The Coolidge Corner Theater isn’t calling it a comeback — it’s much larger than that.
The Brookline independent cinema has unveiled the lineup for Been Here For Years: Hip Hop at 50, a full slate of programming through the month of August that brings together documentaries, concert films, bio-pics, and dramas. It’ll also host discussions with filmmakers and a Boston-centric hip-hop showcase featuring DJ 7L, Akrobatik, and STL GLD on August 18. It’s co-presented by MUBI, Harvard University’s Hiphop Archive & Research Institute, and the Massachusetts Hip-Hop Archive at UMass Boston.
The beat drops August 1 with a screening of 1983 cult-classic Wild Style with director Charlie Ahearn, and closes out August 30 with Radha Blank’s 2020 film The 40-Year-Old Version. In between is an incredible selection of programs, with 20 films highlighting 50 years of not only hip-hop’s impact on culture, but hip-hop’s evolution into a culture.
“Part of the beauty of the culture is that it’s not just one thing,” says Billy Thegenus, The Coolidge’s programming and outreach coordinator. “That’s why we’re excited to showcase this series, to remind audiences hip-hop has been telling stories that can range between tragedy and comedy as well as drama and horror since the beginning.”
Other offerings include 8 Mile (August 8), Get Rich or Die Tryin’ (August 9), Straight Outta Compton (August 10), Friday (August 11), CB4 (August 12), House Party (August 17), Belly (August 23), New Jack City (August 26), and more. Most films screen at 7 p.m. on their scheduled day, while others are part of the Coolidge’s After Midnight series and start at 11:59 p.m.
Check the flyer below, and hit the Coolidge’s event page for details, schedules, and showtimes.