Once Upon a Time in Harlem — NYFF Review

William and David Greaves’s Once Upon a Time in Harlem feels like more than a documentary. It feels like traveling back in time and conversing with some of the greatest creative minds of a generation. This may be the quintessential Harlem Renaissance documentary—a rare opportunity to witness these artists and intellectuals reflecting on their lives and work. The film was shot in 1972 at a gathering attended by surviving members of the Harlem Renaissance, but it remained unfinished for half a century. Following his father’s death in 2014, David Greaves revisited the footage and finally brought the film to completion.