Flyer designed by Liv Fallon
liquid blackness presents
AmplifyOne, a screening & conversation with films by GSU students Kia Pooler, Josh Cleveland, and Amir Mubarak
Moderated by Sade Lythcott, CEO of The National Black Theatre Institute of Action Arts in Harlem USA.
Born and raised in New York City, Sade Lythcott is the daughter of Dr. Barbara Ann Teer, founder of the National Black Theater (NBT) and legendary champion of African-American culture in New York. Following her mother's death in 2008, Sade was appointed CEO of the NBT. She is also co-chair of the Coalitions of Theaters of Color. A graduate of New York University with a BA in art history, Sade lives in Harlem, NY. Prior to joining the NBT family, she performed with several Off- and Off-Off Broadway theater companies, including appearances as Gail in Ron Milner's Urban Transition: Loose Blossom at the New Federal Theater directed by Woodie King, Jr., and as Dorothy Dandridge in Dorothy Dandridge: Before, After & Now directed by Dr. Barbara Ann Teer. In 2012 Lythcott wrote & produced the highly acclaimed musical A Time To Love, garnering 3 AUDELCO nominations and the Key to Harlem for her excellence in the Arts. Sade Lythcott is also a clothing designer, costume designer and fashion stylist. As a stylist her clients include Beyonce Knowles, Lenny Kravitz, Katie Holmes, Jamie Fox and Mos Def. Sade is also founder and CEO of Lunazul Swimwear, an acclaimed celebrity swimwear line featured in Vogue, Elle and Sports Illustrated magazine.
A curated conversation series centered in films and writings, Amplify showcases emerging radical cinematic aesthetics which advocate, protest, reflect, heal, empower, affirm, uplift and cultivate community. Responding to our students’ voices and works, Amplify seeks to foster artistic and critical dialog around systemic anti-Blackness as a site for the articulation of liberatory demands.
Amplify: media arts for collective strength, is an expression of the collective work of Prof. Susan-Sojourna Collier, Prof. Aggie Ebrahimi Bazaz, Dr. Jade Petermon, Dr. Alessandra Raengo, Karin Smoot, and Matt Rowles (COTA Tech)
July 16 @ 7pm on Zoom and streaming on liquid blackness YouTube channel and Facebook page. Links to join coming soon.
Kia Pooler
Title of Project: Black Mirror
Bio: Kia Pooler is a filmmaker and photographer based in Atlanta, GA. She has shot and directed several short films, I am, Freedom Time, The Angry Black Woman,Vulnerability,I Am Not What You Think, and Black Mirrorwhich has been showcased at several film festivals.
Artist Statement: Black Mirror is an experimental short documentary that delves into the identity of black youth in America and what it means. This film attempts to explore this by looking at black bodies in relation to black voices, viewing the black body as an instrument, and emphasizing the themes of black youth, social injustice, memory, and ignored historical tragedies.
Credits: Director Cinematographer Editor: Kia Pooler. Featuring: Mekhi Pooler, Mylan Pooler.
Josh Cleveland
TItle of Project: Echoes from a Broken Puzzle
Bio: I’m a storyteller and filmmaker that seeks to create honest and thoughtful films. I hope to explore topics around making space for marginalized and oppressed voices. I want to introduce stories that discuss concepts like God, Faith, Blackness, and the complexities of humanity. I also desire to form innovative images and intentional visual aesthetics that speak to themes that question social norms, encourage moments of introspection and self-evaluation.
Artist Statement: The collection of shorts derived from a larger Short film titled “A Jericho Road” that discussed existing tension between ideas of black liberation and the institution of the Black church. I joined together different researched and informed historical perspectives with my personal views on oppression and racism. I utilized a variety of audio recordings of black civil right activist and paired them with culturally relevant music, superimposed images and abstract shapes depicting my journey to process and navigate feelings around piecing together the ongoing historical battle against systemic racism and oppression in our country.
Credits: Director, Cinematographer, and Editor: Josh Cleveland. With performances from Miles Cleveland and Erin Burch.
Links to view:
Amir Mubarak
TItle of Project: Ode to Medea
Bio: I keep trying to imagine a vision of Blackness that is spoken from the tongue of our people, that is not rooted in oppression. That is defined through celebration and community, a vision that is revolutionary. That memorializes our narratives and illustrates a future with black liberation.
Artist Statement: With the emergence of technology, we all act as documentarians of our own history. Too often the narrative of minority groups is cemented in the collective consciousness by people with little to no connection to our experiences. With just a cellphone in hand, we have sparked a movement. Focusing on the narrative of Black Americans, "Ode to Medea" reflects on how within black history the queer perspective is washed over. The queer perspective representing both then and now, an act of radical celebration of individuality and movements remaining at the forefront of social reform. It feels as if by giving individuals the power to tell their own histories, they believe more in their power to create their own futures.
Credits: Director, Cinematographer, and Editor: Amir Mubarak. Inspired by Ben Caldwell's Medea (1973). Poetry by Jazmine Mcdonald. Actors: Kenya Simms, Kiah Gayton, Jazmine Mcdonald, Aji Mcknight, Keamber Pearson.
Link to view Sam Cooke Piece (Music by Sam Cooke)
