It’s been a minute, but I am back to share about my latest screening for the NYC-based: Singing Back the Buffalo.
The evening will begin with a Q&A with filmmaker Paige Bethmann, introducing her film Remaining Native ahead of its upcoming theatrical release.
This exciting conversation will be followed by a free screening of Singing Back the Buffalo, a film by Tasha Hubbard. Award-winning Cree filmmaker Tasha Hubbard’s (nîpawistamâsowin: We Will Stand Up, Birth of a Family) feature length Singing Back the Buffalo follows Indigenous visionaries, scientists and communities who are rematriating the buffalo to the heart of the North American plains they once defined, signaling a turning point for Indigenous nations, the ecosystem, and all of our collective survival.
Doors at 6:30pm
Q&A at 7pm
Screening 7:40
Light refreshments from Flatbush Co-op will be provided and Taylor & Co. will be on-site vending books by Native American authors.
I know, I know. It’s technically still summer until September 22nd, but the back-to-school shift that we all are subject to (regardless of whether we are students or raise students) is very real.
I’ll be honest: I don’t think you all really care that much that I haven’t sent out a round-up in months, so I’m going to spare you my lamentations about a “delay”.
I’ll make it worth your while by forcing you to click to read the full post because it’s going to get cut off in email. You’ll only get tips on where to go in NYC by making it to the end 😅.
For folks not in the know, during the UN General Assembly that happens this month, there are events organized for Climate Week NYC. This year I am organizing an event under my new presenting banner, Projecting, Much?. The screening and conversation will be held at The Urbane Arts Club onSeptember 23rd, 6:30-9:30 pm, and was created in partnership with the Climate Film Festival (go get your tickets for a fest you do not want to miss!) and Grist, a leading environmental news outlet.
Projecting, Much? logo with a film reel and strip.
Oh, right, let me back up a bit ICYMI. In July, I launched a film programming partnership at The Urbane Arts Club. It was a soft launch, but the idea of this partnership is that I get to program film screenings for the socially engaged (or those who want to be, anyway).
The first screening was Stonewall Forever, and we also shared the ACLU’s ‘Freedom to Be’ campaign. Additionally, we had a speaker from PFLAG talk about the resources they offer to LGBTQIA+ youth and families and volunteer opportunities. You can check out the resource page (and link to Stonewall Forever) here.
Back to Climate Week. I’m super excited about this screening and the fact that I have two directors from the screenings on a panel moderated by Tory Stephens, Grist’s Manager of Climate Fiction & Brand Partnerships. So…
New Yorkers, or City Slickin’ Wannabes > RSVP Here
So let’s see, what else is new?
I’m still working on the film Your Pain Was Born Here as a line producer. Thanks to all who donated! We are still raising funds to complete post-production. About $11,000 in funds were not actually received due to payments not going through, so if you want to support, you still can!
Speaking of Kickstarter, I believe in paying it forward. Check out the Kickstarter for Tribal Strands, a documentary celebrating Black hair, which has just launched its campaign.
Enough about Kickstarter. Below is what y’all allegedly signed up for. Here are my top recs from nearly four months of content consumption—don’t worry, I haven’t been impressed by much.
Watched
To view my film history to date, you can follow me on Letterboxd. I’ve been doing a terrible job of updating my database, but you can check that out for my television watch history. To not extend the length of the newsletter, I’m not going to go too in-depth about why I picked something to include. If you want to know, just ask!
Movie posters for the 50 “100 Best Movies of the 21st Century” that I’ve seen.
Quick aside - NYTimes (I am not a subscriber) did this 100 Best Movies of the 21st Century round-up. I was curious, so I selected the films I’ve seen and added some others to my watch list. Curious what other folks make of the overall list. What’s missing that you would recommend?
I’m not even kidding, my entire watch history on Letterboxd in May was the franchise. The Mission Impossible franchise is a comedy, and I will not apologize for seeking comfort in Tom Cruise, Ving Rhames, and Simon Pegg’s antics. As for the The Final Reckoning, it was way too long, but I don’t care. And did my brother and I pay $30 to see it in IMAX? You bet.
If you live in NYC, be sure to check out the exhibition about the franchise at the Museum of Moving Image (on view til December 14)
June
This month, I traveled internationally, so basically, I watched what I could download from Netflix.
In this intimate portrayal of friendship, transition and America, Will Ferrell and his close friend of thirty years decide to go on a cross-country road trip to explore a new chapter in their relationship.
The Chuska Warriors, a Native American high school basketball team from New Mexico, must band together after losing their star player if they want to keep their quest for a state championship alive.
Four young girls prepare for a special Daddy/Daughter Dance with their incarcerated fathers as part of a unique fatherhood program in a Washington, D.C. jail.
July
New Yorkers - Do you know about DCTV? If you like documentaries and you don’t, get familiar. That’s where I saw the following films, though the second is on Netflix.
Civil rights lawyer Chase Strangio's courtroom battles against anti-trans laws intertwine with exposing media narratives impacting public perception of transgender rights.
At 15, he took a life. Three days later, his brother's life was taken. An incarcerated musician struggles for healing and peace as he comes of age in this documentary visual album composed behind bars.
August
Shoutout to the Blackstar Film Festival. Two of the feature films I enjoyed from that were:
Long Island artists shaped hip-hop's evolution, creating a distinct suburban sound beyond NYC while questioning suburban ideals through their pioneering voices.
Making use of my Criterion subscription, and here are some oldies / cult classics I enjoyed:
Good Will Hunting (Drama)- I hate to admit it, but I loved this. I know it’s an old one but it was literally my first time watching.
The Heroic Trio (Action) - The camp, the costumes! I love Michelle Yeoh down.
I went to the movies five times last month. I’m only recommending two things:
Imported(Drama) - This was a screening with a director Q+A, but it’s actually available on Hulu.
Pro basketball players pursue their dreams abroad after missing NBA chances, navigating the challenges of international leagues in search of success.
Okay, I’m going to give an honorable mention to The Roses(Comedy)because I love Olivia Coleman, and she and Benedict Cumberbatch had great chemistry. I just felt the rest of the great cast was underutilized, and I thought it was going to be funnier??? Idk, you can wait to stream this.
A tinderbox of competition and resentments underneath the façade of a picture-perfect couple is ignited when the husband's professional dreams come crashing down.
Time-Sensitive CTA:
This month I saw Tinā (Drama) at Angelika Film. It’s only in theaters for a few weeks (at least here in NYC), so go see it if you can.
A woman, grieving her daughter's death in the Christchurch quakes, becomes a substitute teacher at an elite school. Unexpectedly, she discovers students lacking guidance and care, prompting her to provide inspiration and support.
Television
To be honest, just going to focus on things that have come back that I’m into. The summer is always a slow time for the release of new shows, and I cannot wait for fall.
FBoy Island,season 3. (HBO Max). A Note: There is an FGirl Island, but those girls are mean, and I hated it. I’m not one to generally stick up for men, but these girls were unnecessarily brutal. I did not finish.
The Buccaneers, season 2 (Apple TV+) - Did the protagonist get more insufferable? Yes, but somehow I felt this was a better season (the bar wasn’t that high, though).
While I’ve mostly been watching stuff that I already watched, there was one new show that surprised me…
When it first dropped this spring, I really had no interest in watching. But in an effort to watch something I hadn’t seen before, I put it on and didn’t hate it. It’s bingeable and I definitely think there will be another season.
I predict the following will be my top artists of the year on Spotify:
Clipse, because I’ve looped Let God Sort Em Out so many times. I was also blessed to see them perform live in August. It was the perfect show for “old heads.” My favorite songs are “Chains & Whips,” “P.O.V.”, and “MTBTTF” but truly this is a mostly no skips record.
Tyler, the Creator, because he just keeps making bangers. DON’T TAP THE GLASS has some real gems like “Sucka Free” and “Don’t You Worry Baby.”
Madison McFerrin, because the album is titled SCORPIO. Seriously though, she has a beautiful voice and her songs are a vibe. If you want to dance, “Over > Forever” and if you just want to vibe and harmonize, “Ain’t It Nice” and “I Don’t”.
Little Simz, Is ‘Lotus’ my favorite of her albums? Not necessarily, but it is still GOOD. I was hoping to be able to see her in London this October, but things aren’t currently aligning so I’m going to check out the NYC show. “Only” is on continuous loop.
Rochelle Jordan, her album hasn’t dropped yet, but I’ve been enjoying the singles like “Doing It Too”.
Podcasts
I haven’t done much podcast listening lately, but I recommend you sliding over to Sounds Like Impact for recommendations. Here iNew (to me) Podcast
Flourish in the Foreignis a new to me podcast thanks to a friend I’ve talked to about relocating abroad. There is a lot of great advice, particularly for Black women.
Read
I hated Peaces. I finished it because I was hoping it would course correct and it never did.
I’ve read 12 books since May. I know, please clap. You can keep up with my reads on Storygraph.
I’m not going to explain anything. Click on the links to read the synopsis, and feel free to message or comment if you want more context on my listing!
The Proposal by Jasmine Guillory - (I just want to say, this is the kind of smoothbrain shit you need after reading how unbelievably racist the history–and PRESENT– this country is)
I’m also not going to elaborate here, but if you want to ask me about planning a 4-week trek across four countries (5 islands within one country), and seven cities, you can message me. I went to Fiji, Australia, New Zealand, and the Cook Islands.
I went to museum shows in SF and NYC, I saw Audra McDonald on Broadway in Gypsy, and I am generally just grateful to my subletter and supportive friends who are allowing me the opportunity to forget I am unemployed…haha.
Where YOU Should Go
Since I realistically don’t know when I will write another one of these, here are some upcoming events I recommend checking out (all NYC-based).
Ruth Asawa at MoMA (opens 10/19) - I saw this show in SF, and it’s definitely worth it. I did hear that there will be some things in this show that won’t be included.
There are 24 hours left in the Kickstarter campaign for Your Pain Was Born Here, which I wrote about here. We are over halfway to our goal, but a lot can happen in a day! Thank you to everyone who has supported so far, donating and sharing; it really means a lot. Please help us get over the finish line by sharing the campaign and donating if you can!
Donate / Share ≥ https://yourpainwasbornhere.com/
Calling all NYC folks! I’m hosting my first documenting screening event for Projecting, Much, my social impact film screening series. Stonewall Foreveris a documentary, and we will have refreshments from the local co-op. PFLAG NYC will share information about the services they offer to families and youth, as well as ways for you to get involved in their work.
I am grateful to The Urbane Arts Club for allowing me to program in their space, and I would love the opportunity to continue doing so. Please join us and invite a friend / loved one! If you live in NYC, or will be in town on July 31st, I hope you can make it 💜
RSVP here ≥ https://www.urbanebrooklyn.com/event-details-registration/stonewall-forever-screening
I know I owe an actual newsletter, and I promise, it will come. For now, please enjoy my promotional posts lol.
Your Pain Was Born Here - an exploratory documentary from SOTHIS Films.
Hey hey!
So, I know I said in the last newsletter that you wouldn’t hear from me in June, but I kind of lied. You get to hear from me for a very special reason: The Your Pain Was Born HereKickstarter is live!
Okay, let me rewind:
A dream of mine has been to work on a documentary film. And from the sheer number of documentary films and series I’ve shared with you on this Substack, that maybe shouldn’t come as a surprise.
So, in March, I was delighted to meet Mina Simone, a filmmaker in her 20s who is gearing up to release her debut feature film, an experimental documentary called Your Pain Was Born Here. I met Mina at an event for POV (support PBS!) and was introduced to her by a POV team member who is helping Mina on her independent filmmaker journey.
Later that month, I signed on to help Mina with her film as a volunteer coordinating producer, leveraging my operations skills to help her and her small, but mighty, team of volunteers prepare for–and now launch–the Kickstarter to finish post-production on this 8-year film project.
Your Pain Was Born Here is a journey across 5 countries throughout Europe exploring the Black narrative beyond the American identity. It is a coming of age story and a love letter to the Black diaspora. You can learn more about the project at ⇒ yourpainwasbornhere.com.
We have a super ambitious goal: to raise $10,000 on our first day!
It’s a big number, but reaching that goal means that we hit an important milestone that can lead to being in Kickstarter’s newsletter to millions of “projects we love”. Because early support has such a HUGE impact, I am going to put myself out there and ask you for two personal favors:
1. Will you please go to our Kickstarter page and contribute to the campaign? No amount is too small!
2. After contributing, will you please share the link on your social media channels or via direct outreach to people you think would be into the project?
Someday, I will make a film of my own, and I can’t tell you how invaluable this experience has been. I want Mina and our team to succeed, so can you help us? Any social media share is much appreciated if a donation is not in the cards for you!
Thank you! I’ll be back in July with the May/June round-up.
It’s May! We are almost halfway through the year. I can’t believe it because it feels like we have all lived lifetimes with the shenanigans here in the U.S. Anyways, enough of the pre-amble. Here’s what I got into last month:
Watched
To see everything I’ve watched to date, click here for my database, and you can follow my film history on Letterboxd.
I mean, if you haven’t heard anything about this film by now, I don’t know what to tell you. Also, for those who, like me, hate scary movies: I did not find this scary. Sure, there are maybe a few jump scares (I jumped once), but for the most part, I didn’t find it scary. Anyways, here are some Substack posts about Sinners that I thought to share:
I’m sure it will be on streaming at some point, so don’t fret if you didn’t make it to a theater or if you don’t want to pay for a rental. I don’t know why I thought this was going to be more Mr. and Mrs. Smith, but it’s a slow burn with unexpected outcomes.
Documentary
Film posters for We Want the Funk, The Encampments and Sly Lives! (Aka the Burden of Black Genius)
Here we have two music documentaries and perhaps coverage of one of the most important events of our time that is still unfolding in real time. For the music documentaries, I recommend you watch We Want the Funk! first and then follow it up with SLY LIVES. The first movie will provide context for the genre of music that Sly and the Family Stone was making.
As for The Encampments, see if you can catch a screening, or look out for when you can rent. I am not sure this will end up on a streamer, and yet it is still important that you seek it out. I’m still baffled by how many people have not woken up to the fact that their own civil rights are at stake. BLM, Cop City, The Encampments…you can have ideological debates about these all you want, but if at the end of the day you don’t see authoritarianism taking root to suppress dissent and criminalize expression, you may need to be paying closer attention to the rhetoric that has been created and the laws that are being passed.
If you love a whodunit, but want a bit of camp and to do without Daniel Craig’s Foghorn Leghorn accent in Knives Out, this show is for you! It’s got a great cast, and overall, it’s easy to watch. Whether this will become a returning series remains to be seen/heard, but you’ll have a solid resolution by the end.
Side Quest is a 4-episode limited series from the world of Mythic Quest, a workplace comedy from the team behind It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia that focuses on the video game industry. Side Quest explores different sides of the Mythic Quest universe, including fans and employees of the company itself and then of a company focused on a piece of IP. Two of the four episodes landed with me, and my favorite was “Pull List”, which follows fans of the Mythic Quest comic books in a Black-owned comic shop in LA. You will have to guess the other episode I liked…just kidding, it was “Fugue”.
What have you been watching lately? Also, if you watched The Seed of the Sacred Fig, please let me know your thoughts. I’m still trying to figure out what I thought about the movie and want to discuss it with someone.
(Music) fool 4 u. by Lilli. If you like garage-ish dance music, this is a fun track.
(Music) A Mí by Rels B. It’s not a new track, but I heard it for the first time in April when it ended up in a Spotify radio collection. A little smooth, sexy number, enjoy!
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About four years ago, I found a 3-in-1 of Toni Morrison novels. Though, 2025 is when I have finally started making my way through. The book includes Sula, Song of Solomon, and Tar Baby. There were moments when I was turning pages constantly, especially as the novel progressed. It was actually interesting seeing Sinners on the heels of finishing the book, as there are some parallel themes. If you’ve read Song of Solomon and have seen Sinners, let me know if you also picked up on anything.
I do not recommend buying a 3-in-1 because you will never want to carry the book anywhere, and that slowed down my reading of Sula by a lot. I’ve been borrowing the e-book versions from my library.
This was my book club’s April pick, and I’m so glad we read it. It is an anthology of short stories put together by Grist from their climate fiction competition. My fellow club members said this collection made them feel hopeful. I hope you will read it, not only to stoke your imagination that a better world is possible but also to motivate you to act in behalf of your vision.
Went
There wasn’t so much “going” that happened in April, but I did travel to one place…
Travel
Me on a ski lift with a helmet, goggles, and a face covering. It’s snowing in the background.
Lake Tahoe! On the California side. I went with my brother and his family. They go yearly for the ski season and this year was my second time joining them. Palisades is their preferred resort, and it is pretty nice, though I don’t have much to compare it to.
The food there is expensive, so you may want to keep that in mind if you plan a trip. Bring some snacks with you, a water bottle / Camelbak, and a mini backpack if you can. And I can’t emphasize this enough: make sure you hydrate! The altitude will affect you if you are not properly hydrated. I ended up getting cramps. So, maybe consider also bringing hydration packets with you if you tend to underhydrate.
We went the second-to-last week of the season, and typically, snow wouldn’t be on the ground. And that was true when we arrived. But it snowed the following day, and Tahoe became a winter wonderland–if I don’t think about climate change too much–again.
If you are new to skiing or snowboarding (my chosen sport), take some lessons! I did this the first time I went. You can rent gear on site or at a ski shop along the way (I can’t recall the price differential, but I assume on-site was more expensive). My first snowboarding experience was two years ago, so I felt rusty when I tried again and regretted not having knee pads. However, I started to regain muscle memory as the weekend went on.
We went on Earth Day weekend, so the resort had an Earth Day event. There was a fashion show featuring recycled clothing items and different tents sharing information from local agencies (e.g., wastewater), and conservation organizations.
Next year, I will have to come back again and spend more time snowboarding so that I can get better. That said, if there are any folks in the NYC area who ski / snowboard in our region, let me know! I want to try locally.
Need some gear? Check out Tahoe Sports Hub in Truckee. We happened to catch their end-of-season sale, so if you are there late April, please stop by since it is a local business.
For a good diner experience? Check Jax at the Trax in Truckee. It’s been featured on The Food Network!
For the best local chai and apparently really good coffee (my brother is a coffee snob), go to Dark Horse Coffee Roasters in Truckee.
Until next time! I’ll be traveling the last week of May and most of June, so there won’t be a newsletter until July, and I will combine May and June. But for real-time content updates, you can always check Letterboxd, Airtable and Storygraph.
Take care!
It’s going to be me trying to pack for a month-long trip. Just kidding, I have packing cubes!
