Embassy Bratislava Wraps up Black History Month Commemoration with Film Screening and Dual-city DVC

March 13, 2008

Thomas Allen, a renowned U.S. filmmaker spoke to students interested in art and U.S. culture via digital video conference on March 13, 2008. Before the videoconference the students in both the capital and an American Corner 200 kilometers away, 27 students watched his documentary “That’s My Face.” Mr. Harris then spoke about African American history, and how the nature of that history pushed him to discover his physical and spiritual roots, and how that in turn impelled his creation of the film. The students asked him many questions exploring themes such as the technical aspects of putting together the film they had just seen to specific issues on why the color of someone’s skin seems to matter so much.  The film screening and videoconference comprised the final program in Embassy Bratislava’s commemoration of Black History Month, the center-piece of which was an exhibit of murals painted by Africa American artists.  Former Fulbright Professor Janeil Engelstad curated this exhibit of never-before- seen murals from the United States. The video conference and film screenings complemented the exhibit called “Celebrate! Commemorate! Communicate!" to provide a window on the African-American experience and that community’s contribution to the cultural life of the United States. Opened on January 23 by Ambassador Vincent Obsitnik, the exhibit consisted of murals from several U.S. cities, including Philadelphia, Chicago and Los Angeles, painted by African-American artists. Each mural depicts a point of pride, a moment in history or enduring theme for this community.