Milwaukee Film’s lineup of Black History Month movies at the Oriental Theatre includes a mix of celebrity, horror and history.
The month of movies celebrating the Black experiences starts Feb. 1 with a screening of “Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé,” the behind-the-scenes concert movie recounting the music and cultural icon’s tour from start to finish.
Halle Berry and Eddie Murphy star in “Boomerang,” the ahead-of-its-time 1992 romantic comedy.
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Other highlights in the lineup, curated by Milwaukee Film’s Black Lens program, include “Boomerang,” the first-rate 1992 romantic comedy starring Eddie Murphy, Robin Givens, Eartha Kitt and Halle Berry; the acclaimed 2022 horror-thriller “Nanny,” with Anna Diop; and “Invisible Beauty,” an award-winning documentary about pioneering Black model Bethann Hardison.
“Nanny” (Nov. 23, theaters; Dec 16, Amazon Prime Video): The horror film stars Anna Diop (left, with Michelle Monaghan) as a Senegalese immigrant working as a nanny in New York City unnerved by violent visions as a visit from her son comes closer.
Anna Diop (left, with Michelle Monaghan) plays a Senegalese immigrant working as a nanny in New York City who’s unnerved by violent visions as a … Show more
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The series closes Feb. 29 with “Gaining Ground: The Fight for Black Land,” a 2023 documentary exploring the causes and solutions behind the dwindling amount of Black-owned farmland across the country.
“This film series is dedicated to the theme of reclamation — reclaiming ourselves, our stories, our genres, and our vibrant futures,” filmmaker and Black Lens programmer Marquise Mays said in a statement from Milwaukee Film.
The full lineup for Milwaukee Film’s Black History Month (tickets are $12, unless noted otherwise):
Feb. 1: 7 p.m., “Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé” ($22).
Feb. 3: noon, “The 50,” a documentary about a revolutionary program training prison inmates to be substance abuse counselors behind bars.
Feb. 8: 7 p.m., “Boomerang,” with a post-screening discussion.
Feb. 10: noon, “Treasured Heirlooms,” a program of short films showing Black people around the world working to preserve their cultural heritage.
Feb. 15: 7 p.m. “Nanny,” with a post-screening discussion.
Feb. 17: noon, “Invisible Beauty.”
Feb. 20: 7 p.m., “Girl,” in which a mother and daughter cling to each other for support and survival.
Feb. 24: noon, “Know Your Place,” in which a teenage Eritrean American boy has to make his way across a gentrifying Seattle to deliver a heavy suitcase being sent to a sick family member in his parents’ homeland.
Feb. 29: 7 p.m., “Gaining Ground: The Fight for Black Land.”
For tickets and more info, go to mkefilm.org.