Space Is the Place

Jazz on Film

50th Anniversary

Calling planet Earth! Jazz on Film presents a special 50th-anniversary screening of the Afrofuturist classic Space Is the Place. Avant-garde jazz mystic Sun Ra and his Intergalactic Myth-Science Arkestra land their yellow spaceship in Oakland offering an alter-destiny to Black youth, including battling the FBI, NASA, and a supernatural pimp named “The Overseer.”

This unique iteration of Ra’s musical concepts and social commentary is a blend of science fiction B-movie, blaxploitation flick, and concert documentary. Featuring Marshall Allen, John Gilmore, and June Tyson, the Arkestra performs pieces including “Watusi,” “Outer Spaceways, Inc.,” and “The Satellites Are Spinning.”


Generous support has been provided by Gerry Aitken, Richard Levy and Dinah Chetrit, and Anne Tucker and Robert Morris.

Space Is the Place

Directed by John Coney
(USA, 1974, 85 minutes, in English)
Brown Auditorium Theater, digital

Location

Caroline Wiess Law Building
1001 Bissonnet Street
Houston, TX 77005
Map & Directions