REGISTRATION ADVISORY: This program is free for members, but registration is required.
Mark the close of Women’s History Month and the beginning of Jazz Appreciation Month with an insider’s look at the film How It Feels To Be Free.
The “American Masters”/PBS documentary examines how six iconic African American women entertainers—Lena Horne, Abbey Lincoln, Nina Simone, Diahann Carroll, Cicely Tyson, and Pam Grier—broke thorough and challenged an entertainment industry hell-bent on keeping them out, transforming both themselves and their audiences in the process.
Featuring clips and interviews with these legendary talents and commentary by Halle Berry, Shonda Rhimes, Samuel L. Jackson, and other luminaries, the film examines the impact these trailblazing entertainers had on reshaping the narrative of Black female identity in Hollywood through their art and political activism while advocating for social change.
Join the film’s director Yoruba Richen, executive directors Lacey Schwartz Delgado and Mehret Mandefro, and Fath Davis Ruffins, curator of African American history and culture at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, in a live conversation and Q&A session that focuses on how the film was made and the story it tells.
View the trailer for How It Feels To Be Free.
A screening of the film is not part of the virtual event. Registrants will receive a link to the film on Tuesday, March 30 and have until 7 p.m. on Thursday, April 1 to stream it on their own.
ABOUT THE HISTORY FILM FORUM
The History Film Forum is a monthly online series from the Smithsonian that explores history on the screen and the evolution of film as public history. Screenings and discussions explore how and why film is so elemental to the way Americans understand and experience that history. Programs are presented in partnership with the National Museum of American History and through the support of Dan Manatt and Democracy Films. Learn more here.
JAZZ APPRECIATION MONTH
Learn more about Jazz Appreciation Month 2021: Women’s Impact and Contributions in Jazz here.
Patron Information
- If you register multiple individuals, you will be asked to supply individual names and email addresses so they can receive a Zoom link email. Please note that if there is a change in program schedule or a cancellation, we will notify you via email, and it will be your responsibility to notify other registrants in your group.
- Unless otherwise noted, registration for streaming programs typically closes two hours prior to the start time on the date of the program.
- Once registered, patrons should receive an automatic email confirmation from CustomerService@SmithsonianAssociates.org.
- Separate Zoom link information will be emailed closer to the date of the program. If you do not receive your Zoom link information 24 hours prior to the start of the program, please email Customer Service for assistance.
- View Common FAQs about our Streaming Programs on Zoom.
