An important film heads to public television as part of the AfroPoP: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange—the nation’s only documentary series about art, life and culture across the African Diaspora. First Friday takes up issues of gentrification and urban renewal and their intersection with the #BlackLivesMatter movement. It airs on Monday at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on the WORLD Channel.
First Friday brings viewers to Oakland, a city with the reputation for being one of the most dangerous in America. Yet its First Friday street festival drew a cross section of the city—natives and newbies—and became a rallying point for Oakland’s urban renewal, one noted in headlines around the country. But when a young Black man is killed at the festival, it throws the fate of the popular event into question.
Filmmakers N’Jeri Eaton and Mario Furloni took eight camera crews to the monthly gathering after the death and followed several area residents as they navigated the event, uncovering their connection to First Friday and their changing city. A teaser is at: https://vimeo.com/63674179.
National Black Programming Consortium (NBPC), which serves as executive producer of the series, sat down with N’Jeri Eaton, one of the film’s directors, about her film and its participation in AfroPoP. The interview can be seen at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OS0O7QdtLd8
First Friday is episode four of the NBPC AfroPoP series. The show re-airs and will be released to additional stations in public television system later this month. Viewers should check their local listings.
