Directed by Kathleen Collins
With Seret Scott, Bill Gunn, Duane Jones
USA, 1982, 84 minutes
In 1982, Piermont and Nyack resident Kathleen Collins (1942-1988) made “Losing Ground,” one of the first feature films to be directed by a Black woman. It was rarely seen until 2015, when it was the opening night film of the seminal Film at Lincoln Center series, “Black Independents in New York, 1968-1986.” Rave reviews quickly led its first ever theatrical run and a wide theatrical release. Had that happened when it was made it would have been recognized as one of the most important and original films of its time (“A cinematic masterwork” – Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 2015).
In “Losing Ground,” when the artist husband of a philosophy professor sells a painting to a major museum, he decides the couple should head off to the country for the summer, and picks Haverstraw because he feels drawn to the landscape, the light, and “those Puerto Rican ladies.”
On February 25, we will present the first major screening of Losing Ground in the filmmaker's own county, a special event that celebrates Kathleen Collins as well as the 25th anniversary of Rivertown Film. Nina and Emilio Collins, daughter and son of filmmaker Kathleen Collins, will take part in a discussion with local producer Liana Greaves (Once Upon a Time In Harlem).
Community Partners are Historical Society of the Nyacks, Piermont Historical Society, African American Historical Society of Rockland County, Nyack NAACP, Spring Valley NAACP, CEJJES Institute.
Funding for this program has been provided by New York State Council on the Arts and a Village of Nyack Tourism Grant.