Cane River

1982, U.S., 105m, DCP

Showtimes & Tickets

Screened February 28–March 12, 2020

Written, produced, and directed by Emmy Award-winning documentarian, Horace B. Jenkins, and crafted by an entirely African-American cast and crew, Cane River is a racially-charged love story in Natchitoches Parish, a “free community of color” in Louisiana. A budding, forbidden romance lays bare the tensions between two black communities, both descended from slaves but of disparate opportunity—the light-skinned, property-owning Creoles and the darker-skinned, more disenfranchised families of the area. This lyrical, visionary film disappeared for decades after Jenkins died suddenly following the film’s completion, robbing generations of a talented, vibrant new voice in African-American cinema. An Oscilloscope Laboratories release

A film by Horace B. Jenkins

Relaxed, reflective and sweet, a romance shadowed by the complexities of history, race and politics.”

A.O. Scott, The New York Times [Critic's Pick]