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The Classic Black Cinema Series - A Lesson Before Dying
- Ages:
- 18+
- Cost:
- Free with museum admission
-
About This Program
About The Film
(1999) In the 1940s South, an African-American man (Mekhi Phifer) is wrongly accused of the killing of a white store owner. In his defense, his white attorney equates him with a lowly hog, to indicate that he didn't have the sense to know what he was doing. Nevertheless, convicted, he is sentenced to die, but his godmother (Cicely Tyson) and the aunt of the local schoolteacher (Don Cheadle) convince the schoolteacher to go to the convicted man's cell each day to try to reaffirm to him that he is not an animal but a man with dignity.
About The Classic Black Cinema Series
A film series specifically designed as a vehicle to expose the community to the vast artistic value black film has had throughout the years. The goal is to appeal to as diverse a population as possible and further the appreciation of Black cinema.
Curator and host, Felix Curtis, came to Charlotte from the Oakland/San Francisco Bay area where he curated The San Francisco Black Film Festival and Black Filmworks, the annual film festival component of the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame, where he later served as Executive Director.
Your support helps the Gantt present exceptional exhibitions, leading scholars and engaging programs that celebrate the African-American story.