In the radical spirit of Dr. King, we demand “an all-out war against poverty” and an end to violence through healing — not a war on people, not more police.

Every year we take MLK Day as an opportunity to celebrate and reclaim King's true revolutionary spirit, which is especially important as our communities reel from the impacts of the ongoing pandemic. The aftermath for Oakland has been increased gun violence and even more tragic deaths on our streets on top of the thousands of lives lost to Covid.

This film festival will allow us to gather virtually, unite our struggles for ALL OF US, healing together as a united community. One Struggle. One Fight. One People.

The Film Festival Schedule is as follows:

Friday January 14th:

• 2 pm: Malcolm X (1992) (PG-13)
  Biographical epic of the Black revolutionary leader Malcolm X starring Denzel Washington and directed by Spike Lee. Based on the 1965 autobiography co-written by Malcolm and future Roots creator Alex Haley.

• 6 pm: MLK/FBI: a documentary (2020) (PG) with talkback
  Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is remembered today as an American hero: a bridge-builder, a shrewd political tactician, and a moral leader. Yet throughout his history-altering political career, he was often treated by U.S. intelligence and law enforcement agencies like an enemy of the state. In this virtuosic documentary, award-winning editor and director Sam Pollard (Editor, 4 LITTLE GIRLS, MO' BETTER BLUES; Director/Producer, EYEZ ON THE PRIZE, SAMMY DAVIS, JR.: I'VE GOTTA BE ME) lays out a detailed account of the FBI surveillance that dogged King's activism throughout the '50s and '60s, fueled by the racist and red-baiting paranoia of J. Edgar Hoover. In crafting a rich archival tapestry, featuring some revelatory restored footage of King, Pollard urges us to remember that true American progress is always hard-won.

Saturday January 15th:

• 2 pm: Freedom House: Street Saviors (2009) (Not Rated)
  Documentary tells the story of the nation's first paramedics—25 Black men trained by Pitt physicians. Pittsburghers who needed emergency medical care used to be transported to hospitals in the backs of police wagons. Their medical treatment began at the hospital door.

• 4 pm: 137 Shots (2021) (R)
  In this Netflix documentary, law enforcement faces scrutiny as Americans demand justice after police violence claims multiple Black lives in Cleveland, including the lives of Malissa Williams, 30, and Timothy Russell, 43, killed by police officers who fired at them with 137 bullets.

• 6 pm: The Power to Heal: Medicare and the Civil Rights Revolution (2018) (Not Rated) with talkback
  Power to Heal is an hour-long public television documentary that tells a poignant chapter in the historic struggle to secure equal and adequate access to healthcare for all Americans. Central to the story is the tale of how a new national program, Medicare, was used to mount a dramatic, coordinated effort that desegregated thousands of hospitals across the country in a matter of months.

Sunday January 16th:

• 2 pm: The Killing of Kenneth Chamberlain (2019) (Not Rated)
  Film directed by David Midell and starring Frankie Faison, based on the police shooting of Chamberlain that occurred on November 29, 2011, in White Plains, New York.

• 4 pm: The Revolution Will Not Be Televised: Gil Scott-Heron (2003) (Not Rated)
  Gil Scott-Heron (1949 - 2011) was one of the most influential musicians and poets of the last 50 years. In Don Letts's documentary, Gil tells his own story for the first time — from being one of the first Black children to integrate an all white Southern state school to becoming the Godfather of Rap.

All films will have closed captioning, and ASL and CC will be provided during all talkbacks.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.