Sweet Sweetback's Baadassss Song

“Van Peebles' celluloid classic shook up the world of cinema much as a brash young pugilist originally known as Cassius Clay had done in the boxing ring some years earlier. The film merged European modernism and the avant-garde with the urgent demands of black power, creating a cinematic document echoing sentiments articulated in the urban streets of 1970s America.” – Todd Boyd, The Root

Included in MoMA’s permanent collection and considered to be among the most significant features ever by an African-American filmmaker, Sweet Sweetback’s is a brutal and shocking story of survival and is credited as one of the first blaxploitation films. Director/writer/producer/editor/composer Melvin Van Peebles stars as a black orphan raised in a brothel and groomed to be a sex show performer. Set up by his boss and two corrupt cops for a murder he didn’t commit, Sweetback escapes custody and is thrust into an increasingly hallucinogenic world of violence and bigotry where no one can be trusted, and the possibility of death lurks at every corner... Featuring a rousing score from a nascent Earth, Wind, & Fire, as well as surrealist visuals from stalwart genre cinematographer Robert Maxwell (The Candy Snatchers), Van Peebles creates an unforgettable study of perseverance in the face of racism.

This screening will be introduced by Carter Jackson-Brown...Miami-based curator and Founder/Creative Director of Ad Hoc Cinema; a traveling film+music presentation series and after-school film program.

After Hours is the best films you never saw on the big screen (or maybe you did) from late-night cult classics to foreign favorites and even summer blockbusters on weekends. Please note that unclaimed pre-ordered tickets will be sold to the rush line 30 mins after showtime.

Check out the rest of our After Hours program!