UC Recap – July 24 – July 29
Dominican film lovers came out in droves on Tuesday to the venerable United Palace for the opening night of the 6th Annual Dominican Film Festival In New York. The festival’s opening film, Carpinteros, is now one of our favorite Dominican films of all time. The film by José María Cabral is a visceral and vibrant love story set in the notorious Najayo prison. One of the film’s stars, Jean Jean, who refers to himself as Domínico-Haitiano, put on a masterful performance as a man desperately trying to survive his perilous predicament. This is just one of the over 70 films that the festival highlighted this year. Shout out to our very own Marcus Johnson for the great pictures of opening night. This just ain’t right. Even people with jobs cannot afford to live in this city. Nikita Stewart of the NY Times reported on the city’s expansion of services for the homeless, which now includes a significant number of people with jobs. The rent is too damn high! Kim Barker of the NY Times reported on the underhanded tactics of some landlords to justify the astronomical rent increases they are charging. Siddhartha Mitter of the Village Voice penned an excellent piece on the Uptown Triennial, which is taking place at several locations Uptown. 99 bottles of beer on the wall, 99 bottles of beer… You know the song. Well, Harlem-based artist Tom Sanford has taken that concept to a whole other level. Sanford has imbibed and painted almost 99 bottles of beer, having begun the project on May 16, with a cold bottle of Heineken. He will drink and paint the final bottle on August 2, the day the exhibition opens. The good folks at Harpoon Brewery are sponsoring the fun so there will be plenty of free beer. After the event you can head over to Harlem Public for Harpoon Beer specials. So there you have it folks, spread the love and come out to the The Gitler &____ Gallery (3629 Broadway BTWN 149th and 150th Streets) for 99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall. The homie, Glory Lives, is back with a powerful and poignant song and video entitled, “Kalief Browder.” You know the motto, Spread Love, It’s The Uptown Way. Keep checking us out at www.uptowncollective.com. Led Black Editor-in-Chief The Uptown Collective The UC’s mission is to become “the” definitive, transformative and community-based force impacting the arts, culture, business and New York City’s overall perception of Upper Manhattan. Its objective is to reset, reboot and positively redefine Uptown’s artistic, political, cultural and business spheres via the online space as well the collective’s initiatives and functions.
July 24 – July 29
