Bastards of the Party, 2006, 90 min
Dir. Cle “Bone” Sloane

In conjunction with the exhibition “Emory Douglas: Black Panther” at the New Museum, Jessica Green and Philip Maysles of Maysles Cinema have selected a series of films illuminating the history and legacy of the Black Panther Party with the guidance of Panther archivist Billy X Jennings. The series features three screenings at the New Museum on July 25, September 12, and October 17 with three additional screenings at Maysles Cinema in Harlem.

Program 2: Saturday, October 17, 3 p.m.
Bastards of the Party, 2006, 90 min
Dir. Cle “Bone” Sloane
Told from the perspective of a former Blood, Cle “Bone” Sloan expounds upon author Mike Davis’s contention that, “The Crips and the Bloods are the bastard offspring of the political parties of the 1960s.” The film lays forth the history of the South Central Los Angeles African American community from its westward migration through the political turmoil of the ’60s, the drug wars, and the social dead end of gang violence.  Bone elucidates the process through which a community’s political struggle devolved into self-destructive violence in order to raise a conversation about internal solutions to gang violence. 

Maysles Cinema is a nonprofit theater dedicated to the presentation of documentary film and video. The cinema fosters a democratic viewing experience by selecting and presenting movies in collaboration with independent filmmakers, programmers, critics, local film clubs, and organizations. Maysles Cinema is located at 343 Malcolm X Blvd/Lenox Avenue, between 127th and 128th Streets.

“Emory Douglas: Black Panther” is curated by Sam Durant for the New Museum. Its presentation is organized by Laura Hoptman, Kraus Family Senior Curator, with Amy Mackie, Curatorial Assistant.

All images © 2009 Emory Douglas / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York