Hale County this Morning, This Evening

Preceded by an introduction by Nora Bess and Sydney Harper

An intimate portrait of a Black community in Hale County, Alabama, RaMell Ross’ tender, Oscar nominated 2018 documentary offers a depiction of the American South rarely seen in mainstream media. Grounded in curiosity and empathy, Ross, who started the film while working as a basketball coach in the community, employs nonfiction filmmaking as a tool to rupture racist aesthetic frameworks that have historically constricted the expression of African American men on film. In doing so, he asks what it means to dream and to see. 

“Film is one of the most powerful tools we have to affect the way we see others and see ourselves and Ross uses this tool deftly. The American South is so often seen from the outside as a monolith of specific ideals and views and this film helps show the complexity, contradictions, and beauty of life that exists within communities there with a loving and caring eye.” - Nora Bess

Nora Bess is a Berlin-based cultural manager and marketing leader. In addition to serving as the project manager for SİNEMA TRANSTOPIA’s biannual symposium, Cinema of Commoning, she also leads communications and partnerships at Cinelogue. She is originally from Washington, D.C.

Sydney Harper is an audio producer, currently based in Berlin as a Fulbright Fellow where she is conducting research on Afro-German identity. After completing her fellowship she will go on to teach in the New York City public school system. She previously worked as an audio producer for The New York Times and NPR.