Part of Beloved: A Spotlight Series on Black Female Directors and Restoration Roundup
Sat, Feb 25 at 12:00pm: Before ALMA'S RAINBOW 12pm screening on Sat, Feb 25, BELOVED reception/mixer at 11am (complimentary snacks & beverages) with an introduction from Belcourt staff member Sheronica Hayes, who programmed the series | BUY TICKETS
In this coming-of-age comedy-drama, Rainbow Gold is a strong-willed teenager with a firecracker personality. Her mother, Alma Gold, is a respectable woman who runs a beauty parlor on the first floor of their Brooklyn apartment. Determined not to acquiesce to a quiet, domestic life like her mother, Rainbow becomes enthralled by the seemingly glamorous lifestyle of her cosmopolitan aunt, Ruby Gold, who has unexpectedly dropped in after a 10-year hiatus in Paris, France. The sisters weave in and out of fighting over Rainbow’s future and finding fond nostalgia in reflecting over their own youth. Meanwhile, Rainbow dances through the colorful urban streets, declaring autonomy over her own identity.
4K DCP Restoration courtesy of the Academy Film Archive, The Film Foundation, and Milestone Films
“Chenzira's much celebrated and award winning early work is essential viewing today as much as it was when first released in 1994.” —Julie Dash, presenter of the new restoration, quoted in IndieWire “A gorgeous clarion call for our young Black girls, heralding the community, creativity and confidence that is the pride of our culture.” —Ava DuVernay, quoted in IndieWire “Today ALMA’S RAINBOW serves as a reminder that Black women filmmakers have long been busy creating a language and space for Black women in cinema. Like her dear friend Julie Dash…Chenzira’s intentionality in furthering that mission continues to shine through. Nearly 30 years later, ALMA’S RAINBOW makes the statement, perhaps even louder than ever, that film can and should reflect the lives and realities of Black women.” —Ronda Racha Penrice, The Wrap
