This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, July 17, 2011 - Two acclaimed documentaries about African-American music and a classic adventure saga starring Danny Glover will be among the highlights of the St. Louis Black Film Festival, to be held Monday and Tuesday, July 18 and 19, at the Tivoli Theater, 6350 Delmar Blvd., University City.
Four features and four short films will be shown, with separate admissions required for each one. Ticket prices begin at $6.50 and depend in part on the length of the film. For further information, see the "St. Louis Black Film Festival" site on Facebook.
Monday, July 18
3:30 p.m. "Katrina's Son." 18 minutes. A boy who lost his grandmother to Hurricane Katrina goes to Texas in search of the mother who abandoned him.
4 p.m. "Sole of a Hustla." 1 hour. A Memphis street hustler tries to make it big in the athletic shoe business.
5 p.m. "Cornerstore." 1 hour, 23 minutes. A comedy about the lively affairs revolving around a Detroit neighborhood liquor store.
7:15 p.m. "Age of Dragons." 1 hour, 31 minutes. In a fantasy rendering of "Moby Dick," Danny Glover and crew pursue the Great White Dragon.
Tuesday, July 19
3:30 p.m. "For Flow." 18 minutes. Two rappers wait on a lonely Bronx street corner for a record producer they hope will change their lives.
4 p.m. "Up from the Bottoms: The Search for the American Dream." 58 minutes. African Americans in their 80s and 90s reminisce about migrating to Michigan during World War II in search of jobs. Narrated by Cicely Tyson with comments by Dick Gregory.
5:20 p.m. "Soul Power." 1 hour, 33 minutes. A lively documentary about the 1974 soul music concert held in Zaire in connection with the Muhammad Ali-George Foreman fight. The likes of James Brown perform, but the ebullient quips of Ali steal the show.
7:15 p.m. "Rejoice and Shout." 1 hour, 55 minutes. A rousing documentary traces the evolution of gospel music from spirituals and hymns to the era of hip hop. Many great gospel performers appear, including the Blind Boys of Alabama, the Dixie Hummingbirds, Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Mahalia Jackson.
Harper Barnes, the author of Never Been A Time: The 1917 Race Riot That Sparked The Civil Rights Movement, is a special contributor to the Beacon. .