MSPIFF @ the Capri: “Free Renty: Lanier V. Harvard” 4pm, 5/15
Partner: MSP Film Society
- This event has passed.
Director David Grubin Attending
Tamara Lanier’s great-great-great grandfather was an enslaved man named Renty, who was compelled in 1850 to have his photograph taken so that Harvard Professor Louis Agassiz, a celebrated scientist — and virulent racist — could “prove” the superiority of the white race. Free Renty: Lanier v. Harvard documents Lanier’s years-long quest to force Harvard to release the daguerreotypes to Renty’s lineal descendants.
Lanier is suing Harvard for “wrongful seizure, possession and expropriation” of her ancestors’, Renty and Delia’s, images. Featuring commentary from her lawyers, including noted Civil Rights attorney Benjamin Crump, and scholars including Ta-Nehisi Coates and Tina Campt, Free Renty is a troubling look at the legacy of slavery and the lengths powerful institutions will go to avoid confronting the past, as well as a stirring testimony to the courage of those determined to fight for the dignity and respect of their ancestors.
Director Biography
David Grubin is a director, writer, producer, and cinematographer who has produced films that range across history, art, poetry, and science, winning every award in the field of documentary television, including two Alfred I. Dupont awards, three George Foster Peabody prizes, five Writer’s Guild prizes, and ten Emmys.
MSPIFF is Minnesota’s largest film festival and one of the longest-running film festivals in the country. The Capri is honored to partner with the MSP Film Society for this event! We hope you’ll take this opportunity to explore, experience and enjoy some of the most amazing films in the world, right here on the Northside.
MSPIFF tickets for movies, parties, panels, tributes and guest filmmaker discussions are available HERE.
Updated April 26, 2022
Masks are now optional at all indoor events at the Capri. Non-cloth masks, such as N95, KN95, KF94 and surgical masks, are recommended for those who choose to wear a mask.