Once Upon a Time in Harlem (2026)
Director: David Greaves, William Greaves Run Time: 100 min. Rating: PG-13 Release Year: 2026
Starring: Aaron Douglas, Ernest Crichlow, Eubie Blake, Leigh Whipper, Richard Bruce Nugent
Country: United States
Language: English
About the film:
A decade after his death, genre-defying filmmaker William Greaves has one last trick up his sleeve with what he considered the most important event he captured on film: a 1972 party he engineered with the living luminaries of the Harlem Renaissance. For four hours, this extraordinary group – many of whom had not seen each other in fifty years – reminisced, critiqued, argued, laughed and drank while wrestling with their place in a rapidly shifting cultural landscape.
Shot on 16mm film, newly restored and now directed by Greaves’ son David, this landmark film is at once a self-exploration and an inquiry into the heart of the critical mass of energy called the Harlem Renaissance. William Greaves’ intent was not only to document these artists and intellectuals as they spoke about their lives and work but also to plumb the meaning of the extraordinary creative period in which they lived to help us better understand how culture has been passed on from one generation to another and the role that the artist plays in keeping it alive.
Once Upon a Time in Harlem (2026) had its world premiere at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival and was presented at the Directors’ Fortnight section of the 2026 Cannes Film Festival and the the Wavelengths section of the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival.
About the filmmakers:
William Greaves was an award-winning director and editor from Harlem who produced over 200 documentaries, offering a unique and powerful portrait of the US and its history. His films include Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One (1968), Nationtime (1972), and Ralph Bunche: An American Odyssey (2001). Once Upon a Time in Harlem (2026) is his posthumous final film.
David Greaves is an award-winning filmmaker and journalist who holds an MFA from Columbia University. He was one of the original cinematographers during the shoot for Once Upon a Time in Harlem (2026), which he also completed. He is the founder of DBG Media and the award-winning independent newspaper Our Time Press. Once Upon a Time in Harlem (2026) is his latest film.
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