Gender violence prevention guru
premiers hip-hop movie at UConn

Release # 07007
Contact:
Richard Veilleux, Media Communications, (860) 486-3530
Betsy Cracco, Women's Center, (860) 486-1103

STORRS, Conn. — The University of Connecticut Women's Center is sponsoring a discussion with filmmaker Byron Hurt in conjunction with the screening of his film Beyond Beats and Rhymes, at 7 p.m. Feb. 7, in the Student Union Theater.

The documentary, Beyond Beats and Rhymes: A Hip-Hop Head Weighs in on Manhood in Rap Music examines how manhood, sexism, and homophobia are represented in rap music and hip-hop culture.

A 2006 Sundance Film Festival selection, Beyond Beats and Rhymes features interviews with musicians Mos Def, Fat Joe, Chuck D, Jadakiss, and Busta Rhymes along with cultural commentary from Michael Eric Dyson, Beverly Guy-Sheftall, Kevin Powell, and Sarah Jones.

PBS will premiere the documentary on its Emmy award-winning series, Independent Lens, on Feb. 20.

The film's producer and director, Byron Hurt, is a long-time gender violence prevention educator. He was one of the original members of the Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP) Program, the leading gender violence prevention initiative in college and professional athletics. He is also the former associate director of a United States Marine Corps domestic violence prevention program.

The event is free and open to the public, and is sponsored by the Women's Center Violence Against Women Prevention Program, the Department of Student Activities, the Institute for African American Studies, the H. Fred Simons African American Cultural Center, and Women's Studies.

February Releases