The history and present of documentary aligns with the (in)visibility of Black people. “Tongues Untied” (Marlon Riggs, 1989) and “Jason and Shirley” (Stephen Winter, 2015)—creative, expansive, beautiful films focusing on gay black male oppression, community, and liberation—will be the focus of a public interaction, Black Gay Men on Film, led by students in Film 2021 (Non-Fiction Cinema), which will include the screening of short works by those students and clips from the films under consideration. The event centers the voices, histories, politics, and communities of gay black men on film, while allowing CUNY students and our larger community access to multi-generational perspectives on what we all can see and learn from this powerful signifyin’ legacy. Stephen Winter, Vivian Kleiman for Signifyin’ Works (Marlon Riggs’ foundation), Distinguished Professor of Film, Alexandra Juhasz (Brooklyn College), and students from Non-Fiction Cinema will participate in this exciting back and forth. Audience members will engage in the Q&A.
