How can we work together to preserve the history and future legacy of Black people’s participation in American cinema? To answer this question, we’re convening some of Black cinema’s brightest stars and those dedicated to protecting its history for a full-day symposium.

Through thought-partnership, interactive learning activities, and unconventional discussions, the Saturday Symposium will create opportunities for Black cinema enthusiasts of all interest levels to learn, grow, and build strategies together. Let’s get to work!

SCHEDULE

Regeneration Discovery Challenge
10am–4pm | Regeneration, L4

Enhance your experience in the Regeneration exhibition by taking the Regeneration Discovery Challenge! The Academy Museum’s Teen Council created a series of individual and collaborative discovery prompts to further your exploration throughout the galleries. Upon completion of the challenge, you can enter for a chance to win a FREE one-year membership to the Academy Museum! Head to the entrance of Regeneration to join for your chance to win. Are you up for the challenge?

Spotlight On!
11am | Ted Mann Theater, LL1

The spotlight is ON! Take an immersive journey through the enriching history of Black cinema in less than 15 minutes! This experience will challenge a team of scholars, creatives, and the families of Black cinema's brightest stars to interpret the groundbreaking stories of distinguished figures such as Josephine Baker, Lena Horne, and James Baldwin through bite-sized presentations.

Featuring:

Terri Simone Francis on Josephine Baker

Ellen C. Scott on Paul Robeson

Michael Gillespie on James Baldwin

Allyson Nadia Field on Saint Suttle and Gertie Brown

Taylor Cassidy on Fredrick O’Neal

Cara Caddoo on Noble Johnson

Shola Lynch on William Alexander

Next Generation of Cinema Workshop Series
11am, 12:30pm, 2pm, 3:30pm | Shirley Temple Education Studio, LL1

Drop into a hands-on workshop hosted by filmmaker and storyteller Justice Maya Singleton (son of the groundbreaking director John Singleton) and founder of Sisters with Invoices Amelian Kashiro Hamilton. Workshops will offer the next generation of industry professionals guidance on how to write a short scene from a movie idea inspired by a personal experience. Participants will also recreate a poster inspired by films featured in Regeneration.

ALL-Black Mini Food Market
11am–5pm | The Walt Disney Company Piazza

Stop by The Walt Disney Company Piazza to grab a bite in our mini food market featuring all Black women–owned pop-up food vendors powered by Black Women Vend.

Featured food vendors include:
Rose Gold Pastries, KIK N' Juice (V), Smokin' Crackers, Mai's Kitchen, My Daddy's Recipes (V), All Chill Inc (V), The Fusion Queen, Filthy Rich Banana Pudding, Buns & Tails, Wholly Mother Vegan (V), Hotville Chicken, LA Grind Coffee Truck

(V) - Vegan Options

Regeneration Maker Lounge
11am–5pm | LL1

Grab a friend and head indoors to the Regeneration Maker Lounge. Here, you’ll have a chance to get your hands dirty while exploring the magic of Regeneration through a variety of fun maker activities for visitors of all ages.

Black Joy! LIVE
11am–5pm | Regeneration, L4 + Museum Galleries

As you explore the Regeneration exhibition and other various museum spaces, you’ll discover a series of live and intimate pop-up performances paying homage to iconic Black performers. You won’t want to miss out on these unexpected surprise performances.

Performances will be curated by Street Poets Inc., 1500 Sound Academy, and AMDA College of the Performing Arts.

The Glamour Room
11am–5pm | Netflix Lounge, L2

Stop, smile, and strike a pose for the camera as Las Fotos Project hosts a photobooth to help you capture and take home a professional photo inspired by the iconic portraits featured on Regeneration’s glamour wall. After your own glamour shot, watch Black hair artists Lesley "The Lady Clipper" Bryant and Creator of Hair Sprinkles Amber Mimz reimagine classic looks from some of Regeneration's featured icons through a live and spectacular pop-up showcase.

Because It’s a Vibe
Noon–4pm | The Walt Disney Company Piazza

Enhance your vibes with a fusion of classic sounds inspired by the Regeneration era and live art powered by LA-based creative arts organizations DreamHaus and Zeal Co-Op.

DJ entertainment spun by musician and composer Jeff Parker.

Soundies 101: A Hidden History
1pm | Ted Mann Theater, LL1

Imagine viewing the latest release of your favorite artist’s new performance video in a local bar or restaurant. Before MTV and then the internet became the video platforms for musical artists, music lovers of the 1940s would drop a dime into a machine and enjoy what are known as Soundies—short films featuring song and dance numbers. This cinematic genre expanded opportunities for iconic Black performers such as Duke Ellington, Dorothy Dandridge, Cab Calloway, and many others. Learn about the hidden history of this special form of musical films through our dynamic Soundies 101 panel experience.

Featured conversation will include perspectives from film historian Susan Delson, world-renowned jazz film archivist Mark Cantor, filmmaker and visual artist Ina Archer, Academy Museum curatorial research assistant Manouchka Labouba, and moderated by the Academy Museum’s Vice President of Curatorial Affairs Doris Berger.

Book Signing and Meet and Greet
2–3pm | Sidney Poitier Grand Lobby

Feeling inspired by what you’re experiencing from the Regeneration Summit’s featured speakers and talent? Take a moment to meet and greet, make a deeper connection, and learn more about their work!

All books featured in the Regeneration collection will be 20% off for this weekend only.

Regeneration Cypher: Activism in Film
3:30pm | Ted Mann Theater, LL1

Drawing inspiration from the spontaneity and magic of a hip-hop cypher, entertainers, scholars, freedom fighters, and leading voices in Black cinema intersect for an interactive conversation and performance art exchange. Featured panelists will explore the historical impacts of Black freedom movements in the film industry, and Black Hollywood’s role in influencing the continued fight for social justice. In response, a performing artist will interpret the presented ideas through their medium of expertise.

This conversation will include Senior Vice President of the Hollywood Bureau for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Kyle Bowser, founder of the Black Film Archive Maya Cade, Black non-binary activist Janaya Future Khan, filmmaker and storyteller Justice Maya Singleton, and spoken word performances by actor and writer Roger Guenveur Smith.

The Western
5pm | Ted Mann Theater, LL1

Did you know that during the settling of the American West, one of four cowboys was African American? While their stories and lived experiences are based in history, representation of Black cowboys and cowgirls on screen has been scarce in mainstream cinema. And yet, Hollywood westerns have been extremely popular with Black audiences, despite the absence of Black representation and the stereotypical portrayals of Native American and Mexican people.

Join us for an in-depth look into the complex relationship between the Western film genre and Black representation in American cinema. The conversation will culminate with an exclusive screening of the groundbreaking 1937 Western musical featuring a Black-cast, Harlem on the Prairie—a film long thought lost and was recently restored by the Academy Film Archive.

This program will include perspectives from filmmaker and actor Mario Van Peebles, Vassar College Professor of Film Mia Mask, Associate Curator of Western History at the Autry Museum Tyree Boyd-Pates, first generation equestrian and inventor of Mane Tresses Chanel Rhodes, and Executive Director of Urban Saddles Ghuan Featherstone. Urban Saddles is a non-profit dedicated to building opportunity for youth and community through the equine experience and the cowboy code of the West.