Box office open for advance ticket purchases Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri 12-6 & from 1 hour before until the end of all events. During these hours, knock on the window if door is locked.
Only ticket holders arriving 15 minutes before showtime can be guaranteed a seat in the theater. Overflow seating available for sold out shows.
Tickets $10 suggested donation, unless otherwise noted. Members only: Reserve your seat ahead of time at reservations@mayslesinstitute.org Become a member>
Friday,
Mar. 5,
7:30 pm
Up With Me Greg Takoudes, 2008
This East Harlem local, indie, coming-of-age narrative film follows Francisco who after winning a scholarship to a prestigious boarding school must struggle to maintain his relationships with his girlfriend, Erika, who fears he will no longer be the boy from El Barrio she loves, and best friend Brandon, who acts out in increasingly serious ways to force Francisco back home.
Teen filmmakers in attendance.
Friday,
April 2
7:30 pm
Luther T. Jones Dir. George Lamboy, 1991, 60 min.
Released the same year as Spike Lee's glossy Jungle Fever, the verite gem Luther T. Jones, tells the story of a Harlem based black man and his fetish for white women. However, in the end through a series of bittersweet, comic events Jones comes to appreciate the girl next door. Shot in and around Harlem in real apartments, local nightclubs, bars and parks Luther T. Jones evokes early 90s, real deal NYC perhaps on a level that most films (documentary or narrative) can't claim. Luther T. Jones features James Dickson as the title character. Dickson, a Harlem resident, has appeared in a wide range of stage, screen, and television productions including We Wear the Masques, New Jack City and The Cosby Show. Stars Dickson as well as Lorin Johanson, Jessie Eccles, Carole Lynn Oswald.
Followed by Q&A with actor James Dickson
Friday,
May 7
7:30 pm
Luther T. Jones Dir. George Lamboy, 1991, 60 min.
Released the same year as Spike Lee's glossy Jungle Fever, the verite gem Luther T. Jones, tells the story of a Harlem based black man and his fetish for white women. However, in the end through a series of bittersweet, comic events Jones comes to appreciate the girl next door. Shot in and around Harlem in real apartments, local nightclubs, bars and parks, Luther T. Jones evokes early 90s, real deal NYC perhaps on a level that most films (documentary or narrative) can't claim. Luther T. Jones features James Dickson as the title character. Dickson, a Harlem resident, has appeared in a wide range of stage, screen, and television productions including We Wear the Masques, New Jack City and The Cosby Show. Also stars Lorin Johanson, Jessie Eccles, Carole Lynn Oswald.
Followed by Q&A with actor James Dickson
Friday
July 2nd
7:30 pm
P-Star Rising Dir. Gabriel Noble, 2009, 104 min.
A documentary film about a single-father who is determined that his 9-year old daughter become a rap star and thus redeem his deferred dream. We follow the father-daughter duo through the grit and glamour of the music industry, the struggles of being a single dad with no means, and the sacrifices a child makes in order to make her father proud.
AFTER THE MOVIE:
Q&A with P-Star's father, Jesse, older sister Solsky, and filmmaker Gabriel Noble.
Harlem's Mart 125: The American Dream Dir. Rachelle Salnave, 2010, 75 min. Mart 125, formerly located in the heart of Harlem was an indoor market place that housed African vendors from all over the Diaspora. It was developed by government agencies to remove street vendors in the mid-1980s. Due to a host of politics, poor management and the redevelopment of Harlem, the Mart was forced to close down in 2002. The building is now up for biding and the vendors have either been fortunate enough to get their own store fronts in Harlem or are back to vending on the streets. Harlem's Mart 125: The American Dream is an in-depth analysis of the history of Mart 125 and how it correlates to the "revitalization" of 125th street, Harlem's main commercial hub. This story depicts the economic transition from the late 1960s to present day. By using Mart 125 and the people behind it, the market provides an apt metaphor for the effects of gentrification on the Harlem community and urban centers everywhere. Film website>
AFTER THE FILM:
Panel discussion with Moikgantsi Kgama, Founder & Executive Director Imagenation and Gregory Gates, Executive Producer for Imagenation, Loren Schoenberg, Executive Director of the National Jazz Museum Harlem and film director Rachelle Salnave. The National Jazz Museum Harlem and Imagenation are slated for a museum and cinema respectively in the former Mart 125 site.
Hosted by Michael Henry Adams, Harlem Historian and co-curator of our annual Homo-Harlem film series.
The Polymath, or, the Life and Opinions of Samuel R. Delany, Gentleman Dir. Fred Barney Taylor, 2007, 75 min.
Throughout this sprawling portrait of prolific novelist, professor and literary critic, Samuel R. Delany, one can't help but wonder how Delany found the time -- between grooming his prodigious beard, his amorous dalliances and being highly dyslexic -- to write over twenty works of fiction, eleven works of non-fiction, and two memoirs, finding his way into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame. Using a range of experimental techniques and borrowed footage from Delany's home movies, Fred Barney Taylor document's Delany's life growing up in a prominent Harlem household, his coming of age in the East Village where he enthusiastically sampled the radical sexual, cultural, and artistic freedom of the early sixties, and his reception as a major figure in American literature.
AFTER THE MOVIE:
Conversation with Samuel Delany and filmmaker Fred Barney Taylor, with Michael Henry Adams, moderator.
Tuesday,
Nov. 2,
7:30 pm
Slap the Donkey Dir. Edward, J Harris, 2009, 79 min.
Narrated by actor Danny Glover, "Slap the Donkey" takes a critical look at Black
politics at the start of the 21st century, while tracking Al Sharpton's 2004 bid for
the Democratic nomination for President of the United States of America. The
documentary features commentary from various members of the Democratic Party such as George McGovern and Sen. Joe Lieberman as well as well known figures in the African American community such as Dr. Cornel West, Dr. Ron Daniels and Herb Boyd.
AFTER THE SCREENING:
Q&A with dir. Edward J. Harris and Exec. Producer & Comedian Doug E. Doug
Plus - Election returns viewing party sponsored by Sugar Hill Ale!
Friday,
Dec 3,
7:30 pm
Harlem Homegrown and LJ Entertainment Present:
The Best of Master Rob Dir. Lamont Jackson & Elvis Blount (unreleased, 60 min)
“Master” Rob Hockett was a notorious legend at Rucker Park from the late 80s all the way through the mid 90s. He has been described as a basketball DJ, because of his signature move where he would put the spin on various defenders by placing his left hand above their head and then dribbling the ball around their back with the other hand, inevitably tripping them up. Master Rob was also dangerous with his mid-range shots and reverse layups making it no wonder that half of Harlem would flock to see him during his prime years on the playground. “The Best of Master Rob,” an action packed highlight dvd, is premiering at the Maysles Cinema, and shows you what this playground legend is made of.
AFTER THE SCREENING: Q&A with dir. Lamont Jackson and “Master” Rob Hockett
and
Reception sponsored by Sugar Hill Ale!
The Cool World Dir. Shirley Clarke, 1964, 120 min. With special guest, Ronnie "Hampton" Clanton
Sharifa Rhodes-Pitts told us "I first heard of The Cool World because of its connection with poet and activist June Jordan, who worked as an assistant to producer
Frederick Wiseman. The film's attempt to capture the reality of streetlife in Harlem takes us directly into the problem of how the neighborhood has been represented, misrepresented, and imagined, which is also a big concern of my book Harlem is Nowhere: A Journey to the Mecca of Black America. I look forward to viewing and discussing this film with Ronnie Clanton, who starred as its protagonist, Duke (credited in the film as Hampton Clanton)." Ronnie "Hampton" Clanton also stared in the seminal and groundbreaking film the Education of Sonny Carson (1974) as Sonny Carson. NY Times article with excerpt from Harlem is Nowhere> Harlem is Nowhere inspired mixtape by DJ Rupture & Rhodes-Pitts>
AFTER THE SCREENING: Conversation, Q&A with Sharifa Rhodes-Pitts and Ronnie Clanton.
Plus: A short reading from Harlem is Nowhere with Sharifa Rhodes-Pitts
(Encore
presentation of Waiting for Superman Saturday,
April 2nd
at 4:30pm, before response film Inconvenient Truth about Waiting for Superman)
Waiting for Superman Dir. David Guggenheim, 2010, 102 min.
For a nation that proudly declared it would leave no child behind, America continues to do so at alarming rates. Despite increased spending and politicians’ promises, our buckling public-education system, once the best in the world, routinely forsakes the education of millions of children. Filmmaker Davis Guggenheim reminds us that education “statistics” have names: Anthony, Francisco, Bianca, Daisy, and Emily, whose stories make up the foundation of Waiting for Superman. By embracing the belief that good teachers make good schools as well as critiquing the role of unions this film explores some of the approaches taken by education reformers and charter schools. Film Website>
Please join us for a fun-filled evening of short documentary films that reveal a much-needed perspective on the recession, pest control, gender identity, fashion subcultures, the arts and the urban outdoors. Throughout the school year young people from the wider Harlem community gather to produce short documentaries that reinterpret and challenge notions of self-awareness, community, and power. We strive to bridge the film experience between theory, analysis and practice.
6:00 pm
RECEPTION
7:00 pm
SCREENING: Daniel Produced by Roxanne Mauras and L’Eunice Faust, 8 min.
A short documentary film that explores the daily challenges of an openly gay, 16 year-old Jewish teen as he navigates through school and personal relationships.
Three Dollars Outta Fifteen Cents Produced by Samantha Ramos, 4 min.
An introspective look at the hustle and bustle of teenagers coping with an economic recession that leaves them with little or no disposable income.
Sagomatic Produced by Alejandro Rosario, 9 min.
Have you ever cringed at the sight of a teenager with saggy pants? This short documentary film explores the root causes of this fashion subculture through interviews with teen and adult saggers, teachers, parents, the fashion industry and the New York City community at large.
Booker T Produced by Brittney Lopez, 8 min.
A short documentary film that delves into the artistic lives of two high school performance artists and the teacher that helps them sustain their passion.
Parkour Produced by Keionn Ausby, 3 min.
From the urban streets of France comes an innovative outdoor sport that is slowly capturing the imagination of inner city teens in New York City. Experience parkour through the eyes of a 14 year-old enthusiast from the South Bronx.
Rats! Produced by Hatuey Rodriguez, 3 min.
Rodents and mice are an all too familiar relative of most New Yorkers. Hate them or love them, they are here to stay and will probably outlive us as a whole. What is left for us to do but create a short, experimental film on their existence?
Let's Talk About Sex Produced by Nataja Flood, 6 min.
The formative years for teens are filled with daunting challenges. Amidst pressure to excel in school and stay out of trouble, many of them begin to explore their bodies and urges. This short documentary film surveys the present day attitudes of teens and adults on sex and abstinence.!
343 Malcolm X Boulevard / Lenox Avenue (between 127th and 128th Streets)
Suggested Admission: $10 (unless otherwise noted). The box office is open 12 - 6pm Monday - Friday and 1 hour before all showtimes till event end.
This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council.
343 Malcolm X Boulevard / Lenox Avenue (between 127th and 128th Streets)
