Hamptons Black International Film Fest
First the Irish band the Corrigan Brothers wrote the song, “There’s No One As Irish as Barack Obama,” (“toor a loo, toor a loo, toor a lama, there’s no one as Irish as Barack Obama”), now comes the long-awaited feature documentary film Obama’s Irish Roots, which will have its U.S. premiere in the Hamptons Black International Film Festival at the Bay Street Theatre (September 16-18). Written and directed by Gabriel Murray, the film was conceived after Obama said in 2007 that he could trace his green roots to a small village called Moneygall in County Offaly, where his great great-great grandfather had lived. The film will have a Red Carpet screening on Saturday, September 17 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., followed by a question-and-answer session. [expand]
The offerings at this year’s HBIFF are a diverse mix of film genres and styles. Highlights include Bellini and The Devil (September 16 at 6:30 p.m.) which “tells the story of detective Remo Bellini, who gets pulled into a web of death and mysteries that take him to a world of illusions where everything around him is a self-created fantasy.” Another promising feature documentary, Faubourg Treme: The Untold Story of Black Orleans, reveals the life of free blacks in early-1800s Treme who were thriving while others were toiling on plantations in South. The film reveals the rich life of artists from that period who were “publishing poetry and conducting symphonies.”
Hip-hop legend and patriarch of the renowned rap group Wu Tang Clan is celebrated in Popa Wu, a 5% Story directed by Khalik Allah. An adventure into the mind of Popa Wu, the patriarch of the world-renowned rap group Wu Tang Clan. The film explores Popa Wu’s influence on the Wu-Tang Clan and the hip-hop culture. The three-day festival at the Bay Street Theatre begins on Friday at 6:30 p.m. and runs through Sunday. A complete schedule can be found at www.baystreet.org. (A special red carpet event is also taking place in New York City on September 15).
Vetted Hamptons Resources
