{"id":110888,"date":"2022-01-26T21:56:54","date_gmt":"2022-01-27T02:56:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=110888"},"modified":"2022-01-26T21:56:54","modified_gmt":"2022-01-27T02:56:54","slug":"artsquest-announces-new-black-film-then-and-now-cinema-series","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=110888","title":{"rendered":"ARTSQUEST ANNOUNCES NEW \u2018BLACK FILM: THEN AND NOW\u2019 CINEMA SERIES"},"content":{"rendered":"

Featured Image: \u00a0Judas and the Black Messiah<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

NEW BI-MONTHLY SERIES WILL LAUNCH IN FEB. WITH JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH FEATURING AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH SCREENWRITERS KEITH AND KENNY LUCAS AND A LIVE DISCUSSION WITH LEHIGH VALLEY STANDS UP<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

BETHLEHEM, Pa.\u2014 ArtsQuest\u2019s\u00a0Frank Banko Alehouse Cinema<\/a>s is proud to present a new screening series,\u00a0Black Film: Then and Now<\/a>, on\u00a0Sat., Feb. 19<\/strong>. In addition, The\u00a0LGBTQ+ Film Series<\/a>\u00a0will return on\u00a0Wed., Feb. 9<\/strong>. Tickets are free to all screenings in both series and can be reserved at\u00a0s<\/a>teelstacks.org\/film<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0Black Film: Then and Now Series<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0will premiere on\u00a0Sat., Feb. 19<\/strong>\u00a0at noon with the Oscar-winning\u00a0Judas and the Black Messiah<\/a><\/em>.<\/a>\u00a0Curated by Allentown-based filmmaker Vernard James, Black Film: Then and Now centers on displaying the evolution of how Black people have been depicted throughout the history of cinema, while also seeking to boost the voices of Black Lehigh Valley-based artists of all disciplines. A 2021 film,\u00a0Judas and the Black Messiah<\/em>\u00a0details the betrayal of Fred Hampton (Daniel Kaluuya, winner of the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the film), chairman of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party in late 1960s Chicago, by FBI informant William O\u2019Neal (Lakeith Stanfield).\u00a0Judas<\/em>\u00a0earned six Oscar nominations, including Best Picture. Immediately following the screening, an exclusive pre-recorded interview between James and Keith and Kenny Lucas (known as the\u00a0Lucas Brothers<\/a>), co-writers\/producers of\u00a0Judas and the Black Messiah<\/em>, will be presented. Ce-Ce Gerlach of\u00a0Lehigh Valley Stands Up<\/a>\u00a0and James will discuss activism in the Lehigh Valley and ways in which Fred Hampton\u2019s legacy persists today in a live discussion prior to the film.<\/p>\n

The LGBTQ+ Series\u2019\u00a0<\/strong>first installment for 2022 will be a screening of\u00a0The Watermelon Woman<\/a><\/em>\u00a0on\u00a0Wed., Feb. 9<\/strong>\u00a0at 7 p.m. This 1996\u00a0film was written, directed and edited by Cheryl Dunye, making it the first feature film to be directed by a Queer Black woman and cementing its status as a landmark in new Queer cinema.\u00a0The Watermelon Woman<\/em>\u00a0follows a young woman named Cheryl (Dunye) as she embarks on a journey of self-discovery when she begins producing a documentary about Fae Richards, a 1930s Black film actress known as \u201cThe Watermelon Woman.\u201d\u00a0The Watermelon Woman<\/em>\u00a0was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress in 2021.\u00a0The LGBTQ+ Film Series,<\/a>\u00a0curated by Catherine Ford, Alessandra Fanelli and Adrianna Gober, aims to explore and uplift a wide and diverse scope of LGBTQ+ issues and stories by highlighting selections from the rich, enduring history of Queer cinema.\u00a0 Tickets for both series are free and can be reserved at\u00a0steelstacks.org\/film<\/a>\u00a0or by calling ArtsQuest\u2019s Box Office at 610.332.3378.\u00a0ArtsQuest will continue to follow the latest CDC, state and local health and safety guidelines. Visit\u00a0artsquest.org\/safety<\/a>\u00a0for more information.<\/p>\n

About ArtsQuest<\/strong>
\nArtsQuest\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0mission is to provide access to exceptional artistic, cultural and educational experiences using arts and culture as key elements of economic development for our urban communities. ArtsQuest\u2122 supports this mission via the presentation of performing and visual arts, film, arts education classes and outreach, youth programming and cultural events.<\/p>\n

ArtsQuest\u2019s Frank Banko Alehouse Cinemas (FBAC) is a two-screen independent cinema located within the ArtsQuest Center at\u00a0SteelStacks. The FBAC is currently open for both public screenings and private rentals; more information on both can be found at\u00a0steelstacks.org\/film<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Through festivals such as its flagship event,\u00a0Musikfest<\/a>; the\u00a0Banana Factory Arts Center<\/a>; and the ArtsQuest Center at\u00a0SteelStacks<\/a>\u00a0arts and cultural campus, ArtsQuest\u2019s programming reaches more than 1.9 million people annually. The organization\u2019s programs and events, approximately 50 percent of which are free to attend, have a combined economic impact of more than $136 million annually in the region.\u00a0ArtsQuest is a proud member of NIVA, the\u00a0National Independent Venue Association<\/a>\u00a0and NATO, the\u00a0National Association of Theatre Owners.<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Information provided to TVL by:
\nNicole Harrell
\nArtsQuest Director of Communications
\nhttp:\/\/www.artsquest.org\/<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Featured Image: \u00a0Judas and the Black Messiah NEW BI-MONTHLY SERIES WILL LAUNCH IN FEB. WITH JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH FEATURING AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH SCREENWRITERS KEITH AND KENNY LUCAS … Continue reading ARTSQUEST ANNOUNCES NEW \u2018BLACK FILM: THEN AND NOW\u2019 CINEMA SERIES<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":110889,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[5717,69,482],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-110888","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bethlehem","category-in-the-valley","category-press-release-2"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Judas-and-the-Black-Messiah.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110888"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=110888"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110888\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/110889"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=110888"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=110888"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=110888"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}