This program honors Jessie Maple (1937-2023), a trailblazing filmmaker and film programmer, a tireless media activist, and an original participant in the 1976 Sojourner Truth Festival of the Arts. Yvonne Welbon, one of the many filmmakers whom Maple inspired, will introduce Maple’s first feature film, WILL, the story of a basketball coach (Obaka Adedunyo) who recovers from drug addiction in 1980s Harlem. Also starring Loretta Devine in her film debut, WILL is among the first feature films directed by an African American woman. Program: SISTERS IN CINEMA (2003, dir. Yvonne Welbon, 10 min. excerpt), WILL (1981, dir. Jessie Maple, 80 min., in English / Format: Digital) Introduction by Yvonne Welbon.