Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current, May 09, 2001, Page 22, Image 22

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    Page 8
Focus In Print ----------------- Ï J o r t l a n b © h e c r u e r
May 9, 2001
The Inner Mind of a Controversial Black Panther
BI.ACK STARZ! Will present
the com pelling and controversial
portrait o f a man who was loved
and adm ired, feared and hated in
the world prem iere o f “A Huey P.
N ew ton Story,” on M onday, June
18 a t9 p .m . ET/PT.
W ritten, created by and star­
ring Roger G uenveur Smith. “ A
Huey P. Newton Story" is directed
by celebrated helm er Spike Lee
and produced in association with
the Public Broadcasting Service
(PBS) and African Heritage N et­
work (AHN). Steven Adams. Bob
L. Jo h n so n and M arc H enry
Johnson o f Luna Ray Films are
producers.
signature solo th ea ter perform ance to t he screen, starring
a s Huey P. Newton in the BLACK STAPZ! Original production
o f “A Huey P. Newton Story. "
Spike Lee, Director
A H uey P. Newton Story- is a
virtuosic and intim ate portrait o f
Huey P. N ew ton, the late co­
founder o f the Black Panther Party
for S elf Defense. A dapted from
Smith ’s Obie Award winning off-
Broadway solo performance o f the
same name, Lee brings the play
from the stage to the screen as
only he could.
Shot before a live audience in
N ovem ber 2000, Lee uses his sig­
nature mixture o f film and archival
footage, to capture N ew ton’s “ in-
nerm ind.”
The film is com plem ented by a
m usical score o f period m aterial
and original com positions from
sound designer Marc A nthony
Thom pson who received an Obie
and Audelco A w ard for his w ork
and features actor/com poser and
Gram m y A w ard winner Branford
Marsalis.
Dalai Lama’s Historic
Visit to Portland Sunday
T ibet’s spiritual and political
leader, the Dalai Lama, will make an
historic first visit to Portland from
May 13 to 15 for the “Pathways to
Peace Festival.” The three-day fes­
tival events are expected to attract
up to 75,000 people from the W est­
ern U.S. and beyond.
Prior to the arrival o f the Dalai
Lama, the W elcoming Celebration
will provide a multicultural mix o f
music, food and entertainment. Fea­
tured performers include the Oregon
Ballet Theane, the Lions o f Batuada
(Brazilian drumming group). Port­
land Taiko Drummers (Japanese
drumming group), the Northwest
T ibetan Cultural T roupe (traditional
Tibetan dance) and the Mystical
Arts o f Tibet (Tibetan monk music
and dance group). The event is free
and open to the public.
The Dalai Inm a will arrive around
4 p.m. and will be greeted by Gover­
nor Kitzhaber, Mayor Katz and other
local dignitaries before speaking to
the crowd. Fifteen thousand people
are expected to attend.
His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama
was bom in a small Tibetan village
called Takster on July 6, 1935. In
accordance with Tibetan tradition.
Portland from May 13-15 to
spread his universal message o f
tolerance, mutual respect, and
compassion.
the young Dalai Lama was recog­
nized at the age o f two as the
reincarnation o f his predecessor,
the 13'h Dalai Lama. Tibetans con­
sider the D alai Lama to be the
m anifestation o f Chenrezig, the
Bodhisattva o f Com passion. A c­
cording to B uddhist tradition,
B odhisattvas have chosen the
path o f enlightenm ent to benefit
all sentient beings.
Just before he turned five, the
Dalai Lama was officially en ­
throned as the spiritual and tem ­
poral leader o fT ibet in Lhasa, the
capital city ofT ib et. There he re­
ceived a traditional Tibetan Bud­
dhist and political education. In
1950, C hinese soldiers entered
Tibet. Shortly thereafter the 14,h
Dalai Lama assumed lull political
power at the age o f 16.
The Dalai I^una continues to work
tirelessly to negotiate a peaceful
solution to confl ict between the Chi­
nese government and Tibet.
CLASS BEGINS
W ITH A
HEARTY BREAKFAST
Monday through Saturday: 7am to 10:30am
Sunday: 7am to 11:30am
5736 NE 35r<l • Portland, Oregon
(505) 2 4 9 -5 9 8 5 • w w w .m cm cnam ins.com