THE HUMAN HAMBONE

Perhaps right this moment you are tapping your fingers to a beat and don't even realize it. Whether we are aware of it or not, there are unconscious rhythms in our everyday lives and in our communication. Our bodies are dancing in non-verbal communication. There is an unspoken conversation going on between us and those we are attracted to. Everything in the human body works in a rhythm driven by the heartbeat.

HUMAN HAMBONE celebrates the use of the human body as an instrument. The film traces the emergence of body percussion in the United States to Africans brought over as slaves. Percussion was an essential part of African lives. After a slave rebellion in South Carolina in 1739, a law was passed that banned the use of drums by slaves. Shortly after, the slaves began making percussion by stomping and slapping rhythms on their bodies, which became known as hambone.

Body percussion today takes many forms: from stepping to beatboxing to hambone, with personal styles as varied as fingerprints. Featuring artists from all over the country, such as Artis the Spoonman, DC Coalition Step Team, Jimmy Slyde, Radioactive and Sam McGrier, this film weaves a toe-tapping, thigh-slapping medley of synchronized beats that make it hard for you to sit still in your seat. It is a testament to the human spirit's ability to find ways to express itself in the most primal way, demonstrating that the body is the most diverse musical instrument in the world.

Amy King

Mark Morgan leveraged his knowledge of documentary filmmaking when he directed the recently distributed PUN SMOKE, showcasing the 25th Annual O'Henry Pun-Off. Local critics in Austin acclaimed the film. THE HUMAN HAMBONE is his third film, preceded by the PUN SMOKE and ME, GOD AND RED FARMER, which showcased at both the Nashville and the Atlanta film festivals. Morgan received a BA with emphasis on sociology, education and film from The Evergreen State College. He currently lives in Austin, TX.

Print Source:
Ed Bedrosian, Open Road Media
2504 Pacific Ave. #1
Venice, CA 90291
Tel: 323-559-2819
Fax: 310.439.1406
Email: ed@openroadmovies.com

PRECEDED BY...RAVE AGAINST THE MACHINE
James Harvey, Richard Rudy
United Kingdom/Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2004, 24 minutes

A vibrant and heartfelt film revealing an underground music scene that saved the sanity of young Bosnians during the 1990s siege of Sarajevo.

Print Source:
Richard Rudy, Barefoot Films
Flat 2
23 Bishops Bridge Road
Paddington, London W2 6BA
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 7947 630 353
Email: us@barefootfilms.co.uk

Wednesday 6/15 at 6:45 p.m.

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