Regular: $14 / $10 Matinee
Members: $10 / $5 Matinee
By turns kinetic and intimate, WHY IS WE AMERICANS? is an in-depth, cinematic exploration of Newark’s legendary Baraka family, the patriarch of which being the one and only Amiri Baraka (formerly known as LeRoi Jones), one of the most prodigious African American poet/playwright/activists of our time. From the Newark Rebellion of 1967 to current day, the city’s narrative has been one of revolution with each generation picking up where the previous had left off. WHY IS WE AMERICANS? weighs in on Newark’s struggle against oppression through the personal triumphs and tragedies of the Baraka family — from Amiri’s civil rights leadership and ultimate artistic marginalization, to the horrific murder of his sister, Kimako, through the homicide of daughter Shani (one of the first openly gay black activists) to the historic election of Ras Baraka as mayor of Newark, NJ…and through it all, it is the matriarch, Amina Baraka, who emerges as the story’s lodestar and moral compass. Spanning decades of social activism, poetry, music, art, and politics, this kaleidoscopic family saga is framed by on-camera interviews with Ms. Lauryn Hill and local civil rights leaders, rare archival footage and revealing personal testimonials. As we connect with the iconoclastic poet Amiri Baraka, his wife, Amina, and their son, Ras, a portrait of a city emerges with an inspiring call to arms in the fight for class and racial justice.
Q&A with co-directors Udi Aloni and Ayana Stafford-Morris to follow Saturday’s free screening.
Presented in Partnership with
All screenings at The Clairidge require proof of vaccination and masks when not eating or drinking. Please visit this page for our full set of COVID-19 safety protocols.
College students confront sexual violence on their campus through a transformative theater process. This urgent coming of age story follows young people grappling with sex, consent, identity, and power on their paths to adulthood.
An expansive and revelatory inside look at John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s life in Greenwich Village in the early 1970s, ONE TO ONE: JOHN & YOKO delivers an immersive cinematic experience that brings to life electrifying, never-before-seen material and newly restored footage of John and Yoko’s only full-length concert.
King Arthur, along with his squire and his Knights of the Round Table, embarks on a fearless quest in search of the elusive Holy Grail.
Fabled English record producer Mark Pritchard, luminary songwriter Thom Yorke and groundbreaking visual artist Jonathan Zawada present Tall Tales – a debut collaborative visual and audio cinema experience a decade in the making.
A cursed warrior stumbles into a bitter war between a girl raised by wolves and the people of Iron Town in this masterpiece from Hayao Miyazaki.
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