The U.S. and Canadian distribution rights to the newly restored film documenting the historic National Black Political Convention of 1972 have been acquired by Kino Lorber. The Sidney Poitier-narrated documentary is planned to be released on October 23 in virtual cinemas through the distributor’s Kino Marquee label.
Delegates in the documentary include Black Panther co-founder Bobby Seale, Coretta Scott King, Pan-African artist and activist Amiri Bakara, PUSH founder Rev. Jesse Jackson, and many more. Over 10,000 Black politicians, activists and artists gathered at the event along with more than 500 media representatives.
“With the Black Lives Matter movement at the forefront and our country heading into the 2020 political conventions, we are proud to release the complete cut of Nationtime,” said Richard Lorber, President and CEO of Kino Lorber. “We hope that the spirit and energy of the National Black Political Convention of 1972 will be a reminder of how much work still needs to be done to push for racial equality for all Black people in our country.”
The convention was originally considered too radical for TV broadcast and had circulated in a heavily edited 60-minute version. In 2018, the full-length version was discovered in a Pittsburgh warehouse and restored in 4K by IndieCollect, supervised by Louise Greaves and funded by Jane Fonda and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association Trust.
“A turning point in the struggle for self-determination and equal rights, the National Black Political Convention of 1972 adjourned without reaching consensus and some deemed it a failure,” Greaves said. “But the cry of Nationtime reverberates as America continues to wrestle with its legacy of slavery. I know Bill would be absolutely thrilled that Nationtime is being released nationwide at this critical moment in our history.”
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