Film Independent Members and guests are invited to join us for a live Q&A with Mr. Soul! writer/director Melissa Haizlip, executive producer Blair Underwood, featured subject Nikki Giovanni and composer Robert Glasper. Moderated by Lena Waithe.

Before Oprah, before Arsenio, there was Mr. SOUL! Ellis Haizlip ensures the Revolution will be televised, with SOUL!, America’s first “Black Tonight Show.” From 1968 to 1973, the public television variety show SOUL!, guided by the enigmatic, openly gay producer and host Ellis Haizlip, offered an unfiltered, uncompromising celebration of Black literature, poetry, music and politics — voices that had few other options for national exposure and, as a result, found the program an improbable place to call home. The series was among the first to provide expanded images of African Americans on television, shifting the gaze from inner-city poverty and violence to the vibrance of the Black Arts Movement. With participants’ recollections and a bevy of archival clips, Mr. Soul! captures a critical moment in culture whose impact continues to resonate.

 
2020, 104 minutes, color | Written by Melissa Haizlip | Directed by Melissa Haizlip | Featuring Ellis Haizlip, Questlove, Sonia Sanchez, Felipe Luciano, Nikki Giovanni, Kathleen Cleaver | Produced by Doug Bush | Executive Produced by Blair Underwood and Chaz Ebert

Event details and guest participation are subject to change or cancellation without prior notice.