More than a decade after his death, William Greaves still has one more cinematic surprise to unveil.
The trailer has arrived for “Once Upon A Time In Harlem,” the new documentary co-directed by William Greaves and his son David Greaves, built around footage the elder Greaves shot in 1972 at Duke Ellington’s Harlem townhouse. Already an established documentarian and fresh off “Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One,” Greaves assembled a remarkable group of surviving artists, musicians, poets, librarians, journalists, actors, photographers, teachers, and critics connected to the Harlem Renaissance for a party that doubled as a living archive.
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The official synopsis describes the film as a record of “old friends reconnecting,” familiar conflicts resurfacing, and personal memories becoming recorded history. The guest list included major figures such as Aaron Douglas, Richard Bruce Nugent, Eubie Blake, Noble Sissle, Leigh Whipper, Arna Bontemps, Regina Andrews, Richard B. Moore, Louise Patterson, John Henrik Clarke, and James Van Der Zee, among others.
The footage sat unfinished for decades, but it has now been restored and shaped into a 100-minute documentary by David Greaves, who was one of the cameramen at the original gathering. The film is produced by Liani Greaves and Anne de Mare, edited by Lynn True and Anne de Mare, and features music by Tamar-kali.
“Once Upon A Time In Harlem” premiered in the Premieres section at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival and later screened at Cannes in Directors’ Fortnight, where it competed for the Œil d’Or documentary prize. The film has also received strong early reviews, currently sitting at 100% on Rotten Tomatoes from 25 reviews (including ours).
NEON acquired U.S. rights to “Once Upon A Time In Harlem” following Sundance and is planning a theatrical release later this year. Watch the trailer below.
