Afrofuturism
9 Episodes
Coined in 1994 by critic Mark Dery, the term “Afrofuturism” has become an essential framework for art about imagined and alternative Black experiences. As the author Ytasha Womack writes, “Afrofuturism combines elements of science fiction, historical fiction, speculative fiction, fantasy, Afrocentricity, and magic realism with non-Western beliefs.” Afrofuturist ideas have found fertile ground in film, and this expansive series takes viewers on an international, intergalactic journey that stretches back long before the term existed, and far into the future. Spanning animation, documentary, and genre spectacle, these exuberant visions of Black creativity, resistance, and freedom zigzag across the African diaspora from New York to Brasilia to Kinshasa to worlds unknown. Curated by Ashley Clark, the series draws together films from Space is the Place: Afrofuturism on Film, which took place at Brooklyn Academy of Music in 2015; a sequel planned for 2020 that was canceled due to the pandemic; and a selection of all-new titles, many of them available for streaming for the first time.
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01:37Episode 1Afrofuturism Teaser
Episode 1
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16:49Episode 2Spotlight on Afrofuturism
Episode 2
This introduction by Criterion curatorial director Ashley Clark was recorded in 2020.
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1:21:41Episode 3Space Is the Place
Episode 3
Directed by John Coney • 1974 • United States
Starring Sun Ra, Barbara Deloney, Raymond JohnsonAvant-jazz mystic Sun Ra brought his pioneering Afrofuturist vision to the screen with this film version of his concept album. It’s a wild, kaleidoscopic whirl of science fiction, sharp social comment...
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1:20:40Episode 4Born in Flames
Episode 4
Directed by Lizzie Borden • 1983 • United States
Starring Honey, Adele Bertei, Jean SatterfieldA blistering rallying cry issued loud, clear, and unapologetically queer, Lizzie Borden’s explosive postpunk provocation is a DIY fantasia of female rebellion set in America ten years after a revoluti...
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1:17:26Episode 5Ornette: Made in America
Episode 5
Directed by Shirley Clarke • 1985 • United States
Starring Ornette ColemanThis freewheeling documentary captures Ornette Coleman’s evolution over three decades. Documentary footage, dramatic scenes, and some of the first music-video-style segments ever made chronicle his boyhood in segregated T...
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1:32:47Episode 6Milford Graves Full Mantis
Episode 6
Directed by Jake Meginsky with Neil Young • 2018 • United States
Starring Milford GravesThis portrait of renowned percussionist and founding pioneer of avant-garde jazz Milford Graves finds him exploring his kaleidoscopic creativity and relentless curiosity. The film draws the viewer through th...
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09:24Episode 7The Changing Same
Episode 7
Directed by Cauleen Smith • 2001 • United States
In this experimental hybrid between science fiction and noir, Cauleen Smith explores Black alienation and outsiderhood via the story of two aliens stationed on Earth searching for kinship and a sense of purpose.
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1:20:30Episode 8The Burial of Kojo
Episode 8
Directed by Blitz Bazawule • 2018 • Ghana, United States
Starring Ama K. Abebrese, Joe Addo, Henry AdofoA profusion of dazzling, magical-realist images grace the visually and emotionally stunning debut feature from musician turned filmmaker Blitz Bazawule. Through the eyes of Esi (Cynthia Dankw...
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Episode 9
Directed by Keisha Rae Witherspoon • 2019 • United States
Starring Koko Zauditu-Selassie, Kherby Jean, Jesus MitchellIn this stylistically dazzling, deeply moving, and unclassifiable short, a film crew follows three grieving participants in Miami’s annual T Ball, where folks assemble to model R...
