FOR VENIDA, FOR KALIEF (95 minutes) is a cinematic journey into the profound legacy of Kalief Browder, who at age 16 was sent to New York’s notorious Rikers Island jail for allegedly stealing a backpack. After three years of solitary confinement, he was released without charge, but later committed suicide at the age of 22. His mother, Venida Brodnax Browder found solace in writing poetry before dying from broken heart syndrome.

This is not just a film about incarceration, but one that is about giving a complex humanity to people and communities (Black, Latino, Indigenous, Middle Eastern, and Asian) plagued by these issues. The film is an intentional weaving of verité, poetic visuals, rare archival imagery of 1970s New York, and most importantly, deep emotions. The film is a tender journey and exploration into the past, present and future, and delivers nuance and understanding about the long vicious cycle of mass incarceration over the last 50 years. It culminates in the contemporary movement to transform Rikers Island - one of the world’s most notorious jails - into a renewable energy center. This film intertwines spirituality and advocacy, while crafting a cinematic experience that re-imagines the “criminal justice” documentary as a poetic collage.

See the film and hear from the director, Sisa Bueno and others.  CART provided. Light refreshments.

Presented by the Documentary Forum at CCNY and Third World Newsreel and the Black Studies Department at CCNY.

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