Cane River

Sunday, July 5 - Monday, July 6, 2026

Special Events

  • Sun Jul 5 : 

    Intro by Dominique Jenkins, daughter of dir. Horace Jenkins at 12:45

    Buy Tickets

SHOWTIMES AT IFC CENTER

Sunday, July 5 at 12:45: Introduction by Dominique Jenkins, daughter of director Horace Jenkins

Written, produced, and directed by Emmy Award-winning documentarian, Horace B. Jenkins, and crafted by an entirely African American cast and crew, CANE RIVER is a racially-charged love story in Natchitoches Parish, a “free community of color” in Louisiana. A budding, forbidden romance lays bare the tensions between two black communities, both descended from slaves but of disparate opportunity—the light-skinned, property-owning Creoles and the darker-skinned, more disenfranchised families of the area.

This lyrical, visionary film disappeared for decades after Jenkins died suddenly following the film’s completion, robbing generations of a talented, vibrant new voice in African American cinema.

4K Restoration by IndieCollect in collaboration with Academy Film Archive

Screening as part of our series Declaration of Independents!

See more and save! Get an Independents Pack ($30 for IFC Center members and $45 for non-members). Ticket packs are good for any three screenings in the series.

  • Country USA
  • Year 1982
  • Running Time 104 minutes
  • Format 4K Restoration
  • Distributor Oscilloscope
  • Director Horace B. Jenkins
  • Cast Richard Romain, Tommye Myrick
  • Accessibility Assistive Listening, T-Coil

IFC Center does not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, as sensitivities vary from person to person. In addition to the synopses, trailers and other links on our website, further information about content and age-appropriateness for specific films can be found on Common Sense Media, IMDb and DoesTheDogDie.com as well as through general internet searches.