Film about Zora Neale Hurston coming to CCU
Following the screening, filmmaker Kristy Andersen will talk about the film and her work as a filmmaker during a public reception in the Wall lobby.
The film will also be shown at 3 p.m. at CCU's Waccamaw Higher Education Center in Litchfield on the same day. There is no admission for this screening, and Anderson will be present at a meet-and-greet after the film.
The 2008 documentary follows the life and career of writer Zora Neale Hurston (1891-1960), a major figure in the Harlem Renaissance who is also considered the first black anthropologist in the United States. Born to former slaves, she wrote four novels and more than 50 short stories, essays and plays. Her remarkable life was marked by tragedy and scandal, and she died in poverty and obscurity.
Hurston's most famous book, "Their Eyes Were Watching God," has been translated into eight languages and was recently made into a movie by Oprah Winfrey starring Halle Berry. This documentary includes rare footage shot by Hurston in the 1920s and 1940s, along with interviews with Maya Angelou, Henry Louis Gates and Alice Walker.
Andersen began her work in media with television stations in Florida, after which she worked for C-SPAN and the House of Representatives Recording Studio in Washington D.C. Her film credits include "Bay Bottom Blues" and "Sea Turtles Last Dance," for which she received an Emmy. Andersen currently runs her own production company, Bay Bottom News.
The film is presented by the 2010-2011 Southern Circuit Tour of Independent Filmmakers, a program of South Arts, and by an award from National Endowment for the Arts.
Tickets may be picked up at the Wheelwright Box Office from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Tickets are also available at the door. For more information, call the Wheelwright Box Office at 843-349-2502. The Wall Auditorium is located at 119 Chanticleer Drive East in Conway.