Nationtime (William Greaves, 1972)

An incredible time capsule, Nationtime presents the historic National Black Political Convention, held in Gary, Indiana, in March 1972. The event gathered Black voices from across the political spectrum to form a unity platform in advance of the upcoming Democratic and Republican conventions later that year. Speakers included Jesse Jackson, comedian Dick Gregory, Coretta Scott King, Betty Shabazz, Queen Mother Moore, poet Amiri Baraka, Black Panthers cofounder Bobby Seale, singer Isaac Hayes, and actor Richard Roundtree. Narrated by Sidney Poitier and Harry Belafonte, the film was considered too militant for broadcast at the time, so this new 4K restoration is the first time the full-length version is publicly available. (80 mins., 4K DCP)

The short film From These Roots is a vivid portrait of the extraordinary artistic, cultural, and political emergence that took place during the Harlem Renaissance. Created entirely with archival photographs, the film serves as something of a prequel to the recently released Once Upon a Time in Harlem. (29 mins., standard definition video)

See the entire Retrospective: William Greaves lineup.

"Buzzes with long-term historical power." The New Yorker