NEON has released the trailer for its latest historic documentary film, Once Upon a Time in Harlem. The movie is earning rave reviews and has earned a 100% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Directed by William Greaves and David Greaves, the documentary follows a gathering of the surviving members of the Harlem Renaissance. Shot in 1972 by William, it remained unfinished for five decades. His son David revisited and completed the footage after his father’s demise.
Once Upon a Time in Harlem made its world premiere at the Premieres section of the 2026 Sundance Film Festival on January 25. It was later screened at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, where it earned a prestigious documentary award nomination. NEON acquired U.S. distribution rights following its festival premiere.
What do we see in the Once Upon a Time in Harlem trailer?
The trailer opens with footage from 1972, when filmmaker William Greaves hosted a cocktail party at Duke Ellington’s Harlem home. The gathering brought together artists and intellectuals from the Harlem Renaissance.
The renewed footage featured Aaron Douglas, Richard Bruce Nugent, and poet Arna Bontemps. Eubie Blake and Noble Sissle also appear, alongside photographer James Van Der Zee and Ida Mae Cullen, the widow of poet Countee Cullen.
The preview captures the group reflecting on the Renaissance and its lasting impact on Black history. A speaker recalls how Harlem became known as the “mecca of the New Negro.” It also shows the guests discussing their different perspectives.
The conversations touch on racial tensions and misconceptions as well. Eubie Blake addresses a claim about his interactions with white people with a laugh, while painter Aaron Douglas is celebrated simply as an “artist, period.”
The trailer closes with a speaker saying, “The Harlem Renaissance isn’t dead because it lives with everybody.”
The movie arrives in theaters on October 16, 2026. Before that, it will be screened at the Toronto International Film Festival and New York Film Festival.
