Wednesday, June 19, 7 pm – Newark Museum

KINSHASA SYMPHONY
This film by Claus Wischmann and Martin Baer shows how people living in one of the most chaotic cities in the world have managed to forge one of the most complex systems of human cooperation ever invented: a symphony orchestra. It is a film about the Congo, about the people of Kinshasa and about music.  (95 minutes, 2010)

Speaker: Jean Claude Chiyuka, Kinshasa Symphony

Wednesday, June 26, 7 pm – Newark Museum

COSMIC AFRICA
A co-production by Cosmos Studio, Åland Pictures and Anne Rogers, and directed by Craig and Damon Foster. This film sheds new light on traditional African astronomy and in turn global understanding of the world’s oldest science. (72 minutes, 2002)

Speakers: Derrick H. Pitts, Chief Astronomer, Franklin Institute Science Museum, and Dr. Christa Clarke, Curator, Newark Museum

Followed by exhibition tour:  African Cosmos: Stellar Arts

Wednesday, July 10, 7 pm – Newark Museum

BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD  
Hushpuppy, a six-year-old girl who lives with her father, Wink, in the Bathtub, a southern Delta community in the Bayou cut off from the world.  When Wink contracts a mysterious illness, his tough love prepares her for the time when he's no longer there to protect her.  With the waters rising, the aurochs coming, and Wink's health fading, Hushpuppy goes in search of her lost mother. (94 minutes, 2011)

Speaker: Clement A. Price, Ph.D., Professor of History, and Director of the Rutgers Institute on Ethnicity, Culture and the Modern Experience – Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey (Newark)

© Lionsgate

Wednesday, July 17, 7 pm – New Jersey Institute of Technology

STANDING IN THE SHADOWS OF MOTOWN
This documentary and performance film tells the Funk Brothers' saga through archival footage and still photos, narration, interviews, re-creation scenes, Motown master tracks, and new live performances of Motown classics with the Funk Brothers backing up Chaka Khan, Ben Harper, Bootsy Collins, Montell Jordan, Meshell Ndegeocello, Joan Osborne, and Gerald Levert. (108 minutes)

Speaker: Felix Hernandez, Radio Personality & Musicologist 

Wednesday, July 24, 7 pm – Newark Museum

SING YOUR SONG
Sing Your Song is an up close look at a great American, Harry Belafonte.  A patriot to the end and a champion for worldwide human rights, Belafonte is one of the truly heroic cultural and political figures of the past 60 years. Told from his own point of view, the film charts his life from a boy born in New York and raised in Jamaica, who returns to Harlem in his early teens where he discovers the American Negro Theater and the magic of performing. (104 minutes)
               
Speakers:  Jason L. Pollard, Film Editor, and Bobby Shepard, Director of Photography 

Wednesday, July 31, 7 pm – Newark Museum

WOMAN THOU ART LOOSED: ON THE 7TH DAY
The Ames' seem to have built the perfect life until their six-year-old daughter is kidnapped.  Over the course of seven days, they begin to uncover secrets about their past that could rip their marriage and lives apart.  Directed by Neema Barnette (101 minutes)
               
Speakers: Jason L. Pollard, Film Editor, and Bobby Shepard, Director of Photography 

FOLLOW THE DRINKING GOURD

From the critically acclaimed, Emmy Award-winning PBS children's series, Reading Rainbow, this program presents the book by Jeanette Winter. The story follows a group of runaway slaves as they journey north along the Underground Railroad by following directions in a song entitled "The Drinking Gourd." Also in the episode, host LeVar Burton celebrates the road to freedom paved by the Underground Railroad and introduces students to the history, heroes, stories and music of the African-American culture that emerged from slavery. Viewers will also meet members of the a cappella group, Sweet Honey in the Rock, who perform and share their historical knowledge of slavery. (30 minutes)

THE OUTER PLANETS
Which is the largest planet in our solar system? What are the rings around Saturn? Alien space travelers Adi and Woops give students a lift to the outer planets, answering these questions and comparing the gas giants to tiny Pluto. Travel with them beyond the asteroid belt to uncover what we've learned about Saturn and Jupiter, and learn why scientists are still searching for more information about all the outer planets, particularly Uranus and Neptune! (20 minutes)

GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER: HIS LIFE AND HIS WORK
This documentary explores Carver's inspirational life story, from his birth into slavery through his childhood during the Reconstruction years in the South to his many accomplishments in the fields of science, agriculture and horticulture. Viewers will learn how Carver overcame poor health, poverty and prejudice to become one of the world's foremost experts in agriculture and horticulture. The program explores Carver's time at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, where he researched alternative crops to cotton and helped to reinvent land management in the south. Students will also learn how Carver's hard work, positive attitude and education helped to change African-American stereotypes. (30 minutes)

MADAGASCAR: ESCAPE 2 AFRICA
The animal castaways end up in the African wilderness, where they meet Alex the Lion's family in this animated sequel, featuring the voices of Ben Stiller and Chris Rock. In this adventure, the four zany zoo denizens board a rickety old plane to Manhattan and end up crashing in the African savannah. While stranded in the wilderness, Alex finds his long-lost parents while Marty joins a herd of his wild brethren, Gloria finds romance, and Melman gets one more shot at his ultimate wish. Rated PG for some mild crude humor, the film features an all-star vocal cast, including David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith, Sacha Baron Cohen, Alec Baldwin and Bernie Mac.

BRINGING THE RAIN TO KAPITI PLAIN
From the critically acclaimed, Emmy Award-winning PBS children's series, Reading Rainbow, this program presents the book by Verna Aardema. In the story, a cumulative rhyme relates how a young African boy brought rain to the drought-stricken Kapiti Plain. Also in this episode, host LeVar Burton talks about rainy day activities, reveals myths about predicting the weather and visits scientists from the National Center for Atmospheric Research to learn about weather and meteorology. (30 minutes)

STANDING UP FOR FREEDOM: THE STORY OF ROSA PARKS
Viewers will take a virtual field trip to Montgomery, Alabama, in 1955 to witness firsthand the unfairness of segregation. Along with archival footage and maps, the program presents a dramatic reenactment of how Rosa Parks made history by refusing to give up her seat on a bus to a white man. Students will explore the aftereffects of her act of defiance and learn how it was the catalyst for the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which ignited the Civil Rights Movement.
(14 minutes)

BARACK OBAMA: THE STORY OF OUR 44TH PRESIDENT
Learn some interesting facts about President Barack Obama, the 44th president of the United States and the first African-American president in American history. Viewers will discover that as a child, he flew kites competitively while living in Indonesia, his favorite game is Scrabble, and he does not like ice cream. The program presents the people, places and events that shaped Obama's life from his childhood in Hawaii to his journey to the White House. The American political and election processes are also explained. (15 minutes)

MYTHS, LEGENDS & TRADITIONAL HOLIDAYS FROM LATIN AMERICA
Two young siblings introduce children to Latin American folktales and holidays in this animated program, presented in English and Spanish. Ana and her little brother Andres introduce children to magical tales, including: The Colossuses from Argentina; Las Ciguapas from the Dominican Republic; The Guardians of the Treasure from Cuba; The Myth of the Volcanoes from Mexico; and La Llorona. Viewers will also discover the significance of the Day of the Dead holiday in Mexico, the Feast of Saint James the Apostle in Puerto Rico, the Festival of the Flowers in Colombia and the Feast of the Sun in Peru. (32 minutes)

PORTUGAL
Welcome to Portugal! In this program, students will travel to the capital city of Lisbon to snack on pastries and shop for salt-cod at a fish market. Then, it's time to brave the chilly waters of the Atlantic for a surfing lesson. Throughout the program, students will learn about some of the cultural traditions, history, climate and politics of Portugal, including how the country's Arabic heritage is still prevalent today. And before their journey ends, students will visit an outdoor market in the historic town of Sintra. (13 minutes)

SOUTH AFRICA: HOW TORTOISE WON RESPECT
The animal kingdom has found great happiness living in a garden that contains all that they need. But then a terrible monster threatens to devour all the animals. Find out how the tortoise uses his wisdom to outsmart the monster and save the animals. Through captivating animations, this trickster tale will delight you as you discover some of the traditional culture and beliefs of the people of South Africa. (15 minutes)

AKEELAH AND THE BEE

Laurence Fishburne, Angela Bassett and Keke Palmer star in this inspirational story directed by Doug Atchison. Akeelah Anderson (Palmer), an 11-year-old girl from south Los Angeles, has a gift for words. Akeelah enters various spelling bee contests despite the objections of her mother, Tanya (Bassett). She is tutored by the forthright Dr. Larabee (Fishburne), her principal Mr. Welch and the proud residents of her neighborhood. Akeelah unites her neighborhood in her quest to compete in the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Rated PG for some language, the film costars Curtis Armstrong, J.R. Villarreal and Sean Michael.

GLOBAL WONDERS: AFRICAN AMERICAN

Join twins Trey and Alisha and their friends Lee and Marisa on a play date of dreams and imagination! When dad unveils the new playroom, the kids see an empty room scattered with boxes. Embarking on an exciting treasure hunt using the power of imagination, the playroom is transformed into a world of dreams and discoveries highlighting the fascinating and influential culture of the African-American family. Discover the famous art of Horace Pippin, the groundbreaking music of Louis Armstrong, and the monumental contributions of Jackie Robinson. Sing the blues, dance to hip-hop, and learn what it really means to "burn." With the help of his friends, Trey finally uncovers the hidden treasure, but the real treasures are a deeper appreciation of this influential culture and a life lesson that to achieve something, you first have to dream it. (55 minutes)