CIFF46 Free Renty Documentary

This year the Western Reserve (OH) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated is a community partner of The Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF). CIFF46 will take place in person at Playhouse Square from March 30 - April 9, 2022 and majority of the content will be streamed April 10 - April 17. General admission ticket sales start on Friday, March 18, 2022. 

The Western Reserve (OH) Chapter is specifically supporting the documentary Free Renty: Lanier vs. Harvard. The documentary follows Tamara Lanier, an African American woman determined to force Harvard University to give up possession of images of her great-great-great grandfather, an enslaved man named Renty. The daguerreotypes were commissioned in 1850 by a Harvard professor to "prove" the superiority of the white race. Lanier's 2019 lawsuit has sparked intense national conversations about the photographs, their history and Harvard's ability to continue profiting from their use. On a larger scale, Lanier's legal claims raise fundamental questions about museums and their "ownership" over artifacts. Free Renty looks beyond the headlines to contextualize Lanier's quest to reclaim her inheritance and asks: who owns the rights to the violence of the past…Is it the victim or the perpetrator?"

For more information about Free Renty: Lanier v Harvard please visit https://www.clevelandfilm.org/films/2022/free-renty-lanier-v-harvard