CIFF47: PSQ March 22 – April 1, 2023 | Streams April 2 – April 9, 2023

Free Renty: Lanier V. Harvard

Year: 2021
Country: USA
Language: English
Run Time: 95 minutes

Free Renty: Lanier V. Harvard
Free Renty: Lanier V. Harvard
Free Renty: Lanier V. Harvard
Free Renty: Lanier V. Harvard
Free Renty: Lanier V. Harvard

Who owns the rights to the violence of the past? Is it the victim or the perpetrator? No one wants to know the answer to this question more than Tamara Lanier. In FREE RENTY: LANIER V. HARVARD, Lanier is desperately trying to get her great-great-great grandfather’s daguerreotype out of Harvard’s possession. Renty, an enslaved man, was forced to pose for this photo in 1850 for the purposes of proving that African Americans are an inferior race by zoologist Louis Agassiz. In 2019 Lanier sued the university in hopes of gaining these photos of her relative. After all, this is her history, and why should Harvard continue to own it? Renty did not have a say if he wanted to be photographed or not. If he refused, he would have certainly received a harsh and inhumane punishment. The case is still ongoing, but this documentary provides an excellent look into the lawsuit and why it is important for our country to own up to our turbulent past. —N.A.

CIFF46 Screenings

Mimi Ohio Theatre

Tuesday, April 05, 2022 at 4:55 PM

Wednesday, April 06, 2022 at 11:45 AM

CIFF46 Streams On Demand

Sunday, April 10, 2022 at 11:00 AM -
Sunday, April 17, 2022 at 11:59 PM

Streams Access: United States and US Territories
Accessibility (?)
Closed Captions: No
Audio Description: No
English Subtitles: No

Related Event
46th CIFF College Program

Sidebars
Black Cinema
Teen-Friendly Films
Women of the World

Competition
Greg Gund Memorial Standing Up Competition

Director

Director
David Grubin

Producer
David Grubin

Cinematography
Sam Russell

Editing
Deborah Peretz

Film Contact

Community Partners

Links, Incorporated, Cleveland Chapter, The

Western Reserve (OH) Chapter The Links, Incorporated

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