They Not Like Us: Cinematic Visions of Afrosurrealism explores the powerful and imaginative world of Afrosurrealism in contemporary American cinema. From the works of artists like Henry Dumas and Sun-Ra to literary giants like Toni Morrison, Afrosurrealism, as a mode of creative expression, has been an artistic genre deployed to blend elements of surrealism with the lived experiences of the African diaspora, using the real, the bizarre, and the fantastical to articulate the complex realities of race and identity. In our contemporary world, where truth often feels stranger than fiction, Afrosurrealism has emerged as a critical lens through which filmmakers are expressing resistance to systemic oppression. Join noted author, scholar, and MoAD’s Cultural Critic-in-Residence Dr. Artel Great (SFSU) for a thought-provoking lecture presentation that offers an aesthetic, social, cultural, and political examination of how Afrosurrealism has become increasingly relevant in the United States, particularly as a lens to navigate and critique the persistent racial condition and issues of social justice that continue to shape Black life. This event will cover groundbreaking works such as HBO’s Random Acts of Flyness, Sorry to Bother You, Blindspotting, Get Out, and the Academy Award-winning short film Two Distant Strangers. The centerpiece of the program will feature an illuminating analysis of the deeply provocative motion picture They Cloned Tyrone, exploring how the film uses Afrosurrealism to navigate and expose the absurdities and cyclical nature of systemic inequality in America, and the creative ways that cinema artists resist and push back against these forces.

Attendees will receive private access to view the films: They Cloned Tyrone and Two Distant Strangers on-demand prior to the event.

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This event is Virtual and will be held on Zoom. After you register for this program, you will receive an acknowledgement email with the link to join the program on Zoom. It will also contain the link to view the films THEY CLONED TYRONE and TWO DISTANT STRANGERS on-demand prior to the event. If you don't receive the email, check your junk mail or spam folder.

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Dr. Artel Great (@dr.artelgreat) is the inaugural Cultural Critic-in-Residence at MoAD and the George and Judy Marcus Endowed Chair in African-American Cinema Studies and Assistant Professor of Critical Studies at San Francisco State University. He is also an Independent Spirit Award-nominated filmmaker and film and media scholar who has written on Black cinema and popular culture in both mainstream and academic publications.