Directed by William Greaves and David Greaves, 2026, USA, Not Rated, 100 minutes
In 1972, pioneering filmmaker William Greaves assembled an extraordinary group of surviving artists, writers, musicians, and intellectuals of the Harlem Renaissance at Duke Ellington’s Harlem townhouse. With cameras rolling, figures including Arna Bontemps, Richard B. Moore, and others reminisced, debated, recited poetry, and considered the meaning and legacy of one of the defining cultural movements of the 20th century. Greaves never completed the project, but more than 50 years later his son David returned to the remarkable footage to finish the film. Premiering at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival before screening in Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes, the documentary transforms an invaluable historical record into something immediate and alive. The Guardian called it a “remarkable” and “thrilling and inspiring hang-out movie.”
