The photo is probably too dark...sorry.

I'm sitting in my car, ragtop down and sipping a horchata, in a downtown Oakland parking lot which normally at this time of night would be empty and dark, but tonight it is filled with cars and lawn chairs, all facing the windowless back wall of an adjacent building where a 40 foot tall indiie documentary about Bay Area graffiti and hip hop artists is being projected.

Liberation Drive-In is a guy named Jeff with a station wagon, an LCD projector, a low power FM transmitter and an assortment of video equipment. He takes over empty urban parking lots to show a mix of documentaries and music videos with a theme of social activism and underground culture.

Another film shown is a short based on the forthcoming feature documentary "A Rose from Concrete" which documents the struggles of a rising hip hop star Kev Kelly. The film follows Kelly's life in Hunter's Point, and was pitched to director Sam Diego by film maker Kevin Epps who created the acclaimed documentary "Straight Outta Hunter's Point." Diego is here, armed with his camera, capturing the audience reactions. It looks like another excellent piece of work and I'm looking forward to seeing the final release.

People watch the films, listen to the music and walk around socializing, just like the drive-ins of yesterday, but all with a grittier urban atmosphere. As the guy who just strolled by drinking malt liquor out of a paper sack just said, "this is the most happening place in the city right now.

-- Dav via Hiptop
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