PBS selects Harlem filmaker's short film about gentrification for online festival

NEW YORK - EntSun -- A short independent film that tells the story of gentrification and generational conflicts through a historic Harlem jazz club was selected for inclusion in the 2019 PBS Online Film Festival.

"Paris Blues in Harlem" was shot in New York and is loosely based on the life of Samuel Hargress Jr., owner of Paris Blues Jazz Club in Harlem. The film was written by, directed and stars Harlem-native Nadhege Ptah, the mind behind the award-winning short film Dodo TiTi. Paris Blues tells the story of a young woman desperate to convince her grandfather to accept a realtor's briefcase full of mounds of cash in exchange for his insolvent Harlem jazz club. It is ultimately a story about how gentrification affects community, family, and a patriarch's legacy.

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Anyone can stream the 25 films selected for inclusion in the 2019 PBS Online Film Festival via www.pbs.org/filmfestival or on PBS's official YouTube and Facebook pages. They can then vote for their favorites. There will also be a juried prize selected by a panel of eight jurors.

Since its inception in 2012, the PBS Online Film Festival has attracted more than seven million video streams and featured diverse films and collaborations.

"We are truly honored to be included in this year's PBS Online Film Festival," Ptah said. "Being able to share the story of a Harlem patriarch who bridges the old and new is extremely important as we search for our city's collective essence in the 21st century."

View the trailer for Paris Blues in Harlem at https://youtu.be/eYhJlorEg1s. Learn more about Nadhege Ptah and her films at www.parisbluesinharlem.com.