by Marc W. Polite
At a time of political turmoil and confusion, some are inclined to look to history for answers. However, since the present does not play out exactly as the past, it is often necessary to adjust one’s approach. The upcoming film The Last Revolutionary takes up this question, and brings it into today’s political issues.
The Last Revolutionary follows two former Black revolutionaries, one who has become a modern-day conservative suburbanite, while the other is still in the same apartment from 1972, wearing the same outfit, brandishing multiple weapons and calling his former “street warriors” to help him start the revolution all over again. The two come into conflict as they debate the Obama Backlash, the Tea Party, and the path forward for Black America in the age of Trump.
Starring John Marshall Jones and Levy Lee Simon, The Last Revolutionary will open the African Diaspora International Film Festival on Thursday, November 24th, 2017. Through the efforts of Valerie Denise Jones, CEO of BIG Consultant Agency, I had the opportunity to speak with both Jones and Simon regarding their intentions to make an impact at ADIFF with this film.
“The overall message is that the African American community needs an action plan”, said Jones. In a phone interview, he emphasized the necessity of going beyond protests in the streets and pushing for policy. Jones further added that “if we took ten percent of our money, and put it in community banks, it would infuse the banking system”
Levy Lee Simon also had his take on the intended impact of The Last Revolutionary. “The film speaks to the heart of what a lot of Black people and progressive whites are thinking about,” said Simon. Levy emphasized that while times and people change, that we still have to reconcile and deal with the past. “We would be foolish to think that the past is gone forever,” he added. Simon, who mentioned Jamal Joseph as a mentor, wants the film to spark discussion, especially with it coming to New York City next week. It will open at Columbia University Teachers College.
There will be three showings: 2 at Columbia, and the last one on November 30th at Harlem MIST. In addition to these screenings at ADIFF, The Last Revolutionary will be available on Amazon February 1st, 2018.