Raising Bertie: Block Museum - Northwestern University
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Raising Bertie

Raising Bertie
Cinema
April
5
7 PM

Event Details

Date & Time:

Thu April 5, 2018
7 PM

Location:

The Block Museum of Art
40 Arts Circle Drive
Evanston, IL 60208

Audience:

Open to the public

Details:

This new documentary about black teenagers fighting to stay afloat in rural North Carolina maintains the urgent, socially-engaged tradition of Kartemquin Films (Hoop Dreams). Chicago-based first-time director Margaret Byrne confronts grim circumstances with a hopeful, forceful vision.

 

Raising Bertie

Thursday, April 5, 2018 7:00 PM FREE
(Margaret Byrne, 2016, USA, DCP, 102 min)


Proving again that the personal is political and the local is universal, this documentary about black teenagers fighting to stay afloat in rural North Carolina covers many urgent and poignant subjects: systemic threats to African American men, women, and families; the fraying of the social safety net, and the grassroots heroes who try to craft substitutes; working-class anxieties beyond urban centers; and daily life in a highly gerrymandered state. First-time director Margaret Byrne earned sufficient trust from her subjects to capture the highs and lows of their lives in tender, specific detail. From Chicago-based Kartemquin Films, the same company that produced Hoop Dreams, this overlooked gem similarly rouses our emotions and our political wills. Prospects look grim at times, but the movie’s heart stays hopeful and strong.

Copresented with Northwestern University’s Gender & Sexuality Studies program

In Person: Margaret Byrne

Contact The Block Museum of Art for more information: (847) 491-4000 or email us at block-museum@northwestern.edu