BAM Rose Cinemas will screen a sneak preview of the long awaited, recently completed documentary film, “The Other Side of the Water,” August 28 at 4:30, 6:50 and 9:15 p.m.
For tickets, visit www.bam.org. To view a trailer of the film, go to www.othersideofthewater.org.
The film follows a group of young immigrants who take an ancient music from the hills of Haiti and reinvent it on the streets of Brooklyn. The journey of this unlikely band offers a unique insight into the Haitian-American experience — a rare glimpse into a world of roots music, traditional spirituality and cultural activism.
“The Other Side of the Water” tells the story of Djarara (Jah-Ra-Ra) that begins with the spontaneous explosion of rara in New York City two decades ago. The band then became a beacon of cultural pride for a new immigrant community constantly plagued by discrimination and shame.
On the 1990s, the civil chaos that erupted in Haiti and ongoing police brutality in New York pushed the band into becoming the driving force of the “Haitian civil rights movement.” The current day story follows the newest wave of Haitian immigrants who hit the scene with a radically different vision of the music. These young musicians force the band to redefine its identity while navigating the Christian community’s backlash against the music’s voodoo roots.
The screening also kicks off a yearlong series of educational events and interactive projects, utilizing the film’s multi-platform web-community, and centering around the film’s main web partners: http://haitixchange.com and Miami’s Backyard Movement, http://thebackyardshow.net.
The three shows will kick off the Labor Day/Carnival weekend at BAM, with Q&A’s following the 4:30 and 6:15 p.m. shows, and an after-party following the 9:15 p.m. screening.
The party will feature live music performances at Frank’s Lounge, 660 Fulton Street at Lafayette Avenue, around the corner from BAM Rose Cinemas. Admission is free with your ticket stub from any of the screenings of “The Other Side of the Water.”
Filmmakers Jeremy Robins and Magali Damas will be present for the Q&As. Guest performers at the after-party include members of Djarara, the Brooklyn-based rara band featured in the film, along with Haitian master drummers and special guests.
For more, visit www.othersideofthewater.org, email othersideofthewater@gmail.com or call 917-501-1502.
