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The Dartmouth
July 26, 2025 | Latest Issue
The Dartmouth

Films celebrate MLK

This year, Dartmouth's annual Martin Luther King Jr. celebration features a series of provocative and groundbreaking films. Following the celebration's theme, "Lift Every Voice: Freedom's Artists and the Ongoing Struggle for Civil Rights," the five movies tell stories of oppression and the triumph of the human spirit.

The showcase begins Tuesday with "Island in the Sun," starring Monday keynote address speaker Harry Belafonte. The film takes place in Grenada under British colonial rule, when the native islanders labored under the yoke of institutionalized racism. Belafonte plays a charismatic aspiring politician who returns to the island with hopes of a career in government. He finds, however, that an affair with a white woman conflicts with his political views. Juxtaposing this plotline with a look at the life of a wealthy white family on the island, the film gives a comprehensive view of racial tension. "Island" will play in Dartmouth Hall 105 at 4 p.m.

The next two films, scheduled for Friday, pay tribute to the life of Paul Robeson, hailed as one of the most acclaimed black actors in history. "Scandalize My Name: Stories from the Blacklist" also stars Belafonte, along with Robeson and many other notable black actors who found themselves persecuted during the Red Scare. Continuing with the study of the effects of McCarthyism is the Oscar-award winning documentary "Paul Robeson: Tribute to an Artist," which explores the education and rising social conscience of the IvyLeague-educated future activist. Starting at 7 p.m. in the Loew Auditorium, the films will run back-to-back with a discussion following.

Two recent films deal with issues of discrimination and persecution in a more modern era.

On Saturday, Jan. 20, the story of South African freedom fighter Patrick Chamusso will be seen in the 2006 film "Catch a Fire," showing in the Loew Auditorium at 7 and 9:15 p.m. Starring Tim Robbins as a member of the Special Police and Derek Luke as Chamusso, the film shows the unjust imprisonment of an apolitical oil refinery worker, the destruction of his family and his struggle to fight back against the apartheid government that reaffirmed his undying spirit.

The following Thursday, James Butterworth Tu '91 will feature his 2004 film "Seoul Train" in Dartmouth Hall 105 at 7 p.m. The documentary focuses on the oft-overlooked humanitarian crisis of countless North Koreans who flee both their homeland and China. "Seoul Train" is the first major feature from Incite Productions, the film company founded by Butterworth to produce documentaries promoting positive social change around the world. Butterworth, who is also a recipient of a Martin Luther King Jr. Social Justice Award this year, combined film footage, personal stories and interviews with government officials to show how the inefficiency of the United Nations and the disregard for international laws contributed to this alarming situation. A fitting end to a celebration of awareness and action, the film will be followed by a discussion with Butterworth and history professor Jean J. Kim.

While each of these movies has its own unique focus, this year's film showcase is sure to unite its audiences through the celebration of insurmountable will and spirit.