Once Upon a Time in Harlem has been more than 50 years in the making and we now have a trailer for the long-awaited documentary which will be released in theaters by Neon on October 16.
In August 1972, filmmaker William Greaves pulled off something remarkable. He tracked down every surviving legend and luminary of the Harlem Renaissance he could find, many of whom had not been in the same room in decades, and invited them to a cocktail party at Duke Ellington’s Harlem townhouse. For four hours, the group laughed, drank, argued and reflected on their place in a rapidly shifting America. Greaves filmed all of it on 16mm.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESnX3LQbCVI
Among those who gathered were artists Aaron Douglas, Richard Bruce Nugent, Ernest Crichlow and Romare Bearden; musicians Eubie Blake and Noble Sissle; photographer James Van Der Zee; writer Arna Bontemps; activists and scholars John Henrik Clarke and Louise Thompson Patterson; and dozens more luminaries of the Black intelligentsia, all in one room, unfiltered and unscripted.
The footage was originally intended for a film about the Harlem Renaissance called From These Roots, which Greaves completed in 1974 using only archival materials. The party recordings were set aside but never abandoned. Greaves went on to become a major figure of American independent cinema, completing over 70 films, yet he considered Once Upon a Time in Harlem his greatest work and spent much of the rest of his life trying to finish it. He died in 2014 with the project incomplete. His widow Louise Greaves continued the work until her own death in 2023, at which point their son David and granddaughter Liani picked up the mantle and brought the film home.
The film just announced its inclusion at Telluride, making it the only film to screen at Sundance, Cannes, Telluride, TIFF, NYFF and the London Film Festival. It currently holds a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 94 on Metacritic. The film made its debut at Sundance earlier this year, where Neon acquired it in a competitive situation that included Netflix and Mubi.
The October 16 release date lands just days after what would have been William Greaves’ centenary on October 8.
Once Upon a Time in Harlem opens in theaters October 16.
The footage was originally set aside when Greaves completed a separate Harlem Renaissance film in 1974 using archival materials. He spent much of the rest of his life wrestling with how to finish what he considered his greatest work. He died in 2014 with the film incomplete. His widow Louise Greaves continued the work until her own death in 2023, at which point their son David and granddaughter Liani picked up the mantle and brought the project home.
The October 16 release date falls just days after what would have been William Greaves’ centenary on October 8.
The film is the only documentary to screen at Sundance, Cannes, Telluride, TIFF, the New York Film Festival and the London Film Festival, and currently holds a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 94 on Metacritic. Neon acquired the film at Sundance in a competitive situation that included Netflix and Mubi.
Once Upon a Time in Harlem opens in theaters October 16.