Reelblack Presents Right On! (1970) W/ Original Last Poets

In honor of Black History Month, Reelblack is proud to host the Philadelphia Premiere of the 45th Anniversary restoration of RIGHT ON! (1970), starring The Original Last Poets. Admission is $10 adults/ $8 Students and Seniors/ $5 Reelblack and IHouse members. Preceded by the Philly Premiere of the short film DREAMS DON'T CHASE THEMSELVES directed by Embassy + Hezekiah. Presented in collaboration with Spoken Soul 215 Tickets my be purchased in advance at http://ihousephilly.org/calendar/right-on Described as “a conspiracy of ritual, street theater, soul music, and cinema,” Right On! is a pioneering concert film, a compelling record of radical Black sentiment in 1960s America, and a precursor of the hip-hop revolution in musical culture. Shot guerilla-style on the streets and rooftops of lower Manhattan, it features the original Last Poets performing 28 numbers adapted from their legendary Concept-East Poetry appearance at New York’s Paperback Theater in 1969. Opening almost simultaneously with Melvin Van Peebles’s Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song, Right On! was described by its producer as “the first ‘totally black film,’” making “no concession in language and symbolism to white audiences.” The film has rarely screened over the past 30 years, and this is the premiere run of MoMA’s new restoration, made from the recently recovered 35mm negative. This restoration was undertaken by The Museum of Modern Art with support from the Celeste Bartos Fund for Film Preservation and Paul Newman (San Francisco).