- Thursday, March 11, 2010
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Bush Mama
Phyllis Wattis Theater
7:00 p.m.
Water Ritual #1: An Urban Rite of Purification, Barbara McCullough, 1979, 4 min., DVD
Bush Mama, Haile Gerima, 1976, 97 min., 16mm
Introduction by Billy Woodberry, filmmaker
Curated by Bérénice Reynaud and Irina LeimbacherEthiopian-born Haile Gerima was not yet 30 when he completed Bush Mama, an early manifesto of the "Los Angeles Rebellion" of black filmmakers who were influenced by European neo-realism, the anti-imperialist mission of Third Cinema, and the emerging concept of Black Art. Its fractured, experimental narrative espouses the development of the protagonist's political consciousness. When her husband, a Vietnam veteran, has been framed for a crime, Dorothy has to survive in a police-invaded ghetto. Gerima's parallel between colonialism in the Third World and the plight of African Americans is expressed through an intense, multilayered soundtrack. – Bérénice Reynaud
Part of 75 Years in the Dark: A Partial History of Film at SFMOMA.
Each program: $5 general; free for SFMOMA members or with museum admission (requires a free ticket, which can be picked up in the Haas Atrium).
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Image: Haile Gerima, Bush Mama, 1979; courtesy Mypheduh Films. Bush Mama print courtesy of Mypheduh Films, Inc.; Water Ritual #1: An Urban Rite of Purification screens courtesy of Third World News Reel.
