A pair of intriguing New York City screenings this evening are largely flying under the blogosphere's radar. This is perhaps no surprise during the same weekend in which BAMCinemaFest, Silverdocs, Edinburgh, NYAAFF are all on going.
Tonight in Harlem, Rooftop Films will screen Jennifer Taylor's New Muslim Cool. A fascinating documentary that details the life and times of Puerto Rican-American rapper Hamza Perez, an ex-drug dealer and born again Muslim. A single father of two, he forms his own Mosque and spiritual community in the rough northern section of Pittsburgh and tries to make a difference on the streets, projects and jail cells of that decaying industrial city, even while being harassed by the FBI for suspected terrorist activity. Perez will be on hand for the screening and perform a few cuts immediately preceding the event. Show starts at 8 at Museo del Barrio on 104th Street in East Harlem. If you miss it tonight, you can catch it on the season premiere of PBS' POV this coming Tuesday night.
Cinema Nolita will unfurl Paul Morrissey's Madame Wang, another one of his notorious collaborations with Andy Warhol, at 11:30. Using his trademark grimy, just this side of amateurish aesthetic, Morrissey once again delves into the abyss of New York's most seedy denizens.
