Through stunning visuals and deeply personal performances, Assembly captures the transformative power of creativity as a fractured community comes together to find strength, solidarity and liberation. This reimagining challenges colonial power structures while honoring the complexity and resilience of Black experience. 

The film opens with a haunting vision: enslaved ancestors thrown from a slave ship into the sea. This imagery sets the tone for a journey shaped by ancestral presences—those who resisted, endured and were lost too soon. Rashaad's visit to Ghana, where he communes with ancestors in the dungeons of enslavement, deepens the film's exploration of history, memory and guidance as he creates this monumental work. 

The film also breaks new ground by centering an AI character, Being, as a fully realized entity with a rich emotional arc. Evolving from a conceptual artwork into a central figure, Being (they/them) overcomes skepticism from humans as they teach the critical importance of decolonization. Their story mirrors the struggles of Assembly's performers, creating a poignant parallel between technology and humanity. 

D: Rashaad Newsome and Johnny Symons, US, 2025, 1h39m

Discussion follows with director and visiting artist Rashaad Newsome.

Join us in the Daryl Roth Studio Theater for a workshop or a drop-in poetry session with Being (the Digital Griot) between March 30 - April 8.