This article was written by Janet Zahn
The Film Society of Minneapolis St. Paul, in collaboration with the Capri Theater and the Minnesota Historical Society, presents the documentary, Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami at 7 p.m. Thursday, February 7 at the Capri Theater, 2027 West Broadway. The post-film conversation will be led by Minneapolis choreographer Ashley Selmer. Tickets to First Thursday Films are $5; purchased in advance at mspfilm.org or at the door the night of the show.
Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami takes you on an electrifying journey through the public and private worlds of pop culture mega-icon Grace Jones, a larger-than-life entertainer, androgynous glam-pop diva, and unpredictable media presence. Jones has been on the world stage since 1966 as a supermodel, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor.
Director Sophie Fiennes says, “The film is intimate and experiential, and takes the viewer inside Grace Jones’ world. …[It is] not a retelling of what can easily be found in books and magazines.”
The film features Jones in recent years as she returns to Jamaica, the country of her birth and childhood, for a family reunion – but the stage is the fixed point to which the film consistently returns, with eye-popping performances of Slave to the Rhythm, Pull Up to the Bumper and Love is the Drug. Jones herself has said watching the film “will be like seeing me almost naked” and, indeed, Fiennes’s treatment is every bit as definition-defying as its subject, untamed by either age or life itself.
Each First Thursday Films screening at the Capri is followed by a passionate discussion of the movie. For Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami we welcome Ashley Selmer, Founder and Creative Director of SHAPESHIFT Theatrical, a hip-hop/contemporary storytelling dance company in Minneapolis. Selmer graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance with an emphasis in choreography and performance. She’s choreographed shows at the Ordway and Penumbra Theater and worked alongside Prince’s band, 3rdEyeGirl. SHAPESHIFT was recently honored to perform their self-produced Grey Skies Blue at the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Additional credits include Super Bowl LII (J Lo’s Direct TV Now) and the Prince Tribute Concert at Xcel Energy Center.
The First Thursdays series continues in March with Black Panther on March 7, and the 2019 Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival, with several screenings at the Capri during its April 4-20 run. More info: thecapritheater.org or mspfilm.org
First Thursday Films @ the Capri is presented and curated by the Film Society of Minneapolis St. Paul as part of Black Cinema: Under the Skin, a program of films by Black filmmakers and exploring Black culture and experience. Topical and relevant in these turbulent times, Black Cinema aims to create a space for dialogue and better understanding.
First Thursday Films @ the Capri is generously supported by Film Society Masters Bill and Michelle Pohlad, the Minnesota Historical Society and Target.