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Admission is free. No advance reservations. Your seat will be assigned to you when you pick up your ticket at the box office. Seats are assigned on a first come, first served basis. The box office opens one hour before the event.
Four Women
U.S., 1975
Four Women transforms Nina Simone’s ballad into an experimental dance film that explores identity and survival. Dancer Linda Martina Young embodies Aunt Sarah, Saffronia, Sweet Thing and Peaches, shifting costume and movement to reflect each archetype. Filmmaker Julie Dash’s editing mirrors Simone’s vocals, pausing moments of motion before dissolving into the next image. One of the first experimental films by a Black woman filmmaker, it fuses music, dance and cinema into a bold statement of Black feminist artistry.—Public Programmer Beandrea July
DCP, b&w, 10 min. Director: Julie Dash. With: Linda Martina Young.
Restored by Indie Collect in collaboration with the UCLA Film & Television Archive and Women Make Movies.
La Raza: “Celebration”
U.S., 1974
“For la raza, we live to celebrate life,” declares host Ricardo Montalbán at the start of this episode, which captures the vibrancy of Mexican American celebrations and cultural traditions. Part of the six-episode McGraw Hill public affairs series La Raza that aired in 1974, it is directed by husband-and-wife UCLA Ethno-Communications alumni Moctesuma Esparza and Esperanza Vasquez. Blending Montalbán’s classic charm with intimate footage of community gatherings and dazzling musical performances, the episode foregrounds the richness of la vida and delivers an affirming portrait of a people too often overlooked or stereotyped on screen.—Public Programmer Beandrea July
DCP, color, 53 min. Directors: Moctesuma Esparza, Esperanza Vasquez. With: Ricardo Montalbán.
Cruisin’ J Town
U.S., 1975
Directed by Duane Kubo, who earned a UCLA bachelor’s degree in astronomy and astrophysics in 1974, this short documentary explores the roots of the popular jazz fusion band Hiroshima in Los Angeles’ pre-redevelopment Little Tokyo. The group members discuss the sociological, political and cultural pulse of the early 1970s while reflecting on influences in Asian American music.—guest programmer Josslyn Luckett
DCP, color, 26 min. Director: Duane Kubo.
Cycles
U.S., 1989
This exuberant experimental drama follows Rasheeda Allen as she anxiously awaits her overdue period. Blending live action with animation, filmmaker Zeinabu irene Davis draws on Caribbean folklore to craft a film language rooted in African American women’s experiences. As Rasheeda cleans her home and performs purification rituals, a layered soundtrack of African and diasporic music, including artists like Miriam Makeba and Clora Bryant, deepens the film’s sensory world. Hailed as “a brilliantly innovative reflection on Black womanhood” by the Los Angeles Times, Davis’ bold imagination shines.—Public Programmer Beandrea July
DCP, b&w, 17 min. Director/Screenwriter: Zeinabu irene Davis.
