A preview of the Langston Hughes African American Film Festival, which returns to the newly remodeled Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center after two years of wandering. Highlights of 2012 include “The Last Fall,” “Restless City” and “Dimanche a Brazzaville.”
Seattle Times movie critic
“It will be open for the festival, and then return to its normal use as a performing-arts space and community center,” said festival curator Zola Mumford, noting that the building will have its official grand reopening in June.
She described the historic building’s renovation (primarily for seismic and electrical renovations, as well as architectural improvements) as “wonderful — I think people who remember it from previous appearances will appreciate it even more.”
The festival kicks off on Saturday with a gala opening-night screening of “The Last Fall,” the directing debut of former NFL player Matthew Cherry. The film, which screened at SXSW earlier this year, is a drama about a young football player facing the end of his professional career.
“It’s a sports film that’s about more than sports,” said Mumford. Cherry will attend the screening and lead a Q&A, and several UW Huskies and pro-football players are invited to join the conversation. A reception will follow, which Mumford said will be “a great chance to see some of the more dazzling renovated areas of the building.”
Continuing through April 22, the festival includes more than 40 feature-length and short films from around the world — including an unusual number of documentaries this year. Among Mumford’s favorites: S. Epatha Merkerson and Rockell Metcalf’s “The Contradictions of Fair Hope” (screening at 7 p.m. April 15 and 9 p.m. April 17), about the “benevolent societies” formed by newly freed slaves in the 1860s South; and Enric Bach and Adrià Monés’ “Dimanche a Brazzaville” (7 p.m. April 16), which takes a look at a magic-wielding wrestler, an elegant radio DJ and a political hip-hop artist, all living in the Republic of Congo capital Brazzaville.
Special events include a filmmaker-panel discussion titled “Lyrical Storytelling … Word, Sound and Power: Film, Music and the Future” (at the nearby Northwest African American Museum, 11 a.m. April 21); a two-part “Ladies Night,” featuring several short documentaries and the romantic comedy “My Last Day Without You” (7 and 9 p.m. April 18); a lighthearted “The Audience Talks Back” evening (9 p.m. April 21); many guest appearances; and a special closing-night screening of Andrew Dosunmu’s New York-set drama “Restless City,” with guest Tony Okungbowa. (Okungbowa acts in the film and is its executive producer — but is best known for his regular gig as the DJ on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.”)
Mumford notes that the return to the Langston Hughes Center means more seats and more opportunities for repeat screenings — a number of events last year, held in a smaller venue, sold out.
“We were out of our building for two years and our numbers went up!” she said of the overall attendance of this ever-growing festival. “It just let us know that somehow, the word was getting out.”
Moira Macdonald: 206-464-2725 or mmacdonald@seattletimes.com