<I>A Singing Stream: A Black Family Chronicle</I>
date: label: Date
content: 1986
name: label: Directed by
content: Tom Davenport, American, born 1939
label: Subject of
content: Bertha M. Landis, American, born 1898
label: Produced by
content: Davenport Films, American
label: Subject of
content: Claude Landis, American, 1935 - 2019
label: Subject of
content: John Landis, American
label: Subject of
content: Kenneth Daniel, American
label: Owned by
content: D.C. Public Library, American, founded 1896
notes: label: Caption
content: This film was a part of the Washington D.C. Public Library's circulating 16mm film collection housed at the Martin Luther King Jr. Central Library. The collection is particularly noted for the wide variety of African American and African diaspora content.
label: Description
content: A documentary film with the title A Singing Stream: A Black Family Chronicle. It consists of a single reel of color 16mm polyester film with optical sound.
label: Description
content: The documentary chronicles the experiences of the Landis family, a religious and musical family based in Granville County, North Carolina. Through interviews, anecdotes, family reunions, church services, family conversations and family photographs, the documentary traces the family's history over the lifetime of family matriarch Bertha Landis.
label: Description
content: Mrs. Landis relates experiences such as defying odds and buying her first home with her husband, not being able to vote at some point in her life and teaching her children the importance of voting. Other members of the family also relate their experiences as well: Grandson Kenneth Daniel describes his experience of being one of the first black children at a newly integrated school. In addition to the numerous anecdotes, there are also several scenes in which family members engage in musical performances.
place: label: Place used
content: Washington, District of Columbia, United States, North and Central America
label: Place filmed
content: Granville County, North Carolina, United States, North and Central America
topic: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: American South
label: Topic
content: Families
label: Topic
content: Film
label: Topic
content: Gospel (Music)
label: Topic
content: Independent films
label: Topic
content: Religion
label: Topic
content: Segregation
label: Topic
content: Singers (Musicians)
label: Topic
content: Suffrage
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
label: Collection title
content: DC Public Library Film Collection
label: Classification
content: Time-based Media - Moving Images
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Transferred from the DC Public Library
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture
identifier: label: Object number
content: 2017.55.100.1a
objectType: label: Type
content: sound films
label: Type
content: color films (visual works)
label: Type
content: 16mm (photographic film size)
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Restrictions likely apply. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: polyester film
label: Dimensions
content: Duration: 49 Minutes
label: Dimensions
content: Length (Film): 1750 Feet