Groundbreaking Film on Hip-Hop and
Masculinity
Premieres at the “Sundance at BAM Film
Series”
Screenings of BEYOND BEATS AND RHYMES Set
for May 2006 in Brooklyn
New York, NY – – Filmmaker Byron Hurt of
God Bless the Child Productions, Inc. is pleased to announce the upcoming New
York City premiere of BEYOND BEATS AND RHYMES: A Hip-Hop Head Weighs in
on Manhood in Hip-Hop Culture at the Sundance at BAM Film Series in
May. The provocative film on hip hop and masculinity, which was an official
selection of the 2006 Sundance Film Festival in January, was one of 13
films selected to play this spring at BAM from the 120 films that screened in Park City, Utah.
The documentary will premiere in New York as
part of a new collaboration between The Sundance Institute and the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM). The
screenings are May 18, 19, and 21, 2006 at BAM and are open to
the public. A special screening for high school students (11th and
12th graders)
only is set for May 17. Tickets are $10 (see times and location below). For box
office and ticket information, please call 718.777.FILM (order by “name of
movie” option), visit the website at BAM.org/Sundance, or purchase tickets in
person at the BAM Rose Cinemas
box office located at 30 Lafayette
Avenue, downtown Brooklyn.
At Sundance, BEYOND BEATS AND RHYMES received
standing ovations from sold out audiences, and garnered rave reviews from
members of the press who saw the film. When asked about the significance of
premiering his film in New York City’s notorious
borough of Brooklyn, Hurt said: “This
particular screening is a dream come true. I’ve come to BAM many times as a
moviegoer, and I have always wanted to show my film here. BAM is a great venue
for BEYOND BEATS AND RHYMES and I look forward to showing the film in Brooklyn – the home of so many legendary rappers like
Biggie, Jay-Z and Talib Kweli. I am honored that the Sundance Institute and BAM
selected it to be among the great films that will be shown during the series.”
In
conjunction with the premiere, Hurt is developing a talk back so that people
will have a to explore hip hop, masculinity, and sexism further. “Whenever
people see the film, they want to talk about it afterward. So we are bringing
together a dynamic panel with some of the people who appear in the film. So it
should be a lively conversation about all the issues that come up.” Details on
the panel will be released shortly.
Screenings,
Background, and Contact Information
SCREENINGS
• Thursday, May 18 at 4:00 pm
• Friday, May 19 at 9:45 pm
• Sunday, May 21 at 6:30 pm
TICKETS: Tickets at $10 and may be
purchased the following ways:
• Phone: call 718.777.FILM (order by “name of movie” option)
• Web: visit www.BAM.org/Sundance
• On Site: purchase tickets at the BAM Rose Cinemas box office located at 30 Lafayette Avenue
LOCATION: The Sundance at BAM Film Festival
takes place at the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Peter Jay Sharp Building,
located at 30 Lafayette Avenue (downtown Brooklyn).
MORE
ABOUT THE PRESENTERS
Sundance
Institute *
“Dedicated year-round to the development of
artists of independent vision and to the exhibition of their new work, Sundance
Institute celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2006. Founded by Robert Redford in
1981, the Institute has grown into an internationally recognized resource for
thousands of independent artists through its Sundance Film Festival…The
original values of independence, creative risk-taking, and discovery continue
to define and guide the work of Sundance Institute…”
BAM
(Brooklyn Academy of Music) *
BAM “is the oldest continually operating
performing arts center in America, having presented its first performance in
1861…BAM is the only performing arts center in the country to operate two main
stage theaters, a four-screen cinema venue, and a café/cabaret space within its
historic facilities. BAM
Rose Cinemas
is operational 365 days-per-year. The repertory film program, BAMcinématek,
screens rarely seen contemporary work, classic films from cinema history, and
is a platform for community groups, local screenings, and festivals.”
MORE
ABOUT THE FILM and BYRON HURT
BEYOND BEATS AND RHYMES: A Hip-Hop Head
Weighs in on Manhood in Hip-Hop Culture (BBR) is a riveting documentary that
examines representations of gender roles in hip-hop and rap music through the
lens of filmmaker Byron Hurt, a former college quarterback turned activist.
Conceived as a “loving critique” from a self-proclaimed “hip-hop head,” Hurt
tackles issues of masculinity, sexism, violence, and homophobia in hip-hop
culture.
BBR features revealing interviews with
famous rappers including Mos Def, Fat Joe, Chuck D, Jadakiss, Busta Rhymes, and
hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons. It also features commentary from Michael Eric
Dyson, Beverly Guy-Sheftall, Kevin Powell, Sarah Jones and includes interviews
with young women at Spelman
College, a historically
black school and one of the nation’s leading liberal arts institutions. The
film provides thoughtful commentary from rap artists, industry executives, fans
and social critics from inside and outside the hip-hop generation.
BBR is a co-production of God Bless the
Child Productions, Inc. and the Independent Television Service (ITVS) in
association with the National Black Programming Consortium. The Executive
Producer is Stanley Nelson (renowned documentary filmmaker of The Murder of
Emmitt Till, Sweet Honey in the Rock: Raise Your Voice, and Jonestown,
scheduled for PBS broadcast in 2007. Nelson is also the recipient of the
MacArthur Foundation’s Genius Award). The Executive Producer for ITVS is Sally
Jo Fifer. The Co-Producer and Editor is Sabrina Schmidt Gordon.
Hurt, 36, is a long-time gender violence
prevention educator. He is a founding member and former associate director of
the Mentors in Violence Prevention program – the leading rape and domestic
violence prevention initiative in college and professional athletics. He is
also the former associate director of the first gender violence prevention
program in the United States Marine Corps.
* information made available from the
official “Sundance Institute at BAM” March 31, 2006 press release
Media inquiries regarding Byron Hurt and/or
BEYOND BEATES AND RHYMES are directed to AKILA WORKSONGS at 718.756.8501 or via
an email at pr@akilaworksongs.com.
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