A Ground-Breaking Documentary on One of the Major Civil Rights Champions of Our Time. Acclaimed Director Yoruba Richen Will Attend for In-Person Q&A.

(Black PR Wire) Woodstock, NY – The Woodstock Film Festival recently announced a free screening of the acclaimed documentary THE REBELLIOUS LIFE OF MRS. ROSA PARKS on Friday, February 17th at 7:00 PM at Ulster County Performing Arts Center (UPAC) in Kingston, New York. The screening, presented in collaboration with Black History Month Kingston and with support from Radio Kingston, will be followed by an in-person Q&A with Director Yoruba Richen.

“The Rosa Parks of American history – the quiet, demure, and tired seamstress taking a seat on the bus – is simply a fable. The real Rosa Parks, whom we explore in this film, is a lifelong activist, outspoken strategist, and freedom fighter. My hope is that this documentary, alongside Jeanne’s incredible book and the free teacher curriculum that she has created with Zinn Educational Project, helps to redefine Rosa Parks’ legacy and lead to a fuller understanding of her place in history.”  – Soledad O’Brien, Executive Producer

“The Woodstock Film Festival specializes in bringing community members together for shared experiences of contemporary issues that affect our lives through thought-provoking independent cinema. We are thrilled to host this free screening with Black History Month Kingston and Radio Kingston.” – Meira Blaustein, WFF Executive Director

“We are excited to partner with the Woodstock Film Festival and Radio Kingston to show such a powerful and educational film to the Kingston community. Rosa Parks is a pillar in the black community, and this film will provide insight that most people may not know about, which will give us a stronger understanding of her life and journey." – Frank Waters, Lead Organizer of Black History Kingston

This special screening is a part of the Woodstock Film Festival’s growing robust year-round programming and long history of supporting and nurturing independent filmmakers who are passionate about socially relevant storytelling. Some recent post-film festival/year-round screenings + Q&As include this year’s Oscars hopefuls ALL THE BEAUTY AND THE BLOODSHED, FIRE OF LOVE, ALL THE BREATHES, RETROGRADE, THE JANES, THE MARTHA MITCHELL EFFECT, THE WHALE, TO LESLIE, and more. To RSVP for the free screening on February 17th, please visit woodstockfilmfestival.org/new-upcoming-events.

ABOUT THE FILM

THE REBELLIOUS LIFE OF MRS. ROSA PARKS, based on the bestselling biography by Jeanne Theoharis and executive produced by award-winning journalist Soledad O’Brien, takes a deeper dive into Rosa Parks’ often overlooked breadth of accomplishments and the impact of her fight to overcome racial injustice. Detailing her achievements beyond the mere fraction of Parks' life taught in schools, the film takes a deeper dive into the groundbreaking actions spearheaded by Rosa throughout the course of the civil rights movement. 

Directors Yoruba Richen and Johanna Hamilton expertly weave together interviews from academics and activists such as Bryan Stevenson, Patrisse Cullors and Ericka Huggins, along with personal stories from her family, and remarkable footage of Mrs. Parks herself, to illuminate her decades of extensive organizing, strategizing, and activism in the pursuit of Black liberation. Lisa Gay Hamilton lends her talents to the documentary as the voice of Mrs. Rosa Parks.

ABOUT THE DIRECTOR

Director Yoruba Richen is an award-winning documentary filmmaker whose work has been featured on PBS, New York Times Op Doc, Frontline Digital, New York Magazine’s website -The Cut, The Atlantic and Field of Vision. Her film, HOW IT FEELS TO BE FREE, premiered on PBS’s American Masters in January of 2021. Her recent films, THE NEW YORK TIMES PRESENTS: THE KILLING OF BREONNA TAYLOR premiered on FX and Hulu and THE SIT IN: HARRY BELAFONTE HOSTS THE TONIGHT SHOW premiered on MSNBC and is streaming on Peacock. Her previous film, THE GREEN BOOK: GUIDE TO FREEDOM was broadcast on the Smithsonian Channel and was nominated for an EMMY. Her films, THE NEW BLACK and PROMISED LAND won multiple festival awards before airing on PBS's Independent Lens and P.O.V. Yoruba won the Creative Promise Award at Tribeca All Access and was a Sundance Producers Fellow. She is the 2016 recipient of the Chicken & Egg Breakthrough Filmmaker Award and a Guggenheim Fellow. Yoruba is the founding director of the Documentary Program at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY.

ABOUT BLACK HISTORY MONTH KINGSTON

The Black History Month Kingston mission is to showcase and pay tribute to the legacy and contributions of African-Americans in Kingston and the surrounding areas and to emphasize strategies to better race relations within the community thru various talks, panels and exercises. 

The month will provide an opportunity for participants to engage in conversation and education and pay tribute to the African and African-American legacy in Kingston.

ABOUT RADIO KINGSTON

Radio Kingston is a non-commercial platform dedicated to a vibrant, just, and healthy Kingston centered around community storytelling, artistic and musical expression, conversation, and connection.

Through music, conversation, spoken-word performances, educational programming, and more, Radio Kingston reflects and celebrates one of the city’s greatest strengths – its diversity – and is guided by a commitment to lifting up voices not often heard in other media. Together, its programs offer a chance for all residents to engage, listen to, and learn from each other.

ABOUT THE WOODSTOCK FILM FESTIVAL

The Woodstock Film Festival (WFF) is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization that nurtures and supports emerging and established filmmakers, sharing their creative voices through an annual festival and year-round programming to promote culture, diversity, community, educational opportunities, and economic growth.

WFF provides innovative mentoring and inspired educational programs benefitting filmmakers, students, and diverse audiences while serving as a powerful cultural and economic engine for New York’s Hudson Valley and beyond. Such efforts have consistently resulted in the festival being hailed as one of the top regional film festivals worldwide

The 24th Annual Woodstock Film Festival will return to the Hudson Valley next fall, from Sept. 27 - Oct. 1, 2023. For more information about submissions and the organization’s year-round event calendar, visit woodstockfilmfestival.org.

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Source: Woodstock Film Festival (WFF)