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CURRENT AND RECURRING SERIES
Links to information about current and future series at the Maysles Cinema, including full programs.
(More pages coming soon)
Doc Watchers Logo Doc Watchers

Screenings curated by Hellura Lyle of Doc Watchers, a Harlem, community-based documentary film screening club and series. First Monday of every month.
Keeling's Caribbean Showcase Logo
Keeling's Caribbean Showcase

Keeling Beckford of Keeling's Reggae Music and Video shares his vast library of films, concerts and vintage dancehall parties. First Sunday of every month.
Documentary in Bloom Documentary in Bloom

A program that highlights challenging, controversial, and though-provoking new documentary films of outstanding artistic merit. Bi-monthly: 2011 screenings in February, March, April, June, August, October, December.
Jazz On Film

Jazz On Film

Feature length and short documentary and narrative films for, by, and about the giants and unsung heros of jazz. All unpacked and explored by The National Jazz Museum Harlem's finest jazz experts and jazz musicians. Second Tuesdays every other month.

The Experiment The Experiment

Examining the common ground between documentary and experimental/avant-garde modes of cinema. Quarterly. March, July, September, December in 2011.
HiFF Logo Hi Wednesdays

The creators of the Harlem International Film Festival bring back several award-winning films from Hi5 plus some must-see gems that have not yet been screened. First Wednesdays of every month.
Jock Docs logo Jock Docs

The best in sports documentaries, curated by Laura Coxson. Starts again January 2012!
Master Class Logo Master Class

The goal of the series Masterclass is to identify and survey exemplary careers in documentary production through an expansive lens. Ongoing Series.
True Crime New York logo True Crime New York

A meditation on the complexity of "true" crime in the rotten apple - from the Central Park Jogger Case to Giuliani Time, Bernie Goetz to Bernie Madoff. Quarterly in 2011 - March, June, September, December.
Women War and Peace PBS and the Maysles Cinema Present: Women, War and Peace.

Women, War & Peace challenges the conventional wisdom that war and peace are men's domain. With depth and complexity, this bold PBS series spotlights the stories of women in conflict zones from Bosnia to Afghanistan and Colombia to Liberia, placing women at the center of an urgent dialogue about conflict and security, and reframing our understanding of modern warfare. November 2011.
I See White People I See White People

The visibility of white racism, white privilege and unacknowledged white cultures in documentary and fiction film. Quarterly in 2011 - January, April, July. October programming has been postponed but check back in early 2012 for more info.
Under the Influence of Logo Under the Influence of

Influential artists, writers, performers, thinkers and leaders in their field select the films that inspire their work and lives and/or films that they've inspired or made. Ongoing Series.
Congo In Harlem logo

Congo In Harlem

A series of films and events celebrating Congolese culture and raising awareness about the conflict. Annual Series

Black Panther Film Fest

Black Panther Party Film Fest

A yearly exploration of the history and legacy of the Black Panther Party. Annual, September/October in 2011.

Harlem Homegrown Logo
Harlem Homegrown

Films for, by, and/or about Harlem. First Friday of every month. On hiatus but coming back in 2012: Stay tuned!
Under the Influence of ego trip Logo Under the Influence of ego trip

Documentary films from the classic hip-hop era brought to you by the ego trip collective. Once a month, three months a year - January, February, March in 2011.
Homo-Harlem Logo Homo-Harlem Film Series

Upper Manhattan's foremost celebration and recognition of the cultural accomplishments of LGBT people of color. Annual Series, every June.
Summer of Music LogoSummer of Music Logo Summer of Music: Harlem Outdoor Music and Screening Series

Screenings outdoors in Harlem, often accompanied by musical performances. 2010 and 2011 screenings brought to you with support from Target®.
Continuing Ed logo Continuing Ed

A series that presents films and speakers in order to advance discussion about the future of education and education reform. Ongoing Series.
Tibet In Harlemlogo

Tibet In Harlem

A series of Tibetan and Tibet-related films at the Maysles Cinema in Harlem. Annual Series.

Lava 1 and 2 Lava 1 and 2 Presents

Films and events presented by legendary aerosol artist Lava 1&2. Biannual.
So Fresh And So Clean So Fresh and So Clean: Food and the Environment Series

Pairing films about food and the environment to think holistically about our most pressing collective human needs. Related speakers, food demonstrations, tastings and workshops will make the connections between food reform, gardens and green economies. Supported by Whole Foods Market® July 2010. On Hiatus - more dates TBA.
  The People's Choice

Audience Suggested Films! On hiatus - more dates TBA.
Fuzzy Star!!!!

Ongoing Series
V-Day

V-Day is a global movement to stop violence against women and girls. V-Day is a catalyst that promotes creative events to increase awareness, raise money and revitalize the spirit of existing anti-violence organizations. Semi-Annual

More to be added soon - if you don't see what you want here, please search our archives.
Kings of the City Another Side of the King: Films and Literature of Woodie King, Jr.

In celebration of Black History month, February 2009, we honored the important and diverse body of work of Woodie King, Jr., a visionary who has been integral in the development of contemporary black theater and cinema. One time series, February 2009.
Kings of the City Kings of the City

Graffiti culture from New York to Europe and back via rare and classic documentaries, never seen photos, legendary writers and historians. Series includes month-long Graffiti Art gallery. Curated by Andreas Vingaard. One time series, May 2009.
Haiti in Harlem
Exploring the expanse of Haitian culture both on the Caribbean island and around the American diaspora. September - October 2008, May 2009, April - May 2010.
Rent Control logo Rent Control: NYC Documented and Imagined

An in-depth examination of communities in New York undergoing change. One time series September 2008 - April 2009.
Strangers in Strange Lands logo Strangers in Strange Lands: The Explorations of Great French Directors

Featuring seminal works of avant-garde documentary that range in time period from the classic through the contemporary, and travel through exotic, familiar, and even internal terrain. Curated by Livia Bloom. One time series in 2008.
Kiarostami + Makhmalbaf

Two evenings dedicated to giants of Iranian new wave and experimental cinema.
Curated by Nesa Azimi.
One time series, September, 2010.
HOMEWARD: A Screening Series Exploring the Concept of Home

The lack of a home may be different than a lack of home; this series addresses the meaning of home and the definitions individuals, cities, nations and cultures work with when referring to such concept. Themes of displacement, (im)migration, uneven development, autonomous spaces, architecture and memory are recurring in the program.
One time series, May, 2010.
Cuba In Harlem: A Documentary Retrospective

One time series, January, 2009.
Film Club

One time series, November, 2009.
Country Rap Tunes: A Dirty South Film Festival

August, 2009 & August, 2010.
Larry Davis: Hero, Victim or Villain?

Friends, Family and the public will remember the life of Larry Davis, who was murdered in prison on Wednesday, February 20th, 2008. One time series, May, 2008.

Film On Film

One time series, October, 2009.

The Mothership Connection: Summer Of Music

One time series, July and August, 2009.
A Woman Is A Woman

Taking inspiration from the literary criticism question, "Is there a feminine sentence?" films screened in the series—by renowned female filmmakers such as ELAINE MAY, CHANTAL AKERMAN, CAROLEE SCHHNHEEMANN as well as new female directors such as Alina Marazzi, Maximilla Lukacs and Gina Telaroli—will attempt to identify and examine feminine filmmaking styles. One time series, July and August, 2009.
ARE U FO' REAL?

A series of films on aliens, hoaxes and raving lunatics. One time series, June, 2008.
Collector's Showcase

One time series, November, 2010.
Brothers

Maysles Institute, in collaboration with the Masculinity Project, presents a present a series of six long-form documentaries that focuses on how black masculinity defines the African American experience, within and outside the mainstream of family, justice, community, and culture. The Masculinity Project is a partnership between the National Black Programming Consortium and the Independent Television Service with funding by the Ford Foundation. One time series, September, 2008.
Africa In Harlem

One time series, September, 2009.
The "New" New Deal

The "New" New Deal examines that ever-shifting boundary between "the public" and "the private" in American life with films focusing on the digital age, labor organizing, and the outsourcing of national war, alongside classic films funded by that last great model of one American social ideal, The New Deal. One time series, November 2010.
Straight Outta Mexico

One time series, February, 2010.
What We Want Is Peace!

One time series, November, 2009.
Winter Soldiers and A Soldier's Story

With Winter Soldiers: Iraq and Afghanistan, the veteran and active duty led inquiry of 2008 and its inspiration—the original Winter Soldier Investigation of 1971 (and the film by the same name)—as bookends, this series explores the soldier's point of view in these conflicts as well as their role in the genesis of any critique of these wars. One time series, January, 2010.
St. Clairebourne Film Festival

This is a tribute to the Harlem-born activist and documentarian, St. Clair Bourne, showcasing Bourne's work, Black Documentary Collective films and other historic documentary and narrative films celebrating New York's Harlem and the African Diaspora. One time series, October, 2008.
Street Organizations

One time series, September, 2009.
Black X

This marathon intends to present the work of black filmmakers working in experimental film styles and establish a supportive and authenticating audience for the work. These rarely seen and compelling films represent an uncompromised and revolutionary commentary on the cinema and black identity. One time series, May, 2011.
New York(er) Shorts

New York(er) Shorts screenings are styled in remembrance of the many artist collectives that New York City was known for in the late 20th century. There will be food, drinks, time and a casual setting to meet filmmakers, film enthusiasts and the like. September and December, 2008 & April, 2009.
Faux Real

Truth-telling in narrative film. January - November, 2010.
The Thaw

Proto-verite in the Soviet Union. One time series, November 2010.
The Horror

One time series, October 2009.
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.

NYSCA logo NYSCA logo This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council.