Special Screening: Video Art and Grassroots Media by Bill Stephens

Congo Oyé by Bill Stephens and the People’s Communication Network

(US, 1971, 45 min)

A rare and seldom seen work, made by Bill Stephens in collaboration with Chris Marker, Eldridge Cleaver, and Kathleen Cleaver. Congo Oyé was never completed and long believed lost until it was recently unearthed on video cassette from the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. The film follows an exploratory visit to Africa’s first People’s Republic, declared by President Marien Ngouabi.

Preceded by:

Queen Mother Moore Speech at Greenhaven Prison by Bill Stephens and the People’s Communication Network

(US, 1973, 17 min)

Two years after the riots and deaths at Attica, New York, a community day was organized at Greenhaven, a federal prison in Connecticut. Think Tank, a prisoners’ group, coordinated efforts with African-American community members outside the prison walls to fight racism and poverty. The event was documented by People’s Communication Network, a community video group founded by Bill Stephens, for cablecast in New York City, marking the first time an alternative video collective was allowed to document an event inside prison walls. 

Bill Stephens founded the People’s Communication Network, a community video group that produced videos for public access.