New York City’s five boroughs are filled to the brim with culture. When it comes to Manhattan, Harlem has long served as the hot spot for arts culture. From literature, food, fashion, music, to dance, the Upper Manhattan neighborhood’s contribution to global culture has been recorded. Well, not all of it.
This fall, theatergoers will have the chance to step back into the Harlem Renaissance. After touring the film festival circuit, director David Greaves‘ documentary Once Upon a Time in Harlem is heading to a theater near you thanks to NEON.
What started as an intimate dinner party turned into one of the most important works of Emmy Award-nominated independent documentary filmmaker and scorer William Greaves.
Once Upon a Time in Harlem gives viewers a look into the Harlem Renaissance on a ground-level and deeply personal level. The documentary aims to answer several questions. What is the role of the artist? What is the value of art in society? What divine alchemy led to one of the most vibrant periods in modern cultural history?
The synopsis of the documentary reads, “On a summer evening in 1972, a pivotal generation of Harlem Renaissance artists and intellectuals gathered at Duke Ellington’s townhouse. For over three 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.”
Restored by William’s wife and creative partner, Louise Archambault Greaves, the invaluable footage was restored. Thanks to William’s son, David, and a host of collaborators, the film story will make it to the big screen. Once Upon a Time in Harlem was shot on 16mm film.
In the footage, filmgoers will catch cameos from illustrators Aaron Douglas and Ernest Crichlow, writer Richard Bruce Nugent, artist Romare Bearden, composers Eubie Blake and Noble Sissle, actor Leigh Whipper, poet Arna Bontemps, librarian Regina Andrews, activists Richard B. Moore and Louise Patterson, journalists Gerri Major and Ted Poston, historian John Henrik Clarke, theater impresarios Irvin C. Miller and Abram Hill, photographer James Van Der Zee, and William Greaves himself.
The Once Upon a Time in Harlem creative team includes producer Liani Greaves, producer & editor Anne de Mare, and editor Lynn True. Credited advisors of Once Upon a Time in Harlem include Jon-Sesrie Goff (Ford Foundation), Thelma Golden (Studio Museum in Harlem), filmmaker Stanley Nelson, and Marcia Smith (Firelight Media).
Watch the official teaser trailer for Once Upon A Time In Harlem directed by David Greaves below.
NEON’s Once Upon A Time In Harlem is due out in select theaters on October 16, 2026. Click here to find your local listings.