February 12th\, 2026 @ 5:00 - 7:00 PM
\nThe Cotton Club - 28m
\nHighlights the lifestyle and the experi ences of five performers who appeared in The Cotton Club shows during the Harlem Renaissance era. Featured are Cab Calloway\, Avon Long\, the Nichol as Brothers and Estrellita\, who tell stories of Harlem in the 1930's and their show business careers. Includes vintage film clips of the artists.\n
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\nThe Facts of Life - 28m
\nFeatures t he life and work of blues musician Willie Dixon\, a composer\, producer\, and performer who has written over 700 blues songs. Shows him at his home\ , recording studio\, and in performance\, and includes dramatic reenactmen ts from his life.
\nPortrait of Two Artists - 28m
\nF eatures Black American artists Hughie Lee-Smith and Jacob Lawrence. Shows their work and looks in on a class taught by Mr. Lee-Smith. Visits the art ists in their studios and included animated sequences of the illustrations of Mr. Lawrence's children's book Harriet and the Promised Land.
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\nFebruary 19th\, 2026 @ 5:00 - 7:00 PM
\nWhen the Animals Talked - 28m
\nEducator and folkloris t Rev. William Faulkner provides fresh insight into Afro-American folklore . He began as a boy of 10\, listening to an ex-slave tell stories which he lped slaves struggle against their slavery. Faulkner explains the role of B'rer Rabbit as alter ego of the blacks. He picks up new stories on a fish ing trip and reintroduces the real Brer Rabbit.
\n\nSport s Profile - 28m
\nFocuses on Artie Wilson\, a celebrity in the Negro Baseball League\, from sand lot baseball\, through the Negro League to become one of the first Black players to integrate the White leagues. R eenactments highlight his childhood and career. Looks at the life and care er of Alice Coachman\, a self taught runner who trained at Tuskeegee and w on a gold medal in the 1948 Olympics.
\n\nOscar Micheaux\ , Film Pioneer - 28m
\nOscar Micheaux (early Black filmmaker) i s remembered for his work as a pioneer producer-director whose films offer ed a positive image and an alternative for Black people in the 1920s and 1 930s. The program is built around the on-camera reminiscences of two perfo rmers who appeared in Micheaux films: Bee Freeman\, dubbed the "Sepia Mae West" and Lorenzo Tucker\, the "Black Valentino."
\n\nAbout the Film Collection
\nThe Miami-Dade Public Library holds one of the remaining\, circulating 16mm film collections. The collec tion dates back to 1956 and was developed to be a teaching collection desi gned to be used for public programming. Its holdings include acclaimed fea ture films such as Rashomon (1950)\, Alphaville (1965)\, The Passion of Jo an of Arc (1928)\, Pandora&rsquo\;s Box (1928)\, and 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). However\, what makes this collection special is the wide array of short films\, ranging from experimental created by notable artists like L en Lye\, Luis Bunel\, Homer Groening\, Kenneth Anger\, Sergei Eisenstein\, John Whitney to the educational produced by the likes of Pyramid Films\, Xerox\, McGraw Hill\, and National Film Board of Canada.
\nUnique to the collection are Florida specific titles like Enchanted (1982)\, Metrop olis in the Sun (1989)\, The Everglades (1970)\, A Hurricane Named Betsy ( 1965)\, Miccosukee Indian Friends (1975)\, Salesman (1969)\, and more.
\nThe library&rsquo\;s films are available to be checked out for a peri od of 2 weeks to Miami-Dade Public Library cardholders. The library does n ot circulate equipment and projectors &ndash\; patrons will need to have t heir own. Patrons can also access the films on-site at the library through a research visit scheduled with the Special Collections department.
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\nAbout the Division of Special Collections &\ ; Archives
\nMiami-Dade Public Library System&rsquo\;s Divi sion of Special Collections &\; Archives holds rare and irreplaceable h istorical documents for the benefit of the public and scholarly community. They oversee the Helen Muir Florida Collection\, 16mm Film Collection\, C uban Collection of Rare Books &\; Ephemera\, Genealogy Collection\, Vas ari Project\, and rare &\; antiquarian books from as early as the 17th century. The Division's primary goal is to provide the public with the con tents of the vault at their request. Its collections include rare books\, original manuscripts\, over 18\,000 photographs\, prints\, artifacts\, aud iovisual resources\, and electronic media.
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\nhttps://mdpls.libnet.info/event/1528 2225 URL;VALUE=URI:https://mdpls.libnet.info/event/15282225 END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR