TURNING A CORNER tells the stories of people involved in the sex trade in Chicago and their efforts to raise public awareness of systemic injustice and promote needed reforms. Created in a media activism workshop, this groundbreaking film recounts their survival and triumph over homelessness, violence and discrimination, and gives rare insights into Chicago's sex trade industry.

TURNING A CORNER was created in a media activism workshop that director Salome Chasnoff facilitated with 15 women who had been involved in prostitution in Chicago. The women learned to use video cameras, conduct interviews, analyze the issues surrounding prostitution, and tell their stories. Shot on the street corners across Chicago where they once traded sex, the film recounts the women's battles with sexual abuse, homelessness, violence and discrimination.

The women featured include Lucretia Clay, whose mother sold her to a pimp when she was 12 years old. Lucretia takes us to the motel where she spent most of the 26 years during which she was trapped in street prostitution. “A lot of the girls that I worked with are not here to come back and tell their story,” she reflects.

Also profiled is Brenda Myers, who takes the viewer on a tour of Chicago where the sex industry thrives. “When women were in prostitution and then get out of it, they never tell anybody because of the way people will judge them, because of the ‘scarlet letter.' I think somebody should, and that's what I do,” Brenda explains.

Thursday, November 16
7:00 PM
Rainier Valley Cultural Center
3515 S. Alaska Street
206-326.1088
 

KEEP ON WALKING was filmed on location in Newark, St. Louis, Stockholm and Jerusalem this film is a celebration of an exceptional young man, Joshua Nelson. Joshua, an African American who is Jewish, transcends the differences between races and faiths through his music.
He is both an up-and-coming gospel singer in the tradition of Mahalia Jackson and a Hebrew teacher.

Through his composing, gospel singing and chanting Torah, Joshua is the musical embodiment of cultural harmony. His rich voice, charismatic personality, and singular ideas make this a powerful and inspiring film for all audiences.
Thursday, December 21
7:00 PM
Central Cinema

Susana Baca is not only a champion in the performance and preservation of Afro-Peruvian heritage, but also an elegant singer whose shimmering voice sings of love, loss and life. Susana and her husband Ricardo Pereira have founded the Instituto Negrocontinuo “Black Continuum” in Lima, a spirited facility for the exploration, expression, and creation of Black Peruvian culture. While Baca has dedicated herself to researching and performing virtually all forms of Afro-Peruvian folklore, it is the lando that has become her trademark. This slow to mid-tempo, highly evocative mix of Spanish, Indigenous and African rhythms has become what the son is to Cuba, or the samba to Brazil--the lando is the sound of Black Peru.

Thursday, January 18, 2007
7:00 PM
Location TBD
 

The Langston Hughes African American Film Festival will partner with ITVS to screen 3 provocative films in January, February and March. Films include:
Hip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes
Race to Execution
Black Gold

Each of these films are part of ITVS' Community Outreach Series. Each month, Community Cinema screenings offer special sneak previews of films scheduled for upcoming broadcast on the Emmy Award-winning PBS series Independent Lens. All Community Cinema screenings feature panel discussions with leading community-based organizations, special guest speakers, information and resources, and other programming designed to help people learn about and get involved in some of today's key social issues.

The Langston Hughes African American Film Festival is a program of the Seattle Parks and Recreation's Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center