'Strange Victories: Black Soldiers and World War II' presents a collection of films that highlight the overlooked black Americans who served a country that continues to struggle with its legacy of racism
BAMcinématek presents Strange Victories: Black Soldiers and World War II, a collection of groundbreaking classics and compelling documentaries which shine a much-needed light on a long-overlooked chapter in American history: The challenging experiences of black soldiers who fought the spread of fascism overseas only to face racism again at home. The week-long series will run from Friday, November 12 through Thursday, November 16.
The series kicks off with Spike Lee's Miracle at St. Anna, which tells the powerful story of black infantrymen who fought for a country that saw them as second-class citizens; Lee will introduce both screenings of his classic film. On a similarly thrilling scale is Anthony Hemingway's Red Tails, with its all-star cast including David Oyelowo, Michael B. Jordan and Cuba Gooding, Jr., which tells the story of the legendary African-American fighter pilot unit, the Tuskegee Airmen.
Film classics such as Otto Preminger's Carmen Jones, starring Dorothy Dandridge and Harry Belafonte, and Mark Robson's Home of the Brave- which was among the first dramas to address the challenges faced by black soldiers, including PTSD and the embedded everyday racism - depict a different vision of World War II and its effects on the returning soldiers.
The Strange Vision film series will also present some rarely screened documentaries including Leo Hurwitz's Strange Victory, Stanley Nelson's The Black Press: Soldiers Without Sword and Stuart Heisler's The Negro Soldier, followed by a roundtable discussion featuring journalist Mark Harris and archivist Ina Archer.
With Strange Victories: Black Soldiers and World War II BAM offers an important documentation of the overlooked, heroic black Americans who served a country that continues to struggle with its legacy of historical and systemic racism.
Strange Victories: Black Soldiers and World War II - Schedule:
- Miracle at St. Anna with introduction by director Spike Lee |Friday, November 10, 3:00 pm & 7:00 pm
- The Negro Soldier + panel | Saturday, November 11, 2:00 pm
- Red Tails | Sunday, November 12, 4:00 pm
- A Soldier's Story | Sunday, November 12, 7:00 pm
- Strange Victory + Illusions | Monday, November 13, 7:00 pm
- Home of the Brave | Tuesday, November 14, 4:30 pm & 9:30 pm
- Carmen Jones | Tuesday, November 14, 7:00 pm
- Valley of Peace | Wednesday, November 15, 7:00 pm
- The Black Press: Soldiers Without Swords Film Descriptions | Thursday, November 16, 7:00 pm
For more information and tickets, please visit www.bam.org.
