Alma's Rainbow

This FREE screening of ALMA’S RAINBOW is underwritten by the YWCA Princeton. Director of Mission Advancement at the YWCA, Brigitte Jean-Louis, will be introducing the film and Dr. Dominique Jean-Louis, Chief Historian of the Center for Brooklyn History at the Brooklyn Public Library, will be doing a Q&A with the audience following the screening

One of the first feature films written, produced, and directed by an African American woman. ALMA’S RAINBOW is a coming-of-age story about Rainbow Gold, a Brooklyn teenager who searches for meaning as she confronts her newfound feelings for boys, unrealistic beauty standards, and the fundamental question of women's autonomy over their own bodies. Throughout her exploration, she reflects on the lives of the two adult women closest to her: her uptight mother Alma and her flamboyant Aunt Ruby. This film is a significant contribution to ‘90s independent Black cinema and remains relevant in contemporary discussions. Presented in a new restoration.

Dominique Jean-Louis is the Chief Historian of the Center for Brooklyn History at the Brooklyn Public Library. Previously, she held the position of Associate Curator of History Exhibitions at New-York Historical Society, where she co-curated Black Citizenship in the Age of Jim Crow (2018), Our Composite Nation: Frederick Douglass' America (2022), and Black Dolls (2022). She is a former Mellon Predoctoral Fellow in Museum Education at the Museum of the City of New York, where she also contributed to the exhibition New York at Its Core (2016). Her newest exhibit for the Center for Brooklyn History, Trace/s: Family History Research and the Legacy of Slavery in Brooklyn, opened January 30th, 2025, and will be on display through August 30th.  Jean-Louis received her B.A. in Comparative Ethnic Studies from Columbia University, and her PhD in History at New York University where her dissertation focused on race, education, and immigration in post-Civil Rights Era Brooklyn. Dominique often writes and lectures on Black history in America, schools and education, and New York City history.

Brigitte Jean-Louis is the director of Director of Mission Advancement at the YWCA Princeton. During her employment with YWCA Princeton, Brigitte has attended the United Nations’ Commission on the Status of Women, served as a voting member for YWCA USA’s delegation to World YWCA‘s World Council, and was named a finalist for New America’s US@250 fellowship.

Director Ayoka Chenzira

Cast Kim Weston-Moran, Victoria Gabrielle Platt

Country USA

Language English

Aspect 1.85

More info on IMDB ››