Community Calendar

the University of Buffalo CAS Office for Diversity, Equity, and Belonging invite you to attend a screening of:
DARK CITY BENEATH THE BEAT
(followed by a virtual Q&A with TT the Artist)
Part of the ANCESTRAL ECHOES celebration of Dance throughout the African Diaspora
to celebrate Black History Month
4:00-5:15pm—Screening
5:15-5:45pm–Discussion

Rhythmic and raw, DARK CITY BENEATH THE BEAT (dir. TT the Artist, 2020, 65 min.) is a Baltimore club musical experience highlighting local Baltimore club artists, DJs, dancers and producers pioneering the sound while rising above social and economic turmoil. Inspired by an original Baltimore club music soundtrack, Dark City Beneath the Beat showcases Baltimore club music as a positive subculture in a city overshadowed by trauma, drugs and violence.

Following the film is a virtual conversation with the film’s director, TT the Artist. As she states, “Dark City Beneath the Beat is a unique journey through Baltimore. Some of the themes woven into the film include identifying social injustices that inner city youth face, street violence, marginalized groups such as the LGBTQ community and Baltimore’s underground creative hubs. I want to use this film as a window to those hidden figures who have defied the odds of growing up in Baltimore where there is the impact of trauma, high crime and drugs. In my practice, I work very closely with dancers and producers from all over the world. I am invested in using my resources and platform. As a leading figure in the local music scene, I will be bringing more awareness to the need for professional spaces that can house more non-traditional art making practices such as Baltimore club dance and music.” (courtesy of Film Freeway)

The news is full of disturbing images of overcrowded boats and vast tent camps. But how much do we really know about what refugees are going through? Khaled Jarrar’s Notes on Displacement (74 minutes, Palestine / Germany / Qatar, 2022) takes a deep dive by following a single family on a grueling journey: destination Germany. Their fear, disorientation, and solidarity is palpable.

Nadira, an elderly Palestinian, has been a refugee since the age of 12. Now she has to evacuate Damascus, too. She and her daughter Mona feared for their lives there, but the idea of a safe existence elsewhere is a distant dream. Filmmaker Khaled Jarrar receives unsettling videos and voice messages as they cross to the Greek island of Lesbos. He joins them there, on the long road to a new life.

Jarrar has personal reasons for going through this experience in order to eliminate, through his own images, the distance so dominant in Western media coverage. He worms his way through the thronging crowds, gets lost in the night with his group, discovers how dangerous language barriers can be, and wanders around in the dehumanizing camps. And in a sense he—along with the viewer— becomes a true member of this family.

For attendees: The screening will take place at Burning Books located at 420 Conneticut Street, Buffalo, NY 14213. Street parking is available. For transportation by bus, it is near stops for the 3, 19, 22, and 101 bus lines. Seating is first-come, first-serve.

This screening is presented as part of Squeaky Wheel Film & Media Art Center's series, Infiltrators: Two films by Alex Rivera, two films by Khaled Jarrar. Support for this program is provided by Teiger Foundation and the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. Film courtesy of Cinema Politica.

The Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival World Tour returns to Jamestown for its 50th Anniversary featuring the world’s best mountain sport, culture, and environmental films. Each night features different films, sure to amaze, inspire and educate.

Your Banff ticket also includes an all-access weekend pass, April 24-26, to The Roger Tory Peterson Institute, located a short ten-minute drive from downtown Jamestown. Hike our nature trails through the Peterson Preserve, then come inside The Lodge – designed by famed architect Robert A.M. Stern – and check out our latest exhibitions, including Art that Matters to the Planet: Beyond Beauty.

The Banff Centre Mountain Film Festival World Tour returns to Jamestown for its 50th Anniversary featuring the world’s best mountain sport, culture, and environmental films. Each night features different films, sure to amaze, inspire and educate.

Your Banff ticket also includes an all-access weekend pass, April 24-26, to The Roger Tory Peterson Institute, located a short ten-minute drive from downtown Jamestown. Hike our nature trails through the Peterson Preserve, then come inside The Lodge – designed by famed architect Robert A.M. Stern – and check out our latest exhibitions, including Art that Matters to the Planet: Beyond Beauty.