It is the first feature-length film to examine the history of The East, a Black cultural organization and meeting place formed in 1969 by teens and young adults in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn.
[3] The film shows how The East organized itself around the principle of Black self-determination, developing an independent African-centered school, daycare, restaurant, newspaper, bookstore, clothing shop, and food co-op, among other businesses.
The film also depicts how the collective attracted notable figures within the Black Arts Movement to perform at its renowned performance venue -- from poets like Gil Scott-Heron, Sonia Sanchez, and Haki R. Madhubuti, to musical legends such as Max Roach, Betty Carter, Sonny Rollins, Roy Ayers, Sun Ra, and Pharoah Sanders, among others.
[7] The Giwas created the film to bring the story of the organization's influential yet little-known history to a broader audience.
The documentary was acquired for digital distribution globally by Indie Rights and released for streaming on Amazon Prime, Tubi, Google Play, and YouTube in May 2023.