AGENDA . Just Do It

The Masculinity Project

The NBPC looks at what it means to be a modern African-American male.


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Published: Apr 7, 2009

Is President Barack Obama black enough? 50 Cent: good for America? Scribe Video and the National Black Programming Consortium (NBPC) will ask these questions, among others, at their collaborative series that explores what it means to be an African-American male today. Conceived as a live extension of their Web-based content (at nbpc.tv), NBPC organizers will present five short films that probe pop-sociological archetypes and tell trans-generational stories of black men who've grappled with the interrelated essence of both "manhood" and "blackness."

The shorts include Beirut Boys, a look at 17-year-old slam poet Derrick Toler shifting between the duplicity of "corner boy" and aspiring college student, knowing hard knocks in prison are met with more respect than an undergrad degree. Barack & Curtis: Manhood, Power & Respect is a never-simple look at the Ivy League-preened President Obama and street-accredited 50 Cent, both cultural icons who perhaps aren't so dissimilar. And Harlem Greenthumb is the story of a group of retired men who meet daily to cultivate their garden and community on 131st Street and Madison Avenue, but face losing their urban Eden when a developer buys up their lot.

Three of the night's filmmakers — El Sawyer, Nonso Christian Ugbode and Phil Bertelsen — will be in attendance to discuss their works. Referring to his own flick, Beirut Boys, Sawyer says the event should get you thinking. "It is about race, class, masculinity, the need for a father — all those things," he says. "But it's meant to raise questions, not answer them."

Tue., April 14, 7 p.m., $5-$10, International House, 3701 Chestnut St., 215-387-5125, scribe.org.