ABOUT THE FILM:
Through intimate access to a charismatic Mattel
insider, Beulah Mae Mitchell, BLACK BARBIE
delves into the cross section of merchandise and
representation as Black women strive to elevate
their own voices and stories, refusing to be invisible.
Series details: https://thelittle.org/bcs/
BLACK BARBIE CELEBRATES HER 43RD BIRTHDAY: THE STORY BEHIND AN ICONIC DOLL
The Black Cinema Series, a partnership between the Rochester Association of Black Journalists (RABJ) and the Little Theatre, at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday (Aug 2) presents "Black Barbie" at the Little Theatre, 240 East Ave., East End District, Rochester, New York.
Love her or hate her, almost everyone has a Barbie story. For filmmaker Lagueria Davis, it all started with her 83-year-old Aunt Beulah Mae and a seemingly simple question, "Why not make a Barbie that looks like me?”
"Black Barbie" is a personal exploration that tells a richly archival, thought-provoking story that gives voice to the insights and experiences of Beulah Mae Mitchell, who spent 45 years working at Mattel.
Upon Mattel's 1980 release of Black Barbie, the film turns to the intergenerational impact the doll had. Discussing how the absence of black images in the "social mirror" left Black girls with little other than White subjects for self-reflection and self-projection.
Beulah Mae Mitchell and other Black women in the film talk about their own, complex, varied experience of not seeing themselves represented, and how Black Barbie's transformative arrival affected them personally.
Following the film, there will be a post-screening panel discussion about "Black Barbie: A Documentary."
Directed by Lagueria Davis with Camilla Hall, producer, and Jyoti Sarda, co-producer. The documentary was made in the USA, released in 2023, is in English, and is not rated.
Doors open at 7 p.m. and the film is at 7:30 p.m. Tickets available online in advance or at the box office day of the screening. Go to https://thelittle.org/black-barbie/ We look forward to seeing you there!
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