500 Years Later
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| 500 Years Later | |
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 IMDB  9.8/10 (31 votes) |
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| Directed by | Owen 'Alik Shahadah |
| Produced by | Owen ‘Alik Shahadah, Ako Oseyaba Mitchell |
| Written by | M.K. Asante, Jr. |
| Starring | Kimani Nehusi Molefi Kete Asante Maulana Karenga Muhammad Shareef Paul Robeson, Jr Francis Cress Welsin Hakim Adi Khaleel Muhammad Mighty Gabby |
| Music by | Tunde Jegede Ocacia |
| Distributed by | Halaqah Media Distribution Co. |
| Release date(s) | October 11, 2005 |
| Running time | 108 min. |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1 million |
| IMDb profile | |
500 Years Later (፭፻-ዓመታት በጓላ) is an independent documentary film directed by Owen 'Alik Shahadah, written by M.K. Asante, Jr. released in 2005. It won 4 international film festival awards in the category of Best Documentary, it has been heralded as one of the most powerful African and African-American documentaries of this century[citation needed]. 500 Years Later has received praise as well as controversy, both for the genre of the film (creative documentary), and the social-political impact of the film as it relates to race study. The film opened on February 28, 2005, at the Pan-African Awards (PAFF) and won Best Documentary at its premiere.
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[edit] Synopsis
Crime, drugs, HIV/AIDS, poor education, inferiority complex, low expectation, poverty, corruption, poor health, and underdevelopment plagues people of African decent globally. 500 years later from the onset of Slavery and subsequent Colonialism, Africans are still struggling for basic freedom. Filmed in five continents, and over twenty countries, 500 Years Later engages the retrospective voice, told from the African vantage-point.
[edit] Music: African Classical
This soundtrack offers a glimpse into the worlds and landscapes that make up the music of the African Diaspora. The breadth of this rich cultural legacy that often has to exist within the limited confines of the genres defined and created by others outside of itself. But, it is only when we see this legacy in its entirety that we can begin to appreciate and understand its magnitude and see why it has been, and continues to be, one of the most influential forces within music and culture.
[edit] Cast Note
A full cast from key African American academic world. Maulana Karenga, Francis Cress Welsing, Paul Robeson, Jr, Andrew Muhammad, Kimani Nehusi, Hakim Adi, M.K. Asante, Jr., Molefi Kete Asante, Muhammed Shareef, Esther Stanford, Nelson george, Bill Cosby(voice only), Amiri Baraka (somebody blew up America).
[edit] Awards and nominations
- 2005 Winner, Pan-African Film Festival, Best Documentary PAFF
- 2005 Winner, Bridgetown Film Festival, Best Documentary
- 2005 Winner, Berlin Black Film Festival, Best Film
- 2005 Winner, Harlem International Film Festival, Best International Documentary
[edit] Trivia
- The documentary does not use any narration which is rare for a feature length film; it uses the interviewees in a unique way to create a seamless transition from topic to topic
- The film uses a mixture of quotes and statistics, as well as sound bites to support its claims
- '500 Years Later' uses chapters to divide the topics.
- One of the only documentaries made in line with the politics of the African Code.
- The film was the first mainstream Western documentary to use Ge'ez characters for the film title 500 Years Later.'(፭፻-ዓመታት በጓላ)'The script also appears in the trailer and promotional material of the film.
- Features Bill Cosby Pound Cake Speech
[edit] See also
- American Civil Rights Movement (1896-1954)
- American Civil Rights Movement (1955-1968)
- Timeline of the American Civil Rights Movement
- African holocaust
- Maafa
[edit] Footnotes
[edit] Disclaimer on Word Usage
(From DVD credit list and DVD sleeve) The term "Black" (capitalized), as used in this documentary, refers to the reactionary political term employed in the 1960's. We however do not accept it as a racial classification of the African family. African, is the legitimate label as it relates to the indigenous people of the African continent and those in the Diaspora. The race-nationality model, African-Caribbean, etc, more accurately describes our identity and fully articulates our historical and geo-political legacy. We also do not accept racist words such as tribe, Sub-Saharan Africa, or black Africa.
