From Hollywood to Home: Black Voices in Entertainment
- Restores 1972 Duke Ellington townhouse gathering featuring survivors like Eubie Blake, Romare Bearden, Arna Bontemps, James Van Der Zee.
- Once Upon a Time in Harlem uses original 16mm footage to preserve intimate, unacted conversations that capture firsthand Harlem Renaissance memories.
- William Greaves began the project; he died 2014 before completion; family restored and completed film led by son David Greaves and daughter Liani Greaves.
- Film premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival and screened at Cannes Directors' Fortnight and the New York Film Festival.
- Received 2026 Library of Congress Lavine/Ken Burns Prize for Film, a $200,000 award recognizing outstanding documentary filmmaking.
The documentary, more than 50 years in the making, preserves extraordinary conversations with the artists and intellectuals who helped shape Black American culture
Once Upon a Time in Harlem, a remarkable documentary more than 50 years in the making, celebrated its New York premiere on September 29 at Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center during the 64th New York Film Festival. Director David Greaves and producer Liani Greaves attended the screening, marking a milestone for a film that brings the voices and stories of Harlem Renaissance legends to a new generation. Distributed by NEON, the documentary opens in theaters October 16.
Inside the Once Upon A Time in Harlem NYFF Premiere
The 100-minute documentary takes audiences back to August 1972, when pioneering filmmaker William Greaves gathered an extraordinary group of surviving Harlem Renaissance artists, writers, musicians and intellectuals at Duke Ellington’s Harlem townhouse. Among those captured on film are legendary composer Eubie Blake, artists Aaron Douglas and Romare Bearden, poet Arna Bontemps, photographer James Van Der Zee, writer Richard Bruce Nugent and actor Leigh Whipper. Rather than portraying these cultural icons through actors, the documentary allows the actual figures to share their experiences, memories and sometimes spirited disagreements about one of the most influential periods in Black cultural history.
A Family Legacy More Than 50 Years in the Making
Filmed on 16mm cameras, the gathering offered an intimate look at the men and women whose creativity helped redefine African American identity during the early 20th century. Greaves, whose groundbreaking work included Black Journal and Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One, considered the project among his most important. However, despite decades of effort, he never completed the documentary before his death in 2014.
A Greaves Family Affair
The film ultimately became a family legacy. William Greaves’ son David, one of the original cameramen at the 1972 gathering, directed the completed documentary. He worked alongside his daughter, Liani Greaves, and producer Anne de Mare.
The production team restored historic footage and preserved conversations that might otherwise have remained unseen. The documentary premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. It was subsequently selected for Cannes Directors’ Fortnight and the New York Film Festival.
An Award-winning Legacy
Adding to its recognition, Once Upon a Time in Harlem recently received the 2026 Library of Congress Lavine/Ken Burns Prize for Film, a $200,000 award recognizing outstanding documentary filmmaking.
The film’s theatrical release also coincides with the centennial year of William Greaves’ birth, making its arrival especially meaningful. Opening October 16 at New York’s Film Forum and Film at Lincoln Center, the documentary offers audiences a rare opportunity to witness the Harlem Renaissance through the voices of those who lived it.
Related Articles: William Greaves, Documentary Filmmaker, Dead at 87, Idara Victor, Malcolm D. Lee, ABFF 2017 coverage
Learn More About Once Upon A Time in Harlem: David and Liani Greaves — International Documentary Association Interview, David and Liani Greaves — POV Magazine Interview, Official Once Upon A Time in Harlem website
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