Film

A chronicle of the birth, rise, and legacy of The East, a pan-African cultural organization founded in 1969 in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn that embodied Black self-determination. The East built dozens of institutions, including its own African-centered school, food co-op, publisher, and record label; hosted world-famous jazz musicians and poets; and served as an epicenter for political contemporaries including the Black Panther Party, the Young Lords, and the Congress of Afrikan People. In effect, The East built an independent Black nation in the heart of Central Brooklyn.

The Sun Rises in The East is the first feature-length documentary to explore The East and its continued influence on Black Brooklyn. It highlights the challenges that led to the organization’s eventual dissolution—including its gender politics, financial struggles, and government surveillance—while showing just how much is possible, offering an exhilarating vision for today’s movement for racial justice.