A long-delayed documentary capturing a gathering of Harlem Renaissance figures is set for its first public release more than five decades after it was filmed. The documentary, titled "Once Upon a Time in Harlem," is scheduled to premiere in theaters on October 16 through Neon, following restoration and completion efforts by filmmaker William Greaves’s descendants and collaborators.

The footage at the heart of the film was shot in 1972 during a party held at Duke Ellington’s Manhattan townhouse. The event brought together prominent and lesser-known contributors to the Harlem Renaissance—a cultural, social, and artistic movement that flourished in the 1920s and 1930s. Over the course of the evening, attendees shared stories, debated, and reflected on the movement’s legacy some 40 years after its peak.

William Greaves, a pioneering African-American filmmaker born in Harlem in 1926, directed the original shoot. Greaves, who had a lengthy career as an actor, director, and documentarian, saw the project as his magnum opus but never completed it during his lifetime. Known for his innovative work in documentary filmmaking, including the earlier film "Symbiopshotaxiplasm: Take One," Greaves sought to craft a cinematic experience that resembled the rhythm and flow of a party, using multiple cameras and split screens to capture the immediacy of the conversations.

Following Greaves’s death in 2014, the extensive raw footage—stored in cold archival facilities—remained unfinished until recent restoration efforts led by his son, David Greaves, one of the original cameramen, and his granddaughter, Liani Greaves. Assisted by film preservationist Anne de Mare, who digitized and edited the material, the team worked to realize William Greaves's vision without adding narration or other post-production embellishments.

Among those featured in the documentary are celebrated Harlem Renaissance artists such as Aaron Douglas, Romare Bearden, Eubie Blake, and Noble Sissle, alongside lesser-known figures including Regina Andrews, a librarian connected with poet Langston Hughes, and Richard Bruce Nugent, a painter and writer. The film highlights not only personal reminiscences but also longstanding debates within the movement, including discussions about Marcus Garvey’s “Back to Africa” campaign and differing views on the nature of Black art.

William Greaves had intended the documentary to be more than a historical record; he conceived it as a theatrical experience that would explore the movement’s connections to African and diasporic cultural traditions and extend into future generations. The project spanned decades in concept, with Greaves envisioning ongoing filming through the 1990s and beyond, as well as narration by prominent Black actors.

The completed film made its festival debut at Sundance in January 2026 to positive critical reception and was acquired by Neon after competitive bidding. It also received the 2026 Library of Congress Lavine/Ken Burns Prize for Film, which includes a $200,000 award recognizing its cultural significance.

For the Greaves family, the film’s release represents the fulfillment of a multigenerational commitment to preserving and honoring the Harlem Renaissance and its cultural impact. "He was always very conscious of the idea that this film was for the future," David Greaves said, speaking of his father’s foresight. "Now it gets to be a part of history."