The work of Cynthia and Tayo Giwa as co-creators of a publication called Black Owned Brooklyn, which celebrates Brooklyn Black history and businesses, inspired them to create, “The Sun Rises in the East."
The couple said they “felt there was a need to document black culture and history.”
Through their work publishing Black-Owned Brooklyn, they kept hearing about the group 'The East' and their legacy from the 1970s that still resonates today.
The group created the International African Arts Festival which celebrated their 50th anniversary last year. The couple says the organization founded their own institutions like a school, jazz center and food co-op.
They say they have received plenty of positive feedback from people who are excited to see a film tell an untold story. It premieres at the Brooklyn Academy of Music on Feb. 24.