Cauleen Smith
United States
1998
A lost treasure of 1990s DIY filmmaking, Cauleen Smith’s Drylongso embeds an incisive look at racial injustice within a lovingly handmade buddy movie/murder mystery/romance. Alarmed by the rate at which the young Black men around her are dying—indeed, “becoming extinct,” as she sees it—brash Oakland art student Pica (Toby Smith) attempts to preserve their existence in Polaroid snapshots, along the way forging a friendship with a woman in an abusive relationship (April Barnett), experiencing love and loss, and being drawn into the search for a serial killer who is terrorizing the city. Capturing the vibrant community spirit of Oakland in the nineties, Smith crafts both a rare cinematic celebration of Black female creativity and a moving elegy for a generation of lost African American men.
This event is part of our monthly film screening series, See/Saw, an ongoing program of experimental, avant-garde, indie, arthouse, and outsider films. Seating is limited. $10 in advance or at the door. $5 for students and members. Films start at 7:30pm.
This event is also part of our annual Summer Simmer arts festival:
Join us at Artcite Inc. for a week of summer arts festivities! Kicking off with a pop-up night market and concluding with a potluck and poetry party, this is community-building at its finest. Film screenings, art-making, live DJs, drum circles, improv comedy, open mic, tie-dying, food eating, vibe sharing and more! See you there!
