From Shoga Films, Queer Harlem Renaissance is a series of short films and documentaries about the “unsung, yet influential LGBTQ+ community of the Harlem Renaissance.”

A part of the series is Queer Harlem Renaissance: A Prospectus, a 15-minute documentary narrated by Daveed Diggs that summarizes the project and highlights icons like Claude McKay, Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith and Alain Locke.

The official description reads, “While the emphasis on racial transformation has been celebrated over the years, not many people are aware of the contributions of queer artists, all who greatly influenced Black art & culture in the 1920s. Even the works of well-known figures (such as Langston Hughes and Bessie Smith) have had their complex sexuality de-emphasized over time, or in some cases, left out entirely.” 

The documentary will be released on Shogafilms.com on April 10, preceded by a premiere screening in Harlem on April 9.

View a preview below:

 

READ MORE:

‘The Eddy’ Teaser: Netflix’s Paris-Set Musical Drama Stars André Holland, Amandla Stenberg

Photo: Shoga Films

From Harlem to Hollywood, get the Black entertainment news you need in your inbox daily.