Actor Morgan Freeman in a scene from "Amistad
Photo courtesy of Columbia Pictures
Ving Rhames and Jon Voight in "Rosewood."
Hollywood costume designer speaks at Diggs
SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
Winston-Salem State University's Diggs
Gallery and the National Black Theatre Festi
val will co-host a lecture by Ruth Carter, a
Hollywood costume designer, on Aug. 5 at
5:30 p.m. in Diggs Gallery.
Carter will discuss "Costumes Versus
Fashions: The Role of the Designer in the
Film Industry." A reception will follow the
lecture. In honor of Carter, Diggs Gallery also
will host a Ruth Carter Designs Movie Fest
on Aug. 2 and Aug. 9 from noon to 5 p.m.
Carter, a graduate of Hampton University,
has received two Oscar nominations for her
work in Spike Lee's "Malcolm X" and Steven
Spielberg's "Amistad." With more than 17
years in the design field, her des?ns are seen
in more than 30 major films. Starting with
"School Daze," Carter collaborated with
Spike Lee on eight of his pictures, including
"Do the Right Thing," "Clockers," "Crook
lyn," "Summer of Sam," "Jungle Fever,"
"Mo' Better Blues" and "Bamboozled."
She also has worked with numerous direc
tors on such films as "Daddy Day Care," "I
Spy," "Dr. Dolittle II," "Baby Boy," "Shaft,"
Ruth Carter
"Price of Glory," "Love and Basketball,"
"BAPS," "The Five Heartbeats," "I'm Gonna
Git U Sucka," "The Great White Hype,"
"Money Train," "Cobb," "What's Love Got
to Do with It?," "How Stella Got Her Groove
Back," "Surviving the Game," "Meteor
Man," "Against the Ropes" and "Down in the
Delta."
The schedule for the Ruth Carter Designs
Movie Fest is as follows:
Aug. 2
? Noon - "Malcolm X" (1992), Denzel
Washington and Angela Bassett.
Spike Lee's comprehensive film biogra
phy of slain civil rights leader Malcolm X is
much more than the depiction of a great
man's life. It is a film that shows, through the
powerful story of one man, a person's ability
to reinvent himself and change his life.
? 3 p.m. - "Rosewood" (1997), Jon
Voight, Ving Rhames, Don Cheadle.
"Rosewood," directed by John Singleton,
is the true story of an almost unknown inci
dent in a small Florida town inhabited almost
entirely by middle-class African-Americans.
On New Year's day, 1923, the town was
wiped off the face of the earth by angry
whites from a neighboring community that
killed between 70 and 250 African-Ameri
cans. Based on palpably false testimony by a
single white woman against one "black"
stranger, many of the men of Rosewood were
hunted down and lynched, or shot, or burned.
? Noon - "Amistad" (1997), Morgan Free
man, Anthony Hopkins, Djimon Hounsou.
This Steven Spielberg exploration
recounts the trial that followed the 1839
African rebellion aboard the Spanish slave
ship Amistad and captures the complex polit
ical maneuverings set in motion by the event.
It shows the political maneuvering of Ameri
can and European politicians regarding the
issue of slavery.
? 3 p.m. - "Down in the #Delta" (1998),
Alfre Woodard, Esther Rolle, Loretta Devine.
Poet Maya Angelou made her feature
directorial debut with this African-American
^family drama. As family members struggle
through issues of drugs, alcohol and health,
they learn the true meaning of love and unity
through the story of a sacred family heirloom.
For more information, call Diggs Galler\t
at 750-2458.
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'Lavender Lizards' tells story of self-liberation
Ntozake Sliange best known for "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf'
CH RON1CLE STAFF REPORT
Ntozake Shange is the mother of the
choreopoem. Shange put her unique theatrical
style - which intricately fuses spoken word
poetry, music and precession movements - to
use in 1976 when her "For Colored Girls Who
Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow
Is Enuf' made its way to Broadway.
Shange's latest work will come to the
National Black Theatre Festival after success
ful runs in Atlanta and Gainesville. Fla.
"Lavender Lizards and Lilac Landmines:
Layla's Dream" will be staged as part of the
NBTF's Fringe Series, which highlights plays
by college students. "Lavender Lizards" is
being put on by students from the University
of Florida, where Shange recently accepted a
faculty position.
The self-liberation piece is a collection of
poems written by Shange that are woven
together to tell the story of a young woman,
Layla LaPierre, as she tries to find her spirit
and soul. The character Layla also was the
focus of Shange's 1981 piece, "Bomie WocT
gie Landscapes."
Mikell Pinkney directs "Lavender Lizards
and Lilac Landmines: Layla's Dream."
Shange