Documentary film on the Black Panther Party to be screened on Friday, April 7, 2017 at UAlbany

Emmy Award-winning film director Stanley Nelson and producer Marcia Smith will provide commentary following the screening

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Still from the documentary "The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution" (2015, 115 minutes)

ALBANY, NY (03/13/2017) (readMedia)-- THE BLACK PANTHERS: VANGUARD OF THE REVOLUTION (United States, 2015, 115 minutes, color and b/w, directed by Stanley Nelson) will be shown on Friday, April 7, 2017 at 7:00 p.m. [note early start time] in Page Hall, 135 Western Avenue on the University at Albany's downtown campus. The screening will be followed by commentary and Q & A with the film's director Stanley Nelson, and producer Marcia Smith. Sponsored by the New York State Writers Institute and UAlbany's School of Criminal Justice, the screening is free and open to the public.

This feature length documentary explores the remarkable history of the Black Panther Party, its formation and ultimate downfall, and its cultural and political significance to the broader American culture. Nikki Baughan of the Alliance of Women Film Journalists, called the film "Compelling and incisive," and said, "The most shocking aspect...is how painfully relevant its message still is." The film premiered at Sundance, aired on PBS, and received awards for Best Documentary from the Image Awards and the National Board of Review.

Stanley Nelson is an Emmy Award-winning documentary filmmaker and recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship. He was awarded the National Humanities Medal by President Obama in 2014. Nelson's other films include FREEDOM RIDERS, JONESTOWN: THE LIFE AND DEATH OF PEOPLE'S TEMPLE, and THE MURDER OF EMMETT TILL, among others.

Marcia Smith, president of Firelight Media, has written numerous films for PBS, including WOUNDED KNEE, JONESTOWN: THE LIFE AND DEATH OF PEOPLE'S TEMPLE, MARCUS GARVEY: LOOK FOR ME IN THE WHIRLWIND, and THE MURDER OF EMMETT TILL. She has garnered every major award in television.

The screening is sponsored in conjunction with UAlbany's School of Criminal Justice's "Justice & Multiculturalism in the 21st Century: Crime, Justice, and Public Memory Film Series."

For additional information contact the Writers Institute at 518-442-5620 or online at http://www.albany.edu/writers-inst.

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