REDCAT: “Cooley High showed a slice of urban life rarely seen in 'blaxploitation' movies of the time.” – NPR
Co-presented with The Broad. ARRAY @ The Broad is created and curated by Ava DuVernay.
Friendship, first loves and fatality are navigated by four young men in Cooley High, written by Eric Monte and directed by Michael Schultz. Set in 1960s Chicago, this coming-of-age story provides a slice-of-life look at both the light and grit of black teen spirit. The film's 1975 release provided a shift away from blaxploitation cinema common during that time and features breakout performances from Glynn Turman, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs, Garrett Morris, and Cynthia Davis. Curated by filmmaker Ava DuVernay (13TH, Selma).
A post-screening discussion with actor Glynn Turman, director Michael Schultz, and screenwriter Eric Monte will be moderated by Common. The screening of this classic film will serve as the springboard for a dynamic post-screening discussion with Cooley High actor Glynn Turman, director Michael Schultz, screenwriter Eric Monte,and rapper, actor, and film producer Common and about male identity and black images, and the representation of both in cinema and mainstream media.
ARRAY @ The Broad is an ongoing series featuring classic and contemporary films curated with an eye toward the intersection of art, history and cultural identity. With the cinematic image as the centerpiece, the series engages audiences through post-screening conversations with a spectrum of artists and scholars for an immersive exchange of ideas and insights beyond the screen that enliven many issues addressed by artists in the Broad collection. ARRAY, founded in 2010 by filmmaker Ava DuVernay, is an arts collective dedicated to the amplification of films by people of color and women filmmakers.
Purchase Tickets