Cookeville, TN— Indie Lens Pop-Up, presented by ITVS, Independent Lens, and WCTE will present Mr. SOUL!. Join filmmaker Melissa Haizlip as she brings viewers to a critical moment in history and culture whose impact continues to resonate today. The public television variety show SOUL! offered an unfiltered, uncompromising celebration of Black literature, poetry, music, and politics—voices that had few other options for national television exposure. Guided by enigmatic producer and host Ellis Haizlip, the series was among the first to provide expanded images of Black Americans on television and recognize the vibrancy of the Black Arts Movement. Mr. SOUL! celebrates the groundbreaking PBS series against the backdrop of a swiftly changing political and social landscape, while also profiling Haizlip, the charismatic man behind one of the most culturally significant and successful TV shows in U.S. history.
WHAT: FREE virtual preview screening of Mr. SOUL!, followed by a community discussion with Marc Burnett and Dr. Krystal Akehinmi
WHO: Indie Lens Pop-Up, WCTE
WHEN: February 18, 2021 at 6 p.m. Central
RSVP: https://ovee.itvs.org/screenings/zmhv5
For more information, visit: https://www.pbs.org/independentlens/films/mr-soul/
After the viewing, join Marc Burnett, artist, pastor, and former Vice President of Student Affairs at Tennessee Tech, and Dr. Krystal Akehinmi, Assistant Professor of History at Tennessee Tech, as they discuss the politics of representation, arts as activism, and the history of representation of black culture in the media. Indie Lens Pop-Up and WCTE aim to spark enlightening conversations that shed light on these issues.
Mr. SOUL! premieres on Independent Lens Monday, February 22, 2021, 10:00-11:30 PM CT on WCTE, PBS, PBS.org and the PBS Video App.
