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Drylongso, dir. Cauleen Smith, USA 1998, 86 min., English
A lost treasure of 1990s DIY filmmaking, Cauleen Smith’s Drylongso embeds an incisive look at racial injustice within a lovingly handmade buddy movie / murder mystery / romance. Alarmed by the rate at which the young Black men around her are dying – indeed, “becoming extinct,” as she sees it – brash Oakland art student Pica (Toby Smith) attempts to preserve their existence in Polaroid snapshots, along the way forging a friendship with a woman in an abusive relationship (April Barnett), experiencing love and loss, and being drawn into the search for a serial killer who is terrorizing the city. Capturing the vibrant community spirit of Oakland in the nineties, Smith crafts both a rare cinematic celebration of Black female creativity and a moving elegy for a generation of lost African American men.
The film was restored in 4k by the Criterion Collection, Janus Films, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, supervised by director Cauleen Smith.
The screening will be followed by a conversation with artist-filmmaker Rachel Jones, hosted by Shasha Movies founder Róisín Tapponi.
Ticket information
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All films are ad-free and 18+ unless otherwise stated, and start with a 10 min. curated selection of trailers.
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no. 236848.