Filmmaker Charles Burnett To Appear At Special Retrospective For Two Of His Groundbreaking Films

As part of its 30th Anniversary programming, renowned Highways Performance Space will present on Friday, August 2 and Saturday, August 3, a special two-night film retrospective and benefit that pays tribute to 2017 Honorary Oscar recipient and legendary filmmaker, Charles Burnett, with the debut of Highways O.U.R. retroSPECTIVE film series and its first installation, "Charles Burnett: A Cinematic Social Conscience."

The Burnett films being featured are two of his most socially impactful films: Nightjohn (1996) starring Carl Lumbly (Supergirl, Zoo), as the enslaved title character who's secret ability to read becomes a dangerous liability; and The Glass Shield (1996) starring Michael Boatman (The Good Fight, Spin City) and Lori Petty (Orange Is The New Black, A League Of Their Own), as new sheriff deputies trying to fight corruption and police brutality-unfortunately, still major issues today. In fact, though The Glass Shield was theatrically distributed in 1995 (featuring Ice Cube in his third released film role), it was first shown at Switzerland's Locarno Film Festival in August 1994. Therefore, the August 3 screening is essentially a special 25th Anniversary presentation of the film.

On having a retrospective for two of his films that are often overshadowed by his other classics, such as Killer of Sheep-one of the first 50 films named to the Library of Congress National Film Registry, and the award- winning To Sleep with Anger, also on the National Film Registry, Burnett says, "I am absolutely grateful to have films that still are embraced, such as Killer of Sheep and To Sleep with Anger. However, having Highways showcase two films that are relevant to our current historical, societal and political discourse, is also very rewarding." In addition, Burnett looks forward to sharing the Q&A segment with each film's leads. Revered in the industry for being modest despite his accolades, Burnett said, "To have Carl, Michael and Lori join me for their film's respective Q&A means a lot. Especially for them to take the time, with their already busy schedules." Indeed the three are still very active in the business.

And while Highways is best known as a venue for dance, spoken word, music, innovative multimedia and performance projects, with a projection/screen system made possible by a City of Santa Monica grant, Highways also plans on becoming a destination for intimate film presentations. This also includes Highways initiative to reacquaint audiences with special films through the O.U.R. retroSPECTIVE film series, which will be an ongoing endeavor. In fact, "O.U.R." stands for Overlooked, Underappreciated and Rediscovered films.

And with an emphasis on "rediscovered", it is no accident that Highways selected Burnett as the first filmmaker showcased in the O.U.R. retroSPECTIVE film series. Highways Artistic Director, Patrick Kennelly, notes, "I am thrilled Highways is recognizing Charles Burnett in the inaugural entry for our new series that recognizes filmmakers and films that we'd like more of the public to know about. Even with Charles being a filmmaker's filmmaker and receiving industry recognition with his Honorary Oscar, still not enough people know about Charles and his place as a seminal figure in film history." Kennelly continues, "More personally, he has been a mentor ever since I took a class with him at CalArts in the early aughts. The rigor, intelligence, compassion, and honesty of his work across diverse histories and storytelling formats is a true example of sticking to one's vision, and telling the story in the way it was always meant to be told. He should serve as a model for ALL aspiring filmmakers." Indeed those filmmakers can also look at Burnett going from South Central LA to UCLA's School of Theater, Film & Television to being an esteemed member of not only the DGA, but the WGA and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, as well as lauded around the world.

Burnett also has a history with Highways, as Highways Executive Director, Leo Garcia recounts, "Highways is honored to have Charles Burnett as one of our directing alumni. Charles' collaborations with our invited artist brought four great works to our space. Each work revealed the emotional world of real people, explored identity and voiced the individual pursuit for love. Charles' mastery in film directing translated to live theater performance with fierceness denouncing stereotypes and clichés all along the way and at the same time served our mission to develop works that deal with political, social, psychological and personal narratives. We are glad that he also thinks of Highways as a home for his work." With that in mind, Garcia also emphasized, "As we have demonstrated with Charles, Highways is always open for film, TV and digital creatives to bring their passion projects to Highways to workshop, to stage or to screen."

For the "Charles Burnett: A Cinematic Social Conscience" retrospective, Nightjohn screens on Friday, August 2 at 7:30 pm followed by a Q&A with Charles Burnett and Carl Lumbly (who has done four projects with Burnett), and The Glass Shield screens on Saturday, August 3 at 7:30 pm followed by a Q&A with Charles Burnett, Lori Petty and Michael Boatman, and closes with a dessert reception. Before the Nightjohn screening, a reception begins at 6:45 pm.

For each night the tickets are General Admission @ $20 and Seniors/Students @ $15 with ID. There is a special two-night pass for General Admission @ $35 and Seniors/Students @ $25 with ID. Tickets are available online at www.highwaysperformance.org. Please note that seating is limited, and purchasing online before the event is recommended.

Highways Performance Space is a 501(c)3 nonprofit, and located 1651 18th Street, Santa Monica, CA 90404 on the 18th Street Arts Center premises. Call (310) 453-1755 for any questions or further information.

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