The Buffalo State Beyond Boundaries Film Screening and Discussion Series announces its spring 2023 lineup of documentaries, each followed by a panel discussion. Screenings begin at 7:00 p.m. in the Burchfield Penney Art Center Tower Auditorium and are free and open to the public.
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Thursday, February 9
Free Renty: Lanier vs. Harvard (2022)
Free Renty tells the story of Tamara Lanier, who is determined to force Harvard University to cede possession of daguerreotypes of her great-great-great-grandfather, an enslaved man named Renty. The daguerreotypes were commissioned in 1850 by a Harvard professor to “prove” the superiority of the white race. The film focuses on Lanier, tracking her lawsuit against Harvard, and features attorney Benjamin Crump, author Ta-Nehisi Coates, and scholars Ariella Azoulay and Tina Campt.
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Thursday, March 9
Aftershock (2022)
Following the deaths of two young women from childbirth complications, their bereaved families galvanize activists, birth workers, and physicians to fight for justice with the community by their side. The two families become ardent activists in the material health space, seeking justice through legislation, medical accountability, community, and the power of art. Their work introduces a myriad of people including a growing brotherhood of surviving Black fathers, along with the work of midwives and physicians on the ground fighting for institutional reform.
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Thursday, April 13
Changing the Game (2019)
This film examines three high school athletes, all at different stages of their athletic seasons, personal lives, and unique paths as transgender teens. Their stories span the U.S., with Sarah, a skier and teen policymaker in New Hampshire; Andraya, a track star in Connecticut openly transitioning into her authentic self; and Mack Beggs, who made headlines last year when he became the Texas state champion in wrestling.
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In addition, please note this special rescheduled screening date (postponed in the December snowstorm). The film's director, Tarabu Betserai Kirkland, will be in attendance:
Saturday, February 4, 2:00 p.m.
100 Years from Mississippi (2020)
100 Years from Mississippi, directed by Buffalo native Tarabu Kirkland, tells the story of Mamie Lang Kirkland, who was 7 years old when she fled Mississippi in 1915 with her mother and siblings, as her father and his friend, John Hartfield, escaped an approaching lynch mob. John Hartfield returned to Mississippi in 1919 and was killed in one of the most horrific lynchings of the era. Like that of many of the 6 million African Americans who left the Deep South, Mamie’s story is a testament to the courage and hope of her generation. At 107 years old, Mamie Kirkland made the journey back to Mississippi with Tarabu Kirkland, her son, to finally confront her childhood trauma.
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Beyond Boundaries is sponsored by the Equity and Campus Diversity Office, the Communication Department, and the Burchfield Penney Art Center and is curated by Ruth Goldman and Meg Knowles, associate professors of communication.
