Black Nature Films in the Park: Eve’s Bayou (1997)

Objective

Alfreda’s Cinema and Field Meridians return for another presentation of Black Nature Films in the Park. Join us on Juneteenth at Prospect Park Boathouse!

• 6:30 pm-8pm: Bring your appetite! Eat Slow + Smack Loud by Sur will be vending ahead of our film screening.
• 8:30 pm: Welcome and Screening Begins

Unfolded Histories_Bellefonte_Mapping Blackness_  (Zion Estrada, 2024)

Building on Felicia Davis and the Black History in Centre County team’s map series, Zion Estrada’s Unfolded Histories_Bellefonte_Mapping Blackness_ (2024) is a folded visual essay connecting Bellefonte’s tellurian history with the movement of Free Black communities along the Underground Railroad. Overlaying architectural maps, prehistoric artifacts, and archival imagery, the work traces Black refuge, refusal, and femme labor across generations. It imagines the land itself as a living archive—holding the memories we cannot—and invites us to see Black histories as both rooted and transformative.

Eve’s Bayou (Kasi Lemmons, 1997.)

Kasi Lemmons’ richly atmospheric drama Eve’s Bayou is set in the Louisiana bayou. The film follows 10-year-old Eve Batiste (Jurnee Smollett) as she uncovers painful family secrets, with nature mirroring her emotional journey. The lush, mystical wetlands serve as both refuge and revelation, much like Prospect Park itself—a space where history and the natural world intertwine. Through its themes of memory, family ties, and the supernatural, the film aligns with Alfreda’s Cinema’s mission of reclaiming Black narratives in evocative communal settings.

What to bring:

• Personal Seating
• Blankets