A Celebration of the Film Work of Toni Cade Bambara
Location(s)
"Our lives preserved. How it was;
and how it be.
Passing along in the relay.
That is what I work to do: to produce stories that save our lives."
-Toni Cade Bambara
Already the acclaimed writer of The Salt Eaters and Gorilla, My Love and editor of The Black Woman , Bambara taught at Scribe Video Center from 1986 to 1995. A major influence on the independent film community, nationally and internationally, she had a particularly strong impact on media makers in Philadelphia – notably women and people of Color. Scribe was founded in December 1982 as a place where people could explore, develop and advance the use of electronic media, including video and audio, as artistic media and as tools for progressive social change. So, it is with much pride that Scribe Video Center begins its 25th anniversary year with a celebration of Bambara’s film work and her enduring influence. (Photo of Toni Cade Bambara (c) Susan Ross)
There will be a pre-event Cocktail Reception Fundraiser for Scribe at 5:30 pm at International House, see Ticket Info below.
The program at 7:00 pm includes a moderated panel with Linda Janet Holmes and Cheryl A. Wall, editors of the new book "Savoring The Salt, The Legacy of Toni Cade Bambara ( Temple University Press)), poet Sonia Sanchez, filmmaker Louis Massiah , cinematographer Arthur Jafa and cultural writer Clyde Taylor , all will discuss their experiences of working with Bambara and her cultural impact.
And we will celebrate Toni’s film work with a rare public screening of The Bombing of Osage Avenue (1986, 58 min), produced and directed by Louis Massiah for WHYY TV 12, written and narrated by Toni Cade Bambara.
Of all the television hours devoted to this internationally infamous event, The Bombing of Osage Avenue is possibly the first to look at the real human loss, not only in the deaths that include a number of MOVE children, but the proud community of families that survived race wars, gang wars and drugs, only to be nearly destroyed by its own city. Massiah establishes the setting for the tragedy early on, and Bambara's poetic narration draws one deeper into the drama. Massiah says, “the film is not journalism per se, but there is a journalistic aspect to it. It has a bigger canvas than the event that happened on May 13, 1985. Bambara as the writer/ narrator is not trying to be Walter Winchell or some crack jaw reporter. It is a different kind of read. It’s in her voice.” The Bombing of Osage Avenue has received numerous awards, including the Oscar Micheaux Award, the Global Village Festival Documentary Award and Prized Pieces’s Best Documentary Academy Award.
Also screening will be More Than Property (1993, 13 min) an early Scribe Community Visions project made by The United Hands Community Land Trust with the support of facilitators Toni Cade Bambara and Chris Emmanouilides. The Trust was a multi-racial home ownership organization in the Kensington committed to ensuring permanent, affordable, quality housing primarily for low-income people of color.
Ticket Info
Support Scribe by attending the Fundraiser Cocktail Party. Purchase Advance Tickets online using Scribe's secure PayPal account or by calling Scribe at 215 222 4201.
Tickets purchased in advance will be held for pick up at the will call table at International House on December 13.
$100-- Cocktail Reception, Event Admission, a copy of “Savoring the Salt: The Legacy of Toni Cade Bambara” and a 1-year Scribe Membership.
$50 -- Cocktail Reception, Panel and Film Screening
$10 General Admission -- Panel & Film Screening will be available at the door or in advance online at ticketweb.com .
Copies of Savoring the Salt, The Legacy of Toni Cade Bambara will be available for purchase at the event.