Fam, we’ve all done it.
Imagined hosting a party with our favorite historical heroes.
Imagined sitting at the feet of deceased and if we’re lucky, living legends we admire.
Imagined looking back and forth like you’re at a tennis match as extraordinary intellectuals debated and reminisced about art, politics and culture.
Well, 54 years ago, genre-defying filmmaker William Greaves didn’t just imagine it. He created what he considered the most important event he ever captured on film — his documentary, ONCE UPON A TIME IN HARLEM.
For four hours, this amazing collective – many of whom hadn’t connected in five decades – argued, laughed, and wrestled with their cultural purpose in the rapidly changing 1972 landscape in Duke Ellington’s livingroom.
Aaron Douglas, the father of African American art, was in that room. So were activist-educator, Louise Patterson, Ragtime composer, Eubie Blake, journalist-society editor, Gerri Major, and John Henrik Clarke, the pioneer of Pan-African and African studies.
But for 50 years, the documentary sat unfinished until William’s son David completed it.
Now newly restored, the 16 mm film offers a rare glimpse into the heart of the Harlem Renaissance. And it help us understand how our culture is not only passed from one generation to another, but also how artists are integral to keeping our culture alive.
As a writer, this message especially resonates with me, because of the socio-cultural climate we’re all trudging through right now.
And after watching the trailer, I can’t wait to enjoy NEON’s “Once Upon a Time in Harlem,” hitting theaters on October 16th!
It’s the only film this year to screen at Sundance, Cannes, Telluride, TIFF, NYFF and London, and it’s at 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. So, you know it’s amazing, Fam.
Now, we need folks to know “Once Upon a Time in Harlem” exists. So, could you do me a favor, and help me SPREAD THE WORD?
Using whatsomever time you have, please:
SHARE my post: https://monicemitchellsimms.com/2026/09/08/once-upon-a-time-in-harlem/
COMMENT on one of the film’s posts.
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Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/reel/
X: https://x.com/neonrated/
REPOST one of them or put it on your Stories. TAG @neonrated and @onceuponatimeinharlem2026 so they see it.
Every little bit helps, Fam. Let’s do it for the culture!
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