Press Release
The Gibbes Museum of Art presents the third and final film, Passing, from its series, “Gibbes Films in Focus: Passing Strange,” this Friday, November 19th at 6:30 pm. This film by Rebecca Hall starring Tessa Thompson, Ruth Negga, Andre Holland, and Alexander Skarsgård examines the tradition of race-passing, where a person of Black descent with ambiguous or white features joins white society unnoticed. Passing is based off the 1929 novel Passing by Nella Larsen. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students and faculty with a valid ID. Please see below for more information about the film.
Passing tells the story of Irene Redfield (Tessa Thompson) and Clare Kendry (Academy Award nominee Ruth Negga), who both can pass as white but choose to live on opposite sides of the color line in late 1920s New York during the height of the Harlem Renaissance. As Irene and Clare's lives become more intertwined, Passing becomes a riveting exploration of obsession, repression and the lies people tell themselves and others to protect their carefully constructed realities.
This will be the first screening of Passing in Charleston, but the film is already streaming on Netflix and has received great reviews from Rotten Tomatoes, The New York Times and The Sun. There will also be a special message from director Rebecca Hall during this screening.
For more information about this screening and to register, click here. For more information about “Gibbes Films in Focus: Passing Strange,” visit gibbesmuseum.org.
