(USA / 1973 / Directed by William Greaves)

Nationtime is William Greaves’ long-lost film about the National Black Political Convention of 1972, when 10,000 black politicians, activists and artists went to Gary, Indiana, to forge a national unity platform. Buzzing with the long-term historical power of the occasion, the film captures the divisions that the organizers struggled to overcome, and the challenges offered to Democrats and Republicans alike that are still relevant today.

Best known for his avant-garde meta-documentary Symbiopsychotaxiplasm, William Greaves (1926-2014) was also the director of over 100 nonfiction films, the majority focused on African American history, politics, and culture. Nationtime is a report on a historic event that gathered black voices from across the political spectrum, among them Jesse Jackson, Dick Gregory, Coretta Scott King, Dr. Betty Shabazz, Richard Hatcher, Amiri Baraka, Charles Diggs, Isaac Hayes, Richard Roundtree and H. Carl McCall. Shifting attention between the leaders on the podium and the participants in their seats, and showing the corridors where activists work separately, Greaves contrasts the Convention’s practical conflicts with the overwhelming energy that its leaders embody and unleash. The two elements are interwoven on the soundtrack, which features Sidney Poitier reading Greaves’ analytical commentary and Harry Belafonte reciting poetry by Baraka and Langston Hughes. This new 4K restoration from IndieCollect returns the film to its original 80-minute length and visual quality.

Unrated / 1 hr 20 mins.