Playback’s opening night honors this year’s curators, Questlove, Bryan Stevenson, and John Turturro. The night begins with a celebratory procession with our curators and hosts, including introductions from Nicholas Ma and Spike Lee, before a screening of Crooklyn (1994), Spike Lee’s deeply touching portrait of the city. In partnership with The Soapbox Presents.
Dir. Spike Lee1994115 min
It’s an all-day, free party outside of BAM Rose Cinemas! Join Playback and The Soapbox Presents to celebrate local Brooklyn artists, musicians, and our community. Featuring music from local Brooklyn DJs, Bring Your Own Vinyl, and the work of artist Katie Merz, enjoy double dutch, food and drink, and more. Come for a movie, and stay for the party!
Groundbreaking and profoundly influential, The Battle of Algiers (1966), directed by Gillo Pontecorvo, portrays the Algerian fight for independence from France in the 1950s as violence and brutality escalate.
Dir. Gillo Pontecorvo1966121 min
John Turturro’s Pick
Nominated for four Academy Awards, Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund’s City of God (2002) is an epic tale following two young men during the rise of organized crime in 1970s Rio de Janeiro.
Dir. Fernando Meirelles, Kátia Lund2002130 min
Bryan Stevenson’s Pick
Martin Scorsese’s darkly comedic satire on fame and obsession, The King of Comedy (1982), stars Robert De Niro as a struggling comedian who kidnaps a late-night talk show host (Jerry Lewis) in hopes of stand-up stardom.
Dir. Martin Scorsese1982109 min
Questlove’s Pick
Soul to Soul, Denis Sanders’s 1971 documentary about the Independence Day concert in Accra celebrating Ghana’s anniversary of independence, features performances by Wilson Pickett, Ike and Tina Turner, Santana, Roberta Flack, and the Staple Singers alongside Ghanaian artists.
Dir. Denis Sanders197196 min
Questlove’s Pick
In Pietro Germi’s Academy Award-winning Divorce Italian Style (1961), a Sicilian nobleman, unable to legally divorce, plots to entrap his wife in an affair in order to commit an honor killing.
Dir. Pietro Germi1961105 min
John Turturro’s Pick
In Mira Nair’s Academy Award-nominated, Caméra d’Or-winning Salaam Bombay! (1988), young Krishna (Shafiq Syed) is sent to a traveling circus to earn money to repair his brother’s bike that he destroyed, but soon winds up in the slums of Bombay.
Dir. Mira Nair1988113 min
Bryan Stevenson’s Pick
