SUMMERTIME IS PLAYING AT THE SMITH RAFAEL FILM CENTER

Summertime follows the intersecting stories of 27 youth spoken word poets over a single day in Los Angeles.

The director’s ground-breaking vision began at a poetry showcase where performers from across the City of Angels recited fearlessly personal texts about themselves, their communities, and their relationship to their city.

The project was then developed around their individual poems and interwoven into a larger, unified, and gloriously moving narrative experiment — part contemporary musical and part sociological art.

Summertime explores themes of identity, community, and intersectionality through the unique perspectives of this diverse ensemble. Rated R for language throughout and sexual references.

Director: Carlos López Estrada