Classic Black Cinema Series: New Orleans

New Orleans is a 1947 American musical romance film starring Arturo de Córdova and Dorothy Patrick featuring a conventional plot – however – this film is noteworthy for casting jazz legends like Billie Holiday, who is romantically involved with bandleader Louis Armstrong. The true star of New Orleans is the jazz music, including the performances of Dixieland jazz, and the legendary musicians featured in this film. Outside of Holiday and Armstrong's band, epic jazz clarinetist Woody Herman performs along with other notable jazz musicians.

Specifically designed as a vehicle to expose the community to the vast artistic value black film has had throughout the years, the goal of the film series is to appeal to as diverse a population as possible and further the appreciation of Black cinema. Curator and host, Felix Curtis, came to Charlotte from the Oakland/San Francisco Bay area where he curated The San Francisco Black Film Festival and Black Filmworks, the annual film festival component of the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame, where he later served as Executive Director.