Since the release of When the Levees Broke, Spike Lee's announcement to direct a film on the 1992 Los Angeles Riots and beginning negotiations to produce and direct a biopic on James Brown, Spike currently has our collective ear…and eye. This time it’s for the kids. Sponsored by the Brooklyn Young Filmmakers Center, the Inside Man Conference (January 13) begins with a screening of Lee’s Inside Man (released August 8, 2006), followed by workshops on how different departments worked on the film and several informational panels on how to get started in film careers without going to college--a concept Lee discusses in many of his academic lectures.
Speaking of concepts, filmmaker Byron Hurt’s documentary, Hip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes will be featured January 17 in a collaborative program with various youth and female advocacy groups to discuss the genius of rap music and hip-hop culture as well as the problematic elements of violence against woman and homophobia in the medium. Beginning its Community Cinema Series, the Oakland Museum of California will premiere community-relevant films scheduled to broadcast on “Independent Lens” through June 2007. Hurt's documentary is apart of this series.
The Inside Man Conference is Saturday, January 13 in the Spike Lee Screening Room at Long Island University--Brooklyn Campus.
Hip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes will be screened at the Oakland Museum of California January 17.
