500 Years Later

Well what can I say, this film has brought a worldwide perspective on issues effecting many people living in a multicultural society today. The music and imagery were great, you can tell that a lot of time and effort has been put into making this film work.

I went into the cinema expecting to see a movie that was about the slave trade and what had happened 500 years ago, what I didn't expect was to be educated... I thought I knew all I needed to know about what had happened all those years ago but this film re-taught with boldness how it not only effected history but how it still effects this generation, whether Black or White this is a must see.

The film was interesting, thought provoking and intelligent. It also gave a message of hope and a way of reaching that light at the end of the tunnel and a way of tackling the problems that so many face from past generational hurts. I hope this can be shown in school and universities all around the country. Well recommended..!

Excellent film! A real eye-opener with amazing cinematography. The audience is taken on a journey around the world and presented with an array of beautiful images from Africa, to the Caribbean and many other places. 500 Years Later deals with many social issues affecting the African community in the diaspora & on the continent. It is very educational and should therefore be made available for all young people to watch as it deals with the global black experience like no other film. You can't help but be affected by this film. Not only does it lay out the problems affecting the global black community but it also lays out some hopes for the future.

500 years later is a film of hope. Yes I see in the beginning the same old pictures presented in a different way. They were presented to show where we came from, the interviews were in-depth and varied in both personalities and locations and I like that it spanned, the world impacted by slavery. Everyone's view helped to give the film body and not frivolous rhetoric. There was a lady from one of the African countries with her little daughter and what struck me foremost was the complexion, as we are often painted a picture of one type of African only. So that further expanded my mind and continued the process of removing the stereotypes of africaness that I have been presented with. But what touched me most was that at the end suggestions for change were made. You left the film feeling empowered and encouraged to do something that 500 years from now the story would be vastly different. It was also refreshing to Well done, a refreshing look at slavery and its impact. No whimpering, but boldness of the roar into the future.

500 Years Later is more than a film but rather a transcontinental discussion between some the greatest and most articulate thinkers of the African global nation. The film deals with the position of the African Diaspora 500 years after the forced migration of Africans from the continent. The sensitive direction of Director Owen 'Alik Shahadah and perceptively of Writer M.K. Asante Jr., get to the crux of the problems that continue to affect the melanin race of people despite their background or national affiliation.

Interspersed between the learned words of cultural activist Dr. Maulana Karenga (Founder of Kwanzaa), Writer Dr. Francis Cress Welsing (Isis papers), Dr. Molefi K Asante (Father of "Afrocentrity"), Andrew Muhammad (Author "Hidden history), among others, are conversations with laypeople who reflect the conflicts of racial inequalities in their own lives. The film is tied together by an array of images from the coast of West Africa, to the city pulse of London, to the shores of Barbados and the environs of America with haunting melodies by composer Tunde Jegede that pluck at heartstrings and sing the audience into a realization of their past and present self.

"500 Years Later" is not a film to be watched twice, three, or even five times, instead it is a timely audiovisual reference book that illuminates the challenges of continental Africans and that of the Diaspora. The poignant symbology that separates the chapters and the clear messages from the cast reveals new information with every frame making it a film as relevant as a dictionary on global Pan-African thought. "500 Years Later" is a work of courage that should be instituted in schools, churches and community centers urging leaders and children to play a more active role in the growth of a stable foundation for future generations to stand.

The film goes past explaining the problems of people by incorporating within it a glimpse of hope into the future. It is an apt dialogue between laymen, scholars and philosophers about the similarities of experience born from a segregated and demoralized kind of man. '500 Years Later' serves not only as a healthy reminder of the strength of the global African but also a caution against the defeatist nature that has sunk beneath the barrier of skin. A quandary that can only be erased with time, patience and education, ensuring a stronger kind and race of Human that will transcend the definition of color and nationality and ultimately embrace the beauty of differences and learn from the undiluted knowledge of ancestors.

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. It was great. It portrayed a passionate topic and had me close to tears. The movie discussed a topic that is not new to many but in a different light. Actually it shows both views, pros and cons, something that is unique and brings both perspectives to the table. I don't view a lot of documentaries but this movie is a must see. I am a fan of "The Last Samuri" and "Braveheart" which rate high on many people's list. I place this movie on that same level. I hope to see a lot more work from Mr. Shahadah; truly a great piece of work. As I said, it was a great movie and definitely a must see!!!