Creatively SpeakingLive at the MIST Theatre Harlem NY11.25

Hosts Michelle Materre and Aisha Karefa-Smart broadcasts live from the MIST Theatre enjoying the grand opening of The My Image Studio Theatre (MIST) in Harlem, NY and the premiere of the film Otelo Burning. MIST Harlem (My Image Studios) is New York City’s long-anticipated new cultural entertainment center that’s poised to become a leading showcase for independent black and Latino cinema. Designed by A. Jay Hibbs of Hibbs Architects in Wappingers Falls, New York, MIST Harlem boasts 20,000 square feet with three state-of-the-art theaters-two with 92-seats each and a third with 164 seats to present film, music, live spoken word, and theater from African and Latino Diaspora. The new venue also features a 130-seat restaurant named Harvist, a lobby bar, as well as an outdoor bar and dining area.

OTELO BURNING also won the Golden Owl Audience Award for Best Film at Cinerama BC Brazil and Best South African Film at the Cape Winelands Film Festival.
Based on true events, the story unfolds as three teenage friends – Otelo, New Year, and Mandla – look for an escape through a time of turmoil in the township of Lamontville, South Africa and discover freedom through the joy of surfing. Shot in picturesque Durban, OTELO BURNING is a strikingly dynamic portrait of hope and growth for a group of proud adolescents and a nation itself.

The next film will be Elza. Elza is inspired by director Mariette Monpierre’s personal story of searching for her biological father in her native Guadeloupe. With a reported 50% of African American and Caribbean children estranged from their fathers, the issue that Monpierre addresses is a real one. In many cases, these communities have a history of slavery, while in others the father simply neglects his responsibilities. As the story unfolds, the deep-rooted
ELZA presents a breathtaking look at the troubling hardships that lay beneath the sun-kissed Caribbean island.