Once Upon a Time in Harlem: William Greaves’ Unfinished Harlem Renaissance Documentary Premieres at Cannes

David Greaves and his daughter Liani completed William Greaves’ 1972 documentary *Once Upon a Time in Harlem* and presented the finished feature in the Directors’ Fortnight of the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, its first public showing.

The Guardian

In 1969 Greaves warned that without Black media “there would always be a distortion of the ‘black image.’” He hosted a cocktail gathering at Duke Ellington’s Harlem townhouse in August 1972, inviting surviving Harlem Renaissance figures he could locate; four cameras and two crews recorded four hours of conversation and debate.

The Guardian

The film includes Aaron Douglas, Richard Bruce Nugent, Arna Bontemps, Eubie Blake, Noble Sissle, Ida Mae Cullen (widow of Countee Cullen) and Ruth Ellington, Duke Ellington’s sister.

The Guardian

• 1969 – Greaves calls for Black media.

The Guardian

• Aug 1972 – Party filmed at Duke Ellington’s townhouse.

The Guardian

• 2014 – William Greaves dies; material passes to widow Louise.

The Guardian

• 2023 – Louise dies; David and Liani take over.

The Guardian

• 2026 – Restored film premieres at Cannes; retrospectives in October in New York and London.

The Guardian

David Greaves said the film links debates over Black self-identification, noting that today’s discussions of “Black, African American, people of colour” echo the 1972 dialogue. He framed the release as a response to political moves aiming to diminish Black narratives, citing attacks on Smithsonian programming. He invoked his father’s principle of visceral reactions and announced an October release with retrospectives at the Barbican and in Brooklyn. Greaves criticized former President Donald Trump’s attempts to curtail race-focused Smithsonian exhibitions and to remove park signage, calling them part of a broader effort to erase the Black experience.

The Guardian

The film preserves first-hand testimony from Harlem Renaissance veterans, providing a rare primary source for scholars and the public. Its release coincides with renewed debates over racial terminology, anti-colonial solidarity, and Black representation, and critics call it a “talking picture” that may cement Greaves’ reputation as a chronicler of African-American history.

The Guardian

• “It became clear to me that unless we black people began to produce information for screen and television there would always be a distortion of the ‘black image.’” — William Greaves, Filmmaker

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• “When they talk about whether to call themselves Black or Negro, that’s a discussion still happening now – you’ve got Black, African American, people of colour.” — David Greaves, Filmmaker

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• “It would be considered a revolution in relation to other music. It was not a revolution to us.” — Aaron Douglas, Painter

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• “You look at it and think, Jesus, who is this? Why do they do this kind of thing? It’s who he is, and we just have to deal with it.” — David Greaves, on Donald Trump’s cultural policies

The Guardian