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The World Was Just Happening: A Conversation with David Greaves on Once Upon a Time in Harlem
Restorationists repaired about 60,000 feet of film as David Greaves turned his father's 1972 Harlem footage into a 100-minute documentary.
- The documentary Once Upon a Time in Harlem opens in select U.S. theaters today, directed by David Greaves to complete his late father William Greaves's five-decade-long project.
- In August 1972, Greaves assembled 26 artistic luminaries at Duke Ellington's Harlem townhome to document the legacy of the Harlem Renaissance using 16mm film.
- Restorationists fixed approximately 60,000 feet of film to produce the 100-minute documentary, which David Greaves and producer Liani Greaves completed after their father's 2014 death.
- The film features vibrant debates among figures including photographer James Van Der Zee and poet Arna Bontemps, who described the era as "a sort of prism reflecting all of the Black experience."
- Beyond the theatrical release, the project will populate the Memories of Harlem Renaissance Archive, a searchable database supported by a Harvard University grant.
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He aimed to confront the racially degrading stereotypes of Hollywood. He focused on a cocktail at Duke Ellington’s house.
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Never-Before-Seen Footage: The Last Gathering of the Harlem Renaissance
One night in 1972, William Greaves filmed the last documented gathering of the living luminaries of the Harlem Renaissance. The footage was largely unseen until now. His son David and granddaughter Liani made it their mission to bring the project to the big screen in "Once Upon a Time in Harlem.” They discuss the importance of this film and this phenomenal period in American cultural history.
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Total News Sources14
Leaning Left4Leaning Right2Center1Last UpdatedBias Distribution57% Left
Bias Distribution
- 57% of the sources lean Left
57% Left
L 57%
14%
R 29%
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