Story perspectives

Cannes Screens Harlem Icons Documentary; Neon Acquires

5/21/2026

Summary

Story summary

The Cannes Film Festival screened the documentary “Once Upon a Time in Harlem,” directed by David Greaves.
David Greaves completed the film with his father William Greaves’ August 1972 footage of a Harlem townhouse cocktail party that featured Arna Bontemps, Romare Bearden, Leigh Whipper, Eubie Blake and John Henrik Clarke, after William died in 2014.
Neon acquired the documentary, launched an awards campaign and scheduled fall-festival screenings.

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Story summary

The Cannes Film Festival screened the documentary “Once Upon a Time in Harlem,” directed by David Greaves.
David Greaves completed the film with his father William Greaves’ August 1972 footage of a Harlem townhouse cocktail party that featured Arna Bontemps, Romare Bearden, Leigh Whipper, Eubie Blake and John Henrik Clarke, after William died in 2014.
Neon acquired the documentary, launched an awards campaign and scheduled fall-festival screenings.