Film Screenings
The aim of the film screening is to provide a forum for discussion by Member States and civil society partners, and to raise awareness of the history of the transatlantic slave trade and its legacy of racism.
2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010
2022
“Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America”
Screening event for “Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America” to explore links between slavery and anti-Black racism, 17 November 2022
The United Nations Outreach Programme on the Transatlantic Slave Trade and Slavery organized an event – co-sponsored by the United States Mission to the United Nations and in the context of the International Decade for People of African Descent (2015-2024) – to screen clips from the documentary “Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America” and engage in conversation with the film’s writer and protagonist, attorney and civil rights activist Jeffery Robinson. Opening remarks were delivered by Melissa Fleming, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications, and Desirée Cormier Smith, Special Representative for Racial Equity and Justice at the United States Department of State. The discussion with Jeffery Robinson was moderated by Jayashri Wyatt, Chief of the United Nations Department of Global Communications’ Education Outreach Section. The webcast can be watched at 缅北禁地Web TV.
From left to right: Jayashri Wyatt, Chief of 缅北禁地Education Outreach Section; Melissa Fleming, 缅北禁地Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications;
Jeffery Robinson, Founder of The Who Are Project; Desirée Cormier Smith, US State Department Special Representative for Racial Equity and Justice;
Maher Nasser, Director of 缅北禁地Outreach Division; Brenden Varma, Manager of 缅北禁地Outreach Programme on Transatlantic Slave Trade and Slavery.
Photo credit: DGC/Xiaoyu Yang
“Enslaved: The Lost History of the Transatlantic Slave Trade”
In-person screening of “Enslaved: The Lost History of the Transatlantic Slave Trade” held at 缅北禁地Headquarters, 4 October 2022
The United Nations Department of Global Communications organized a film screening - at United Nations Headquarters in New York - of the second episode of the six-part series “Enslaved: The Lost History of the Transatlantic Slave Trade”. The episode, entitled “Rationalization”, follows the journey of enslaved Africans and was shot on location in Ghana, Spain and the United Kingdom. It examines how the brutal 400-year transatlantic trade in enslaved Africans was justified at the time and how the ideology of racism started. Opening remarks were delivered by Maher Nasser, Director of the Department of Global Communications’ Outreach Division, and Kamil Olufowobi, CEO of the Most Influential People of African Descent (MIPAD). A post-screening discussion with award-winning writer Afua Hirsch was moderated by Maher Nasser. This event was organized by the United Nations Outreach Programme on the Transatlantic Slave Trade and Slavery, in the context of the International Decade for People of African Descent (2015-2024), and in collaboration with MIPAD.
Conversation between Maher Nasser and Afua Hirsch. 4 October 2022.
Photo credit: DGC/Xiaoyu Yang
"Equiano.Stories"
New film shown at 缅北禁地re-imagines experience of enslaved child, 29 March 2022
To mark the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade, the Office of the President of the General Assembly in collaboration with the Permanent Mission of Israel to the United Nations organized a screening of Equiano.Stories at United Nations Headquarters. Based on the historic story, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano, Or Gustavus Vassa, The African, the Instagram film reimagines the childhood of Equiano, a writer and abolitionist who was kidnapped as a child from the Eboe region of the Kingdom of Benin. The film asks the question: “What if an African child in 1756 had a cell phone when he was enslaved?” Speakers included Mr. Eric Adams, Mayor of New York City; H.E. Mr. Gilad Menashe Erdan, Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations; H.E. Mr. Brian Christopher Manley Wallace, Permanent Representatives of Jamaica to the United Nations; H.E. Mr. Cheikh Niang, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Senegal to the United Nations; and H.E. Ms. Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Permanent Representative of the United States to the United Nations; H.E. Ms. Fatima Kyari Mohammed, the Permanent Observer of the African Union to the United Nations; and Ms. Catherine Pollard, Chair of the Task Force on Addressing Racism and Promoting Dignity for All in the United Nations Secretariat. Producer Mati Kochavi introduced the film.
The President of the General Assembly addresses the audience
at the screening of Equiano.Stories
Photo credit: OPGA/Steven Viju Philip
2021
"Enslaved: The Lost History of the Transatlantic Slave Trade"
The series Enslaved: The Lost History of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, presented by Mr. Samuel L. Jackson, Ms. Afua Hirsch and Mr. Simcha Jacobovici examines the history of the transatlantic slave trade.
The discussion series was organized by the United Nations Outreach Programme on the Transatlantic Slave Trade and Slavery in collaboration with Fremantle and Associated Producers Ltd./Cornelia Street Productions
Photo credit: Fremantle
Bill Traylor: Chasing Ghosts, 8 April 2021
As part of its series, “Ending slavery’s legacy of racism through the arts”, the Outreach Programme hosted an online discussion about the film, Bill Traylor: Chasing Ghosts. The documentary tells the story of artist Bill Traylor. Born into slavery, Traylor lived through the period following emancipation, and witnessed the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement. The discussion considers Traylor’s legacy, and the relationship between art, justice and the legacy of slavery. Invited panelists include Leslie Umberger, art historian and Curator of Folk and Self-Taught Art at the Smithsonian American Art Museum; Mr. Jeffrey Wolf, film director; Mr. Radcliffe Bailey, contemporary American artist; Dr. Howard O. Robinson, Archivist, Alabama State University. .
2020
“Gorée-Almadies: Recognizing Transatlanticity”, 28 February 2020
The United Nations Remember Slavery Programme joined the World Foundation for the Memorial and Safeguarding of Gorée at a film screening hosted by the Permanent Mission of Senegal today.
The film, called “Gorée-Almadies: Recognizing Transatlanticity”, introduced Senegal’s planned memorial to honour Africa, the global African diaspora, and the victims of the transatlantic slave trade, and took viewers through the process of turning this vision into reality.
In her opening statement, Maha El-Bahrawi, Deputy Director of the United Nations Department of Global Communications’ Outreach Division, said that, although the transatlantic slave trade came to an end in the nineteenth century, its troubling legacies, including racism, were still with us today.
Noting that the story of Senegal’s Gorée Island was intertwined with the transatlantic slave trade, she said, “Only through remembering and acknowledging the past can we hope to tackle the obstacles that are still holding our societies back. And that is where memorials come in. Monuments and memorials play a crucial role in preserving and managing memory.”
Referring to the United Nations’ permanent memorial to honour the victims of slavery and the transatlantic slave trade, known as “The Ark of Return,” she stated, “Our societies need memorials. They are not just works of art. They are powerful reminders of who we are, what we are capable of, and what we should aspire to as a global community.”
She added, “Through building, maintaining and promoting monuments -- together with our partners -- we will provide spaces to reflect. We will ensure that our forebearers’ memories are shared with generations to come.”
Also speaking were: Saliou Niang Dieng, Minister Counsellor and chargé d'affaires of the Permanent Mission of Senegal; Malick Kane, Coordinator of the Gorée Memorial Project and the film’s director; Sheila Walker, Executive Director of Afrodiaspora, Inc; and Peggy King Jorde, former Memorialization Director at the African Burial Ground National Monument.
The event was timed to coincide with Black History Month and featured fashion from Africa and the African diaspora.
Participants gather for a group photo
Photo credit: DGC/Benjamin Rubin
2019
"Bigger Than Africa", 2 October 2019
More than 500 people from the international community and civil society filled the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Chamber on 2 October 2019 to watch the documentary Bigger Than Africa and participate in a discussion. The event was organized by the United Nations Department of Global Communications in cooperation with a non-governmental organization called The Most Influential People of African Descent (MIPAD).
The film showed participants how West Africa’s Yoruba culture managed to survive the transatlantic slave trade and continues to influence societies throughout the Americas. It highlighted a wide variety of examples, including in Brazil, Cuba, Trinidad and Tobago and the United States.
Opening the event was Ms. Melissa Fleming, Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications; H.E. Mr. Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, President of the 74th session of the General Assembly; Mr. Kamil Olufowobi, Chief Executive Officer of MIPAD; and film’s Nigerian-born director, Mr. Toyin Ibrahim Adekeye.
In his opening remarks to the audience, Mr. Muhammad-Bande said, “The United Nations has taken the matter of Africa very seriously, especially the question of slavery and what slavery has done and continues to do to people all over the world.”
Introducing the film, Mr. Adekeye said, “As people of African descent, more often than not, we see our differences, rather than our similarities. Bigger Than Africa tells the story of our commonality.”
The screening was followed by a stimulating discussion moderated by Ms. Nanette Braun, Chief of the Communications Campaigns Service. Panelists included Mr. Adekeye; Mr. Jacob K. Olupona, Professor of African Religious Traditions and Professor of African and African American Studies at the Harvard Divinity School; and Mr. Avery Ammon, Director of Afrika House, an organization in Trinidad and Tobago dedicated to promoting African fashion and books.
In response to a question about why he produced the documentary, Mr. Adekeye said he was inspired by a visit to the Oyotunji African Village in South Carolina where the Yoruba culture has been preserved. He asked himself, “If the Yoruba culture exists here, then where else?” He discovered that it was evident wherever Africans had landed during the transatlantic slave trade.
Professor Olupona was asked what set the Yoruba people apart to allow them to thrive in the New World. He explained that, because slavery had lasted for so long, the Americas received multiple waves of the Yoruba people. Yoruba culture was thus continually reinforced. He added, “It is my hope that when people in Africa see this film, it will lead to a renewal of culture and make Africans aware of what they have lost.”
For his part, Mr. Ammon highlighted the role of masquerade balls, known as “mas” in Trinidad and Tobago. Such celebrations showcased African traditions, such as stilt walking and stick fighting.
The event was co-organized by the United Nations Remember Slavery Programme and the International Decade for People of African Descent, 2015-2024. .
Photo: (from left to right) Prof. Jacob K. Olupona, Professor of African Religious Traditions, Harvard Divinity School; Mr. Avery Ammon, Director of Afrika House, Trinidad and and Tobago; Mr. Toyin Ibrahim Adekeye, Director of “Bigger Than Africa;Ms. Melissa Fleming, 缅北禁地Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications; H.E. Mr. Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, President of the 74th session of the General Assembly; Mr. Kamil Olufowobi, CEO of the Most Influential People of African Descent (MIPAD);
Ms. Nanette Braun, 缅北禁地Department of Global Communications Public Engagement.
Photo credit: 缅北禁地Photo/Evan Schneider
2018
Familiar Faces/Unexpected Places - A Global Africn Diaspora, 8 February 2018
The contributions of people of African descent was the subject of a discussion and screening of the film Familiar Faces/Unexpected Places--A Global African Diaspora, which took place on Thursday, 8 February 2018, at United Nations Headquarters in New York, to mark Black History Month. The event was organized by the United Nations Remember Slavery Programme, and the International Decade for People of African Descent 2015-2024.
Opening the event was Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications Alison Smale, who said that the Department of Public Information was committed to supporting the International Decade for People of African Descent, 2015-2024. She added, "through the Remember Slavery Programme, we are focused on celebrating the gains of people of African descent from slavery to the present, while acknowledging the present challenges on their path towards freedom and equality--our common path."
Also participating in the opening panel was H.E. Mr. Mauro Viera, Permanent Representative of Brazil to the United Nations, who underscored the contribution of people of African descent in his country. "Half of Brazil's 210 million people are of African descent, he told participants. "Brazil is a nation of deep-rooted liberties that is built on a foundation of diversity from which we draw strength as a nation."
The documentary film, produced by Dr. Sheila Walker, takes us on a journey from America to Turkey, India and other places and explores the rich cultures and many contributions of African descendants. Themes such as the continuity of African culture, understanding the making of the African global diaspora, racial oppression and the progress African descendants have made in recent years were discussed in a stimulating conversation following the screening.
"If we don't know about the contributions of African descendants in the creation of all of the Americas, we don't know much about the Americas or the Atlantic world. And if we don't know about the Atlantic world, then we don't know much about human beings, " said Dr. Walker, while introducing her film. "We need to know about all people in the world -- that's what is rich. The cultural meeting of all people in the world makes us all fascinating."
Participating in the discussion were Board Member of the Association for the Study of African-American Life and History Ms. Gloria Browne Marshall, University of North Carolina at Greensboro Dean and Professor of African Diaspora History Omar Ali, and University of Chicago South Asian Languages and Civilizations Department Scholar Jazmin Graves. The discussion was moderated by Mr. Ramu Damodaran, Chief of the United Nations Academic Impact. .
Panellists (from L-R): Moderator Ramu Damodaran, Deputy Director, Partnerships & Public Engagement, United Nations Department of Public Information; Jazmin Graves: South Asian Languages and Civilizations Department at the University of Chicago; Omar Ali: Professor of Global and Comparative African Diaspora History at the University of North Carolina; Sheila S. Walker PhD: Filmmaker, Cultural Anthropologist and Executive Director of Afrodiaspora, Inc; Gloria Browne-Marshall: Executive Council Member of the Association for the Study of African American Life and History; Alison Smale: United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications; H.E. Ambassador Mauro Vieira: Permanent Representative of Brazil to the UN.
Photo credit: DGC
2017
“Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise”, 18 February 2017
On 18 February 2017, the United Nations Department of Public Information’s Remember Slavery Programme partnered with the African Burial Ground National Monument hosted two screenings of the film “Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise” in New York This first documentary about Dr. Angelou is a celebration of her life as a renowned writer, artist and activist. It sheds light on facets of her life during several defining moments in the history of the United States while also showing the international scope of her vision and work.
The screenings included a discussion with the film’s co-director and producer, Rita Coburn Whack. Ms. Whack shared personal experiences with the audience, talking about the first time she read Dr. Angelou’s autobiography “I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings”, her first interview of Dr. Angelou for public radio and her role as a former producer on Dr. Angelou's talk show on Oprah Radio. The moving tribute to Dr. Angelou’s legacy evoked both laughter and tears among the audience.
The free event was open to the public, and attendees included members of the diplomatic community, United Nations staff, academics, parents and students. The film premiered on 21 February 2017 on the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) in the United States as one of the network’s Black History Month offerings in its American Masters series.
Attendees at the film screening included (from left to right): H.E. Ms. A. Missouri Sherman-Peter, Ambassador and Permanent Observer of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) to the United Nations; Ms. Rita Coburn Whack, co-director and producer of “Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise”; and Ms. Omyma David, focal point for the United Nations Remember Slavery Programme
Photo credit: DGC
2016
“Remember Slavery: Celebrating the Heritage and Culture of the African Diaspora and its Roots”, 16 February 2016
On 16 February 2016, the New Jersey Amistad Commission, the New Jersey and New York Departments of Education and Focus Features, hosted a private screening of RACE at the AMC Loews Theatre on 34th Street in New York City for educators. RACE, a film about Olympian Jesse Owens shines a spotlight on the racist behaviour that was prevalent in the 20th century and challenges racist attitudes that are still omnipresent today. Directed by Stephen Hopkins, RACE is an enthralling film about courage, determination, tolerance, and friendship, and an inspiring drama about one man’s fight to become an Olympic legend. The biographical sports drama is based on the incredible true story of Jesse Owens, the legendary athletic superstar whose quest to become the greatest track and field athlete in history thrusts him onto the world stage of the 1936 Olympics, where he faces off against Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party’s vision of white supremacy over Jews, Blacks and other minorities. The screening was followed by a discussion on the film and the distribution of educational resources. A curriculum guide on the film was later made available to educators at BazanED.com. Members of the United Nations Remember Slavery team attended the screening.
2015
“Women and Slavery”, 7 January 2015
On 7 January 2015, The New Jersey Amistad Commission, Paramount Pictures and the United Nations Remember SlaveryProgramme, hosted a free preview screening of the movie SELMA for educators at the AMC Loews Theatre on 34th Street in New York. Selma is the story of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s historic struggle to secure voting rights for all people – a campaign that culminated with the epic march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, and led to President Johnson signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon attended and met with the film director, Ava DuVernay and a representative of Paramount Pictures.
SELMA was also screened at United Nations Headquarters for the diplomatic community, staff members and students on 23 April 2015. A discussion with the director was moderated by National Public Radio (NPR) journalist Michele Norris. The event was co-sponsored by the United States Mission to the United Nations and organized in partnership with Paramount Pictures and the “Selma4Students” project. The screening was followed by a discussion with the film’s director, Ava DuVernay and Maher Nasser, Director of the United Nations Department of Public Information’s Outreach Division, which was moderated by NPR host and special correspondent Michele Norris. A group of 50 students representing schools in New York and New Jersey also had the opportunity to meet with Ms. DuVernay.
On 11 February 2015 a pre-screening of Episode 4 from the 2015 miniseries THE BOOK OF NEGROES, was hosted at United Nations Headquarters in observance of Black History Month in the United States. The event was organized by the United Nations Department of Public Information in partnership with Black Entertainment Television (BET) and co-sponsored by the Permanent Mission of Canada to the United Nations. The Book of Negroes is a historical document which records names and descriptions of 3,000 African-American slaves who had to work for the British army during the American Revolution in order to qualify for their freedom and were evacuated on a British ship to points in Nova Scotia. The miniseries aired from 16 to 18 February on BET. The event also included a discussion with the director and executive producer, Clement Virgo, and actors Aunjanue Ellis and Louis Gossett, Jr.
The world premiere screening of QUEEN NANNY: LEGENDARY MAROON CHIEFTAINESS was hosted at United Nations Headquarters on 19 October 2015, in partnership with the Permanent Mission of Jamaica to the United Nations and the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago to the United Nations. Queen Nanny: Legendary Maroon Chieftainess is a one-hour documentary film that unearths and examines the mysterious figure - Nanny of the Maroons - Jamaica’s sole female national hero and one of the most celebrated heroines in the resistance history of the New World. The film documents the struggle for freedom by the Jamaican Maroons, led by Queen Nanny. This film also looks at Queen Nanny’s legacy and her impact on contemporary women in general, with appearances by Jamaica’s Prime Minister, Portia Simpson-Miller; double Olympic sprinting champion Shelly Ann Fraser-Pryce; the “Queen of Reggae”, Rita Marley; University Professor Verene Shepherd; and many others. The screening was followed by a discussion moderated by Cristina Gallach, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Communications and Public Information. The panellists included: Roy Anderson, director, producer and writer of the film; Harcourt Fuller, producer and historian on Africa and the African Diaspora at Georgia State University; Gloria Simms, lead actress; and Gaynel Curry, Gender and Women’s Rights Advisor for the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. In 2016, the United Nations Remember Slavery Programme subtitled the movie in French, Spanish and Portuguese, so that it could be shown to wider audiences. .
Panelists gather for a group photo
Photo credit: DGC
2014
“Victory Over Slavery: Haiti and beyond”
Recognizing the power of film as an educational tool, in 2014, the United Nations Department of Public Information organized a multilingual film festival featuring films related to slavery and its legacy. The Department engaged with a number of partners for the festival, including the African Burial Ground National Monument, the New York African Film Festival, the Bronx Museum of the Arts, and the International Organization of la Francophonie. Screenings and discussions took place at United Nations Headquarters and other venues in New York, with the sponsorship of a number of Permanent Missions to the United Nations, as well as in a number of United Nations Information Centres. The films were in a variety of languages, including English, French, Spanish and Wolof, with follow-up discussions in English and French.
12 YEARS A SLAVE was screened at the United Nations Headquarters on 26 February 2014, in the presence of the Secretary-General. Lawrence O’Donnell of MSNBC moderated a discussion with the British film director, Steve McQueen, following the film. 12 Years a Slave, winner of Best Motion Picture of the Year, as well as Best Supporting Actress and Best Adapted Screenplay at the 2014 Academy Awards?, is a film that depicts the harrowing tale of a New York State-born free Black man kidnapped in Washington, D.C. in 1841 and sold into slavery. It is distributed by Fox Searchlight Pictures (United States) / Lionsgate (International).
In partnership with the United States National Park Service, TOUSSAINT LOUVERTURE was screened on 8 March 2014 at the African Burial Ground in New York. Directed by French-Senegalese director Philippe Niang, this award-winning production tells the story of the man who led the slave revolt that resulted in the independence of Haiti. The screening was followed by a discussion with Mr. Jacques Antoine Dorcely author of “Toussaint Louverture: A Missing Hero from American History”. The free screening was co-organized by the National Park Service, which manages the African Burial Ground National Monument, and the United Nations Remember Slavery Programme. It was sponsored by the Permanent Mission of Haiti to the United Nations and the International Organization of La Francophonie within the celebrations of the “Month of La Francophonie”. The film is distributed by France 2.
In partnership with the Permanent Mission of the United Kingdom, BELLEwas screened at United Nations Headquarters on 2 April 2014. The film is inspired by the true story of Dido Elizabeth Belle (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), the illegitimate mixed race daughter of a Royal Navy Captain. Raised by her aristocratic great-uncle Lord Mansfield (Tom Wilkinson) and his wife (Emily Watson), Belle’s lineage affords her certain privileges, yet the color of her skin prevents her from fully participating in the traditions of her social standing. Left to wonder if she will ever find love, Belle falls for an idealistic young vicar’s son bent on change who, with her help, shapes Lord Mansfield's role as Lord Chief Justice to end slavery in England. The screening was followed by a discussion moderated by T. J. Holmes of MSNBC with British director of the film, Amma Asante, and lead actress Gugu Mbatha-Raw. The film is distributed by Fox Searchlight Pictures. .
In partnership with the New York African Film Festival, SARRAOUNIA, was screened on 13 May 2014 at Lincoln Center, in New York. Sarraounia is a 1986 historical drama film written and directed by Med Hondo. Based on historical accounts from Queen Sarraounia, who leads the Azans into battle against the French colonialists at the turn of the century, Med Hondo’s film is a sweeping epic. A brilliant strategist and forceful leader, the queen commands respect from the men she guides into battle and deep loyalty from her people. Hondo contrasts the strong alliances that emerge among African communities with the self-seeking Europeans and provides much needed African historical perspective. Sarraounia is not only an engrossing tale of a remarkable woman’s bravery, but also a captivating study of revolution against enslavement and the struggle for peace and freedom.
COEUR DE LION, by director Boubakar Diallo of Burkina Faso, was screened on 14 May 2014, in partnership with the Permanent Mission of Burkina Faso, the International Organization of la Francophonie and the New York African Film Festival. Coeur de lion is a 2008 Burkinabé film where a lion causes havoc among livestock and several people disappear. Seeing the village chief is doing nothing, a young shepherd, Samba, decides to follow the lion’s tracks on his own. The screening was followed by a discussion with lead actor Mahamadi Nana, Mamadou Diouf of Columbia University and Huffington Post film critic Zeba Blay. Screenings were also held at 缅北禁地Information Centers in Antananarivo, Brazzaville, Bujumbura, Ouagadougou and Tunis.
In partnership with the New York African Film Festival and the Bronx Museum of the Arts, THEY ARE WE, by Australian director Emma Christopher, was screened on 11 July 2014 at Joyce Kilmer Park, New York Live. There was also a live performance by The Miguelo Valdes Project & DJ Asho!. This 90-minute film tells the story of survival against the odds and how determination and shared humanity can triumph over the bleakest of histories. In Perico, Cuba, is an Afro-Cuban group that has kept alive songs and dances brought aboard a slave ship by their ancestor, known only as Josefa. They preserved them proudly despite slavery, poverty and repression. Through years of searching, filmmaker Emma Christopher tried to find their origins. Then, in a remote village in Sierra Leone, people watched a recording of the Cubans’ songs and dances, joyously declared ‘They are We!’ and joined in with the songs. They had never forgotten their lost family, and now their descendants were coming home. So began preparations for the biggest festival in the village’s history, a welcoming home for their cousins.The film’s producers were Emma Christopher and Sergio Leyva Seiglie. On 27 December 2014, They Are We was shown at the American Museum of Natural History in New York in observance of Kwanzaa, a celebration of the influences of African heritage on African-American culture. In 2015, the United Nations Remember Slavery Programme subtitled the movie in French, Spanish and Portuguese, so that it could be shown to wider audiences.
On 9 September 2014, TULA, THE REVOLT, was screened at Fordham University in New York. Tula, The Revolt is an international English-language feature length movie about the leader of a major slave uprising on the island of Curacao, a Dutch colony, on 17 August 1795. It tells the true story of a man who dared to stand up against his oppressors leading his people in a peaceful march for freedom, equality and brotherhood. He was soon captured and tortured to death, but as a result, slaves earned some rights under colonial rule, and the movement for freedom began. The screening was followed by a discussion with lead actor and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Danny Glover; Yuko Miki, Assistant Professor of History at Fordham University; and Natasha Lightfoot, Assistant Professor of History at Columbia University. Stephanie James Wilson, Executive Director of the New Jersey Amistad Commission moderated the discussion. The film is directed by Jeroen Leinders and produced by Jeroen Leinders and Dolph Van Stapele.
AKWANTU: THE JOURNEY, by Jamaican-American director Roy Anderson, was screened at United Nations Information Centres and Offices in Accra, Dar es Salaam, Harare, Lagos, Minsk and Yerevan in 2014. The film documents the struggle for freedom of the legendary Maroons of Jamaica, former enslaved Africans, who were able to flee the plantations and slave ships to form communities in some of the most inhospitable regions of the island. Poorly armed and outgunned, these brave warriors engaged the mighty British Empire over an 80-year period and were victorious. As a result, two peace treaties were signed between the British and the Maroons in 1738-39 that established Maroon self-government in Jamaica. Nowhere else in the New World had Africans enjoyed such a degree of autonomy, coming almost sixty years before the Haitian Revolution, and more than one hundred years before the Emancipation Proclamation that ended slavery in the United States. The film was produced by Action 4 Reel Filmworks, LLC.
2013
“Forever Free: Celebrating Emancipation”
In collaboration with the United Nations Department of Public Information, the feature film LINCOLN was screened on 20 March 2013 at the United States Mission to the United Nations. The film covers the final four months in the life of Abraham Lincoln and focuses on his efforts in January 1865 to have the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States passed by the House of Representatives. Tony Kushner, the Pulitzer Prize-winning and Oscar-nominated screenwriter, introduced the film. The film was directed by Steven Spielberg and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures (North America) / 20th Century Fox (International).
2012
“Honouring the Heroes, Resisters and Survivors”
The documentary film entitled SLAVERY BY ANOTHER NAME: THE RE-ENSLAVEMENT OF BLACK PEOPLE IN AMERICA FROM THE CIVIL WAR TO WORLD WAR II was screened at the United Nations on 28 March 2012. Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book of the same name by Douglas A. Blackmon, the film challenges the belief that slavery in the United States ended with the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. It chronicles the ways in which African-Americans were coerced into forced labour in the Reconstructionist South following the Civil War and into the twentieth century. Following the screening, the film’s producer, Sam Pollard, led a question and answer session with the audience, which included representatives of Member States and civil society and students.
2011
“The Transatlantic Slave Trade: The Living Legacy of 30 Million Untold Stories”
At United Nations Headquarters on 21 March 2011, a screening of the award-winning film, TRACES OF THE TRADE: A STORY FROM THE DEEP NORTH was held. The 86-minute film tells the story of the largest slave-trading family in the history of the United States, the DeWolfe family of Rhode Island. It follows the remarkable journey of a group of family members, including the director/producer, as they traced the Triangular Trade from Ghana to Cuba and then back to Bristol, Rhode Island, and tried to come to terms with the role their predecessors played in slavery, and the history and legacy of the hidden slave trading enterprise of New England. It illuminated the untold stories of the contributions that enslaved Africans made to the development of North America. Following the screening, there was a question and answer session between the audience, the Chair of the Permanent Memorial initiative for victims of the slave trade and four members of the DeWolfe family, who were featured in the film. The film was first released at the January 2008 Sundance Film Festival. It was directed by Katrina Browne, Alla Kovgan and Jude Ray.
2010
“Expressing Our Freedom Through Culture”
On 23 March 2010, at United Nations Headquarters, there was the screening of the film SLAVE ROUTES: RESISTANCE, ABOLITION AND CREATIVE PROGRESS. The 100-minute documentary addressed the persisting knowledge gap about aspects of the transatlantic slave trade, including the full geographic scale of its impact, the human losses to Africa, the number of casualties during the ill-fated middle passage, the impact of deportation in some instances and the role of the slave trade in the economic and industrial development of the participating countries. The screening was attended by the representatives of Member States, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other civil society organizations. It provided a rare opportunity for attendees to hear the recorded discussion of those issues by more than 90 experts who participated in a symposium on the same topic held in 2008 by the Institute of African-American Affairs of New York University to mark the two-hundredth anniversary of the abolition of the transatlantic slave trade. Also in attendance were staff members and guests from the Institute of African-American Affairs, where the documentary was made, as well as the director of the documentary, Jayne Cortez, whose remarks at the screening drew the attention of the audience to the need for greater awareness and knowledge about many aspects of the slave trade. The film was produced by Manthia Diawara.