Drylongso

Fearing that Black men are “becoming extinct”, an Oakland art student attempts to document proof of their existence in a series of Polaroids. This treasure of 1990s DIY filmmaking mixes murder mystery, buddy films and romance. “Capturing the vibrant community spirit of Oakland in the nineties, Smith crafts both a rare cinematic celebration of Black female creativity and a moving elegy for a generation of lost African American men.” (Janus)

In Artforum Siddharta Mitter writes that Smith, who moved from film to performance art and installation, is “in the Black vanguard—the Afrofuturists and community activists, the artists and writers and theorists imagining ways of living that dignify themselves as Black subjects as well as all of humanity… something of a heroine for the breadth and generosity of her work.”

Shown in a 4K restoration undertaken by the Criterion Collection, Janus Films, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, supervised by director Cauleen Smith.

Part of our Restorations & Rediscoveries series

Film website: www.janusfilms.com/films/2091