David and Liani Greaves continued their festival rollout for Once Upon A Time In Harlem this evening in Cannes, where the decades-in-the-making documentary received an uncharacteristically enthusiastic response in the Théâtre Croisette following its debut screening. 

Screening as part of the Directors’ Fortnight competition, Once Upon A Time In Harlem received a hearty four-minute standing ovation after this evening’s screening. Extended ovations are rare for documentaries in the Directors’ Fortnight strand. Both David and Liani Greaves were present this evening. The pair wiped away tears as the audience rose to their feet in applause following the screening. 

The film arrives in Cannes following its world premiere earlier this year at Sundance. Inventive in form, the film was conceived and filmed in 1972 by the late William Greaves. The film is shaped around a cocktail party Greaves hosted at Duke Ellington’s home in Harlem. Greaves invited every surviving creator of the Harlem Renaissance he could locate – many of whom had not seen one another in more than 50 years. For four hours, the group of artists laughed, drank, and debated their position in the rapidly shifting cultural landscape. Greaves filmed it all.

The footage was originally shot for a film about the Harlem Renaissance called From These Roots, which Greaves completed in 1974 using only archival materials. The interviews and discussions from the party were put to the side. However, Greaves, who went on to become a major figure of American independent cinema, completing over 70 films, including the now-seminal Symbiopsychotaxiplasm films, believed Once Upon a Time in Harlem was his greatest work. He spent much of the rest of his life wrestling with how to finish the film. He died in 2014, with the film incomplete. His widow, Louise Greaves, continued working on the project until she died in 2023, at which point his son, David Greaves, and David’s daughter, Liani Greaves, picked up the mantle. 

Film producer Anne de Mare oversaw the restoration and digitization of the footage used in the doc. Neon picked up the film following the screening at Sundance, beating out Netflix and Mubi. The film is set to be released later this year in time for William Greaves’ centenary on October 8.

Cannes runs until May 23.