Ethiopian-born filmmaker Haile Gerima will give the first US public screening of his 10-hour, five-part documentary "Black Lions – Roman Wolves" at the BlackStar Film Festival in Philadelphia next week, following well-received showings at the Berlin Film Festival in February. The film, decades in the making, examines Italy's colonial legacy in Ethiopia through archival footage and contemporary eyewitness interviews, and marks Gerima's first feature since 2008's "Teza." Its significance lies partly in Gerima's insistence on presenting the work uncut despite pressure to shorten it, and in the renewed industry recognition he has received after decades of independent filmmaking.

"Black Lions – Roman Wolves" was self-funded through crowdfunding and Gerima's own money, reflecting his continued independent approach even as his back catalogue gains fresh attention, including restored re-releases of "Ashes And Embers" (1983) and "Sankofa" (1993) via Ava DuVernay's Array Releasing. Gerima received the Academy Museum's honorary Vantage Award in 2021 and the Berlinale's honorary Camera award for career achievement after the film's Berlin screenings. In an interview with Deadline, he discussed his production process, his long struggle to access Italy's colonial-era film archive, and confirmed his next project will focus on America's Black Seminoles.