cutie! LOL! )
Robert Townsend
Glynn Turman
Blair Underwood
Courtney B. Vance
Isaiah Washington
Alfre Woodard
Jeffrey Wright

FRED WILSON, Conceptual Artist, Part II

"Untitled"
2005
1 table with 47 milk glass elements, 1 plaster bust, 1 plaster head, 1 standing woman and a ceramic cookie jar, 77 3/4 x 92 x 43 7/8 inches
Photo by Kerry Ryan McFate
Courtesy PaceWildenstein, New York

"I thought maybe I’ll make one big table piece using all of the collectibles and get them all out of my life at the same time...make a table piece that’s basically about the United States as a whole and use popular culture tchotchkes from around the United States. They’d all be talking to each other, all having these interactions...I decided to intersperse it with milk glass...there's something about this stuff. I also envision having a larger figure here and there, overlooking the whole scenario."
- Fred Wilson

"Chandelier Mori, (Speak of Me as I Am)"
2003
United States Pavilion
50th Venice Biennale: Dreams and Conflicts
Photo by R. Ransick/A. Cocchi
Courtesy PaceWildenstein, New York

"I had a Venetian glass fabricator create a huge seventeenth-century Venetian glass chandelier that would normally be in pastel colors or white. Whenever I use black it relates to some history of Africans in that particular place. It’s the idea of the color black as a metaphor, or as a representation of African-Americans. It’s the notion of black - blackness- and all its other meanings in relation to the history of race but also its meanings as just the color- or lack of color- or specific materials and their own histories, and trying to confuse that a bit."
- Fred Wilson

"Safe House II, (Speak of Me as I Am)"
2003
United States Pavilion
50th Venice Biennale: Dreams and Conflicts
Photo by R. Ransick/A. Cocchi
Courtesy PaceWildenstein, New York

"I did the pieces in my mind right after September 11th. And it really was about that experience and just much more, about emotions and feelings. So that room is a virtual space- a state of mind, a kind of futile, ridiculous thought, wanting the world to go back the way it was before September 11th. And the pot, with the little bed and all, that sits there in the space is called 'Safe House II.' It’s another emotional space. A place to be safe."
- Fred Wilson

"Turbulence II, (Speak of Me as I Am)"
2003
United States Pavilion
50th Venice Biennale: Dreams and Conflicts
Photo by R. Ransick/A. Cocchi
Courtesy PaceWildenstein, New York

"My work is essentially about where I am- and here I was, this African-American, doing a project in the American Pavilion about the Africans of Venice. The part that was the most abstract was this room that I created of black and white tile - thinking about issues of black and white. The room vibrated if you stood there and visually offset you a little bit because of that. I was also interested in institutional spaces - the kind of places that you’re familiar with but not necessarily comfortable in, like a bathroom in an airport, where you can be alone but where you’re not alone."
- Fred Wilson

"Drip Drop Plop"
2001
Glass, approximately 8 x 5 feet
Courtesy Metro Pictures, New York

"I wanted to use black glass because it looks like a liquid. It represents ink, oil, tar, and a lot of the titles in this series refer to what liquid does. I hope some of these images come through for people because that’s how I’m thinking about them. Some have cartoony eyes that bring it back to the social and historical, relating to my own experiences as a child. For me, because of 1930s cartoons that were recycled in my childhood in the 1960s, these cartoon eyes on a black object represent African-Americans in a very derogatory way. Any material that was black could be made into something that represents an African-American. That, to me, is an extremely sad commentary. So I sort of view them as black tears."
- Fred Wilson

"Untitled"
1996
Mixed media, 5 1/2 x 5 x 6 inches
Photo by Ellen Labenski
Courtesy PaceWildenstein, New York

"I made all these pieces where there are only two objects or three. I started making them because I really dislike them and I wanted to understand why I dislike them. But then people started sending me them because they saw I was making these pieces. And I had a whole lot leftover from my travels and collecting to make the works. But I don’t collect them because I like them."
- Fred Wilson

"By Degree"
1995
Ceramic and painted porcelain,
8 x 7 x 11 1/4 inches
Photo by Kerry Ryan McFate
Courtesy PaceWildenstein, New York

"I think in the west, and particularly in America because it’s such a young country, you get the sense that so much comes into America and is re-fashioned and regurgitated without really understanding what it is. We’re such a young country, whereas in other countries they know about the history of the thing that they have and maybe that’s holding them back in some ways. So perhaps their problem is not knowing what they know. But in the United States there have been so many stereotypes about people, cultures, and ideas on very superficial levels that have been translated into the visual—black collectibles say, or graphic design, or even in architecture, or advertising. Those things they’ve hurt me in the past, because that’s how people see me before they even get to know me because of all this media material, TV and everything, you know, just very shallow understanding of a particular subject. That has prompted me to really want to know about things, to not take anything for granted, not to assume anything about anybody and try to tease out the various meanings. And then I can throw it away, but at least I know. "
- Fred Wilson

FRED WILSON
AT WORK ON A CONCEPTUAL ART DESIGN

Biography

Fred Wilson was born in the Bronx, New York in 1954, and lives and works in New York. He received a BFA from SUNY/Purchase. Commenting on his unorthodox artistic practice, Wilson has said that, although he studied art, he no longer has a strong desire to make things with his hands. “I get everything that satisfies my soul,” he says, “from bringing together objects that are in the world, manipulating them, working with spatial arrangements, and having things presented in the way I want to see them.” Thus, Wilson creates new exhibition contexts for the display of art and artifacts found in museum collections, along with wall labels, sound, lighting, and non-traditional pairings of objects. His installations lead viewers to recognize that changes in context create changes in meaning. While appropriating curatorial methods and strategies, Wilson maintains his subjective view of the museum environment and the works he presents. He questions—and forces the viewer to question—how curators shape interpretations of historical truth, artistic value, and the language of display, and what kinds of biases our cultural institutions express. In his groundbreaking intervention, “Mining the Museum” (1992), Wilson transformed the Baltimore Historical Society’s collection to highlight the history of slavery in America. For the 2003 Venice Biennale, Wilson created a mixed-media installation of many parts, focusing on Africans in Venice and issues and representations of black and white, which included a suite of black glass sculptures; a black-and-white tiled room with wall graffiti culled from texts of African-American slave narratives; and a video installation of Othello screened backwards. Wilson received a John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Achievement Award (1999) and the Larry Aldrich Foundation Award (2003). He is the Distinguished Visiting Fellow in Object, Exhibition, and Knowledge at Skidmore College. Fred Wilson represented the United States at the Biennial Cairo (1992) and Venice Biennale.

ALL SOURCE MATERIALS FOR THIS BLOG ENTRY
from Art:21 / PBS.org

FRED WILSON, Conceptual Artist, Part I

This week I had a tremendous amount of pressure on me.

I work at Domingo Gonzalez Associates (DGA) in lower Manhattan which is an architectural lighting design firm. I am a senior drafter/junior lighting designer and my capacity there is as a CADD (Computer-Aided Drafting and Design) consultant.

I have been working on the $17 billion dollar 2nd Avenue Subway Line Project (and multi-billion dollar East Side Access Project) for sometime now, and this was the last push to get the 100% final design drawings out the door to New York City Transit (NYCT), the client. The train line would be called the "T" train. Kinda strange for native New Yorkers to have a new "T" train.

As a backdrop, the Second Avenue Subway will relieve pressure on the overcrowded Lexington Avenue line (#4 , 5 and 6 trains - or the "green lines" for those not familiar with New York City, LOL! ) and improve access to Lower Manhattan. The full length will run from 125th Street (Harlem) and Second Avenue to Hanover Square in Lower Manhattan. Phase I, which will construct the 96th, 86th, and 72nd Street Stations and tie into the existing system at a new station at 63rd Street, is now underway.

So, the pressure was huge because the project is electronically drawn using the MicroStation application software which is a CADD program on the Windows operating system platform. I'm the only one who really knows how to use this program (though I've done some training with my co-workers here and there) and so the bulk of work falls on me.

So, I happen to get up from my computer workstation (taking a small break to revitalize) and walked into the conference room which was vacant at the time, and I saw all these INCREDIBLE 3D conceptual drawings on the walls of a project I was unfamiliar with. So I got closer and the main subject was a sculptured statue figure in which our firm was hired to properly light in this new public landmark space. The statue person looked African-American(!!!!!) to me which caught me by surprise as the totality of statues around the United States aren't of African descent for the most part.

So, now I'm really interested in this project my firm has taken on. And I wished this was something I could work on, but most of the firm projects including this one are electronically done in AutoCAD (another popular CADD program) to which I'm not proficient, and personally I don't like as a CADD program. So, I looked at the title-block (border) information and saw that this project is a public landmark space in Indianapolis and the person associated with it is Fred Wilson. Immediately, I thought to myself, who is Fred Wilson?

On the conference table was a very small scale and mini version of the sculptured statue from the drawings (appeared to by sculpted from concrete or some sculpting material, but honestly I'm not sure at all) which looked to weigh about 100 pounds, I guess. And what we do at the office sometimes is use a small scale of the actual subject and do test lighting phase options to see what the effect of the light will be with varying light fixtures projecting their light in strategic locations with the lights in the office on and off.

So after looking at the drawings and the AWESOME sculpture, I went back to my desk and immediately googled Fred Wilson and got a few hits and saw at a quick glance that he was an African-American artist of some kind. I composed an email and sent the link to myself as a reminder to do more research later. I mentioned the project to my boss, Domingo, and the senior partner and told them the project looked totally qool.

The next day I see the conference room being used, and it turns out that Fred Wilson is in the office discussing the project with my boss and the lighting designers involved with the project. While working, Domingo comes over to me after the formal meeting was finished and then introduced me to Fred Wilson. We all talked for about 10 minutes and I kept calling him "sir". I was certainly in awe of him which is why I was calling him "sir" because even though I didn't get a chance to do my research on him and knew nothing about him at all except that he was some kind of artist, it was a real pleasure to meet someone of African descent doing his thing and in the office conducting business to get his project to reality.

Though I do admit that standing there I was somewhat disconnected and had a dichotomy toward Fred Wilson because his visit to the office was so unexpected to me and because as aforementioned I didn't know who he was as an artist. In other words it would have been a qooler and more meaningful engagement for me had I known who he was beforehand and then meeting him. But hey, that's the hand I was dealt. And these things do inspire more deliberate domino effect pro-actions...

For example, I LOVED the film Devil In A Blue Dress (1995) starring Denzel Washington and Don Cheadle (one of my top favorite films of all-time) when I saw it theatrically. I had no idea that it was based upon the book by Walter Mosley, much less who Walter Mosley was as an author. So the movie ultimately inspired me to go out to the Barnes & Noble branch on 66th Street & Broadway to buy and read most of Mosley's Easy Rawlins mystery books.

So... saw the movie first then read the books afterward... met Fred Wilson first then did the research afterward.

Anyway, my boss told me that Fred Wilson is just this qool mellow person and someone you definitely wanted to get to know better as a person. The office meeting was productive and the project is moving ahead.

So, here we are in the present as I type this blog and did some research on Fred Wilson. See my blog entry FRED WILSON, Conceptual Artist, Part II...

Theater: THE MEETING A Secret Meeting Between Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.Kumble Theater (Bklyn)Monday, Jan. 18th, 2010

Celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
at Kumble Theater

Join Shades of Truth Theatre
and
Kumble Theater for the Performing Arts
as they present:


















THE MEETING

Written by Jeff Stetson
Directed by Eric Coleman
with
Lawrence Winslow as Malcolm X,
Michael Green as Martin Luther King, Jr.
and
Ron Wilks as Rashad


Monday, JANUARY 18th, 2010
· 3PM & 6:30PM Showtimes ·

Synopsis:

The Meeting is an engaging and intelligent play that depicts a fictional account of a secret meeting between Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. following the bombing of Malcolm X's home.

Shortly before he is assassinated Malcolm meets Martin in a room inside the historic Theresa Hotel. They were two men with different ideologies, but common understanding of the plight of Black Americans. Join us for a MLK Day theatrical celebration and post-show discussion.

Celebrate the holiday in a unique way!

Tickets: $25 and
$15 for students, seniors & groups of 10 or more.

For tickets
Visit us on the Web:

www.kumbletheater.org

Or

Box office:
Call (718) 488-1624