As Cinema St. Louis presents the 27th Annual Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival starting next week, the organization has continued its commitment to the African American experience through its “Race In America,” programming.
A sidebar of the festival – which takes place Nov. 1 – 11 at various venues – was developed as a response to the Ferguson unrest. This year’s group of films give a comprehensive look at the diverse perspectives that encompass blackness.
A pair of films speak specifically to the rich and complicated history of black St. Louisans.
‘Where The Pavement Ends’
Director and Ferguson native Jane Gillooly, a 2018 SLIFF Charles Guggenheim Cinema St. Louis Awardee, points her lens towards the neighboring municipality of Kinloch with “Where The Pavement Ends.” Once a thriving African-American community, the subjects of the film must now mostly rely on stories and footage to give texture to the place and the people that once called the history black North County Community home.
Viewers will cringe at the blatant racism anchored by a barrier that physically cut the community off from Ferguson. The roadblock was a microcosm of the relationship between blacks and whites in the region and the nation – as is the plight and decay that came with integration – a relationship that reached a climax before the world’s eyes with the death of Michael Brown and the unrest that followed.
“You always hear the stories of how prominent it was,” Jay Will said in the movie. “I think it breaks people’s confidence when they hear how it ended, because it’s the same story every time.”
The film, which weaves together footage from the good old days, is juxtaposed with the skeleton of mostly overgrown weeds and dilapidated structures that the municipality has become. Audio footage from a hearing that sought to have the roadblock removed was also featured.
“We probably didn’t realize how blessed we were as kids, but as we got older, we realized what a treasure we had,” longtime resident Julia Boyd said during the film. “We got what we wanted, but we lost what we had.”
“Where the Pavement Ends” screens at 2:30 p.m. Saturday November 3 at the Tivoli, 6350 Delmar.
The film is sponsored by Movie Friends of the Ethical Society of St. Louis.
‘The Color of Medicine’
St. Louis was also home to a phenomenon in the field of medicine by way of the legendary Homer G. Phillips Hospital.
The acclaimed institution was one of only a select few hospitals in the nation were African-Americans could train as doctors. The hospital catered to the city’s black community, which was barred from being treated at other hospitals because of segregation.
Joyce Fitzpatrick & Brian Shackelford share the history of Homer G. Phillips with “The Color of Medicine,” which gives a complete history of the hospital from when it opened its doors in 1937 to become a model for medical training, education and treatment to when it closed its doors in 1979.
Dr. Earle U. Robinson Jr., is among the film’s subjects. A second-generation physician and alumnus from Homer G. Phillips, he shares his personal story and that of his father, who was one of the hospital’s first 27 graduates.
“A hospital that was built especially for the black community, that was staffed by a totally black administration and employees was able to achieve so much,” Robinson told St. Louis Public Radio when speaking about the film. “To me, it is as beautiful as something like the Washington Monument or the Lincoln Memorial.”
The Color of Medicine screens at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, November 3 at Washington University’s Brown Hall.
The film is sponsored by Paul A. Randolph (a Cinema St. Louis board member) and the Randolph Family, in honor of the late Dr. Bernard C. Randolph Sr. and all of the healthcare professionals who trained or worked at Homer G. Phillips Hospital.
The 27th Annual Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival will take place from November 1- November 11 at various venues. For full schedule, locations and related programming, visit www.cinemastlouis.org or call (314) 289-4150.
