Filmmaker Haile Gerima (below) visited Syracuse to screen his film Teza last week during the Grassroots Media Convention.
I previously covered Chuck D when he spoke at the Convention a few years ago.
Haile Gerima
Teza is a very intimate portrait of a man who comes of age during the modernization of Ethiopia.
The deep exploration of character in Teza reminds me a lot of Charles Burnett’s films.
Gerima, who teaches at Howard University, says criticism and analysis are the bridge that joins the artist and the community.
“Cinema is not benign entertainment, but don’t confuse noise with culture,” he said.