Ackland Film Forum: “The Underground Railroad” Second Virtual Screening

Across his three feature films to date (Medicine for Melancholy, Moonlight, and If Beale Street Could Talk), Barry Jenkins has devised a new cinematic vocabulary for the portrayal of Black experience in the United States. With sumptuous imagery and hypnotic soundscapes, Jenkins has embraced aesthetic beauty as a strategy for addressing the past and present injustices that bear on the lives of marginalized characters. His 2021 miniseries, The Underground Railroad is adapted from Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name. A haunting, atmospheric account of two runaway slaves in the Antebellum South, the series is Jenkins’ most daring directorial work yet.

The Ackland Film Forum and the Department of English and Comparative Literature will host two virtual screenings (Tuesdays, September 21 and September 28, 8 p.m.) in celebration of the department’s 225th anniversary. See below for full details.

Second Virtual Screening
Tuesday, September 28, 8-10 p.m.
“Chapter 8: Indiana Autumn”
“Chapter 9: Indiana Winter”

Tonight’s Second Virtual Screening features two episodes towards the end of The Underground Railroad series: “Chapter 8: Indiana Autumn” and “Chapter 9: Indiana Winter.” We invite you to watch along with us and chat with series organizers within the streaming platform. This virtual event will be held as an Amazon Prime Video Watch Party and viewers must have access to their own Amazon Prime account to join the Watch Party. The Watch Party link will be sent via email to registered participants on the day of the program (Tuesday, September 28, before 8 p.m.). Viewers must access the Watch Party on desktop browsers (except Apple Safari and Internet Explorer) or on FireTV devices in the Prime Video app. For full Amazon Prime Watch Party FAQs, click here: https://www.amazon.com/adlp/watchparty.

Register below for free tickets to the Watch Party and the link to join.

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About “Chapter 8: Indiana Autumn”
Royal brings Cora to Valentine Farm, a thriving Black community and vineyard on the bountiful Indiana frontier. Carrying the scars of her journey, Cora struggles to find peace in this new home. 1 h 6 min, 13 + — Amazon Prime Video

About “Chapter 9: Indiana Winter”
Cora’s presence as a fugitive ignites tensions amongst the Valentine community. Just as she was beginning to make this her home, chaos reigns. 1 h 17 min, 18 + — Amazon Prime Video

Content advisory for The Underground Railroad: Smoking, alcohol use, substance use, sexual violence, portrayals of suicide, nudity, violence, foul language.

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Full Ackland Film Forum Fall Line-Up

First Virtual Screening
Tuesday, September 21, 8-10 p.m.
“Chapter 1: Georgia”
“Chapter 2: South Carolina”

Register here for first screening and watch party link

Second Virtual Screening
Tuesday, September 28, 8-10 p.m.
“Chapter 8: Indiana Autumn”
“Chapter 9: Indiana Winter”

Register below for second screening and watch party link

CANCELLED: Virtual Roundtable Discussion
Tuesday, October 5
“Spellbinding: The Cinematic Virtuosity of Barry Jenkins”

Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances owing to the artists’ schedules, the roundtable event has been cancelled.

These virtual screenings and the roundtable are co-sponsored by the Ackland Film Forum and the Department of English and Comparative Literature in celebration of the department’s 225th anniversary. See https://ecl225.unc.edu for further details.