A Litany for Survival & National Poetry Month Celebration
In celebration of National Poetry Month, Reel Sisters and Third World Newsreel will present a screening of the newly restored documentary A Litany For Survival in tribute to legendary Harlem born poet/activist Audre Lorde. The screening will be held on Sat., April 18, 2026, 5:35 pm at the Maysles Documentary Center as a part of Reel Sisters spring Harlem Tea & Cinema Series. The Maysles Documentary Center is located at 343 Lenox Ave. (cor. 127 Street). Michele Avery, Reel Sisters Curator, will lead the film talk.
The film showcase will be held from 4 pm-7:30 pm. Tickets: $7.
A filmmaking workshop led by award-winning filmmaker Eunice Levis will be held from 2 pm-3:30 pm. To register for the workshop visit www.reelsisters.org.
SCHEDULE – APRIL 18, 2026
2 pm-3:30 pm – The Art of the Pivot – Eunice Levis, director of Ro & the Stardust
BREAK – Networking Break
4 pm-5 pm – Harlem Shorts Showcase – TBA
5:35 pm-7:30 pm – A Litany for Survival
Harlem tea & cinema showcase 2026
Sweet Boys
Producer: Seamus Boyle
Director/Writer: Natasha Rivera
narrative, 14:43 min.
Sweet Boys is a love letter to youth, East Harlem and the kids I knew growing up.
Inspired by a poem and the spirit of the early 2000s, we follow two friends go down different paths.
Rainbow Girls
Producer: Raman Nimmala
Director/Writer: Nana Duffuor
narrative, 15:55 min.
As San Francisco’s tech boom gentrifies their city, three young black trans women decide to take matters into their own hands by staging an audacious heist targeting the city’s most exclusive luxury brands.
Finals
Producers: Mya Baker, Tamara Hood, Sal Munir, Shanequa Reed
Director/Writer: Mya Baker
narrative, 16 min.
In Finals, the audience is immersed in the harrowing realities of a school shooting, experienced through the eyes of 16-year-old Sullivan Lands, an introverted teenager grappling with inner demons. The narrative unfolds in these key scenes that build tension, providing insight into the characters and their lives.
Featured film - 5:35 pm
A LITANY OF SURVIVAL
Directed by Ada Gay Griffin and Michelle Parkerson and produced by Third World Newsreel, A LITANY FOR SURVIVAL contains irreplaceable exclusive footage and interviews with Lorde herself, primary source material for understanding one of the twentieth century’s most essential voices. What distinguished Griffin and Parkerson’s approach was their collaboration with Lorde, who actively participated in shaping how her story would be told. This practice was radical in 1995 but reflects what is now recognized as essential to ethical documentary filmmaking.
The restoration of A LITANY FOR SURVIVAL: THE LIFE AND WORK OF AUDRE LORDE, the most comprehensive portrait of the legendary feminist and self-described “Black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet” ever committed to film is a timely preservation project. In a cultural moment when Black and queer histories face systemic erasure—over 20,000 books banned in the last few years, 403 university DEI programs dismantled, federal agencies have stripped LGBTQIA+ terminology from public documents—this preservation is a political necessity.
The funds to restore the documentary was made possible by Color Congress.
Reel Sisters/African Voices is proud to collaborate with Third World Newsreel to offer a special National Poetry Month screening of A Litany for Survival.
