EXCLUSIVE: Here’s your first official look at Once Upon A Time In Harlem, the decades-in-the-making documentary conceived and shot by William Greaves and directed by his son, David Greaves.
Neon will release Once Upon A Time In Harlem in theaters on October 16. The film’s theatrical release follows a series of buzzy debut screenings at Sundance and Cannes and arrives more than 50 years after the late filmmaker William Greaves completed production on the project.
Inventive in form, the film was conceived and filmed in 1972 by Greaves. The film is shaped around a cocktail party Greaves hosted at Duke Ellington’s home in Harlem. Greaves invited every surviving creator of the Harlem Renaissance he could locate – many of whom had not seen one another in more than 50 years. For four hours, the group of artists laughed, drank, and debated their position in the rapidly shifting cultural landscape. Greaves filmed it all.
The footage was originally shot for a film about the Harlem Renaissance called From These Rootswhich Greaves completed in 1974 using only archival materials. The interviews and discussions from the party were put to the side. However, Greaves, who went on to become a major figure of American independent cinema, completing over 70 films, including the now-seminal Symbiopsychotaxiplasm films, believed Once Upon a Time in Harlem was his greatest work. He spent much of the rest of his life wrestling with how to finish the film. He died in 2014, with the film incomplete. His widow, Louise Greaves, continued working on the project until she died in 2023, at which point his son, David Greaves, and David’s daughter, Liani Greaves, picked up the mantle. We spoke with David and Liani ahead of the film’s Sundance screening.
Film producer Anne de Mare oversaw the restoration and digitization of the footage used in the doc. Neon picked up the film following the screening at Sundance, beating out Netflix and Mubi. The October 16 release date falls shortly after William Greaves’ centenary on October 8.
Check out the teaser above and see the film’s official poster below.
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