Film revisits 1972 gathering of Harlem Renaissance figures
*Once Upon a Time in Harlem* revisits a 1972 gathering of surviving Harlem Renaissance figures, filmed by pioneering director William Greaves at Duke Ellington House. The documentary offers a rare chance to hear the artists reflect on their work and its legacy, showing how Black Americans shaped a culture that had long excluded them.
The 100-minute film draws on footage from the party, where some guests reunited after 50 years, and on Greaves’s wider archive of about 60,000 feet of 16mm film. His grandchildren, Liani and David Greaves, narrowed the project’s focus to the gathering; the film opens in cinemas nationwide this month, while streaming and physical releases are not yet available.
- A 1972 reunion of Harlem Renaissance figures is newly presented as a documentary.
- The film uses footage shot by William Greaves and his family.
- It opens in cinemas this month, with streaming still some way off.
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Originally published by The Guardian as “‘They were brilliant people’: fascinating film reveals a Harlem Renaissance reunion”.