BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 CALSCALE:GREGORIAN PRODID:adamgibbons/ics METHOD:PUBLISH X-PUBLISHED-TTL:PT1H BEGIN:VEVENT UID:23897@offbeat.amsterdam SUMMARY:ASSEMBLY! DTSTAMP:20260616T225547Z DTSTART:20260802T173000Z DESCRIPTION:In the spirit of World Pride and the great assemblies of Black and Queer\nresistance\, we thrilled to invite you to the ASSEMBLY! A movie night featuring\nthe Dutch premiere of a unique cinematic portrait of acc laimed artist Rashaad\nNewsome’s most ambitious work to date\, followed by a live performance and a DJ\nset to gather on the dancefloor to close the night.\n\nAssembly (dir. Rashaad Newsome & Johnny Symons\, 2025) follows the creation of a\ngroundbreaking multimedia exhibition and performance at New York’s historic Park\nAvenue Armory. Once a symbol of military author ity and white institutional\npower\, the Armory is reimagined as an exuber ant monument to Black and queer\ncreativity. From monumental video project ions and holograms to sculpture\,\ncollage\, and African fractal design\, vogue\, and an anti-colonial artificial\nintelligence\, Assembly guides us through questions of ancestry\, memory\,\nliberation\, and the futures we might yet create together.\n\nThe assembly will be opened with a performa nce by dancer and choreographer\nChristian Yav\, and hosted by the incompa rable JNM the Naked MC. Following the\nscreening\, we gather on the dancef loor for selected tunes by DJ Shug La Sheedah.\nCheck out the movie traile r for Assembly below this page!\n\n\nTRAILER ASSEMBLY LINE-UP\n\nJNM The N aked MC (Host)\n\nOur host Jennifer Muntslag\, also known as JNM the Naked MC\, brings you more than\na feeling\, a sound\, or a beautiful view. JNM is an experience in itself. With\nher high-energy stage presence and auth entic audience engagement\, JNM brings\nevents to life with a unique and m emorable style. Unafraid to share personal\nexperiences\, she inspires oth ers to do the same\, turning every appearance into\nsomething deeper than a conversation or presentation.\n\nDJ Shug la Sheedah\n\nShug La Sheedah i s a respected figure in the Dutch music scene\, celebrated for\nher seamle ss mixing\, unexpected track selection\, and ability to bring people\ntoge ther across generations through sounds ranging from soul\, hip-hop\, and R &B\nto afro\, dancehall\, and global music. Having shared stages and warme d up crowds\nfor icons such as Diana Ross\, Lauryn Hill\, and Snoop Dogg\, she will close the\nassembly with an uplifting set designed to leave the audience energized\,\nconnected\, and inspired.\n\n\nFILMMAKERS\n\nRashaad Newsome\nRashaad Newsome (director/producer/director of photography & vis ual effects) is\nan award-winning filmmaker\, multidisciplinary artist\, a nd innovator whose work\ndefies conventional boundaries\, blending film\, performance\, technology\, and\ncommunity organizing. Through his visionar y approach\, he crafts immersive\nexperiences that challenge outdated narr atives and create new spaces for Black\,\nqueer\, and trans stories to thr ive.\n\nJohnny Symons\n\nJohnny Symons (director/producer/cinematographer) is an Emmy-nominated filmmaker\nwho has directed and produced multiple aw ard-winning LGBTQ-themed feature\ndocumentaries. His work has screened at more than 200 international film\nfestivals and received support from fund ers such as Sundance\, Tribeca\, ITVS\,\nCatapult\, HBO\, Frameline\, and the California Council for the Humanities. He\ngraduated with honors from Brown University and has a Master’s in documentary\nproduction from Stanfo rd. Currently\, he is professor and MFA coordinator in the\nSchool of Cine ma at San Francisco State University.\n\nWould you like to attend this pro gram\, but don’t have the means to pay for a\nticket? Send an email to inf o@felixmeritis.nl\, we can work something out.\n\nNote: By booking this ti cket\, you agree to potentially be photographed during\nthe event. URL:https://offbeat.amsterdam/event/assembly GEO:52.3699902;4.884254 LOCATION:Felix Meritis - Keizersgracht 324\, 1016 EZ Amsterdam STATUS:CONFIRMED CATEGORIES:afro,amsterdam-centrum,community,dj,documentary,exhibition,festi vals,film,keizersgracht,live,movie night,music,performance,pride,queer,rnb ,sculpture,soul,stories X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html:

In the spirit of World Pride and th e great assemblies of Black and Queer resistance, we thrilled to invite yo u to the ASSEMBLY! A movie night featuring the Dutch premiere of a unique cinematic portrait of acclaimed artist Rashaad Newsome’s most amb itious work to date, followed by a live performance and a DJ set to gather on the dancefloor to close the night.

Assembly (dir. Rashaad Newsome & Johnny Symons, 2025) follows the creation of a groundbreaking multimedia exhibition and performance at New York’s histor ic Park Avenue Armory. Once a symbol of military authority and white insti tutional power, the Armory is reimagined as an exuberant monument to Black and queer creativity. From monumental video projections and holograms to sculpture, collage, and African fractal design, vogue, and an anti-colonia l artificial intelligence, Assembly guides us through questions of ancestr y, memory, liberation, and the futures we might yet create together.

The assembly will be opened with a performance by dancer and choreograp her Christian Yav, and hosted by the incomparable JNM the Naked MC. Follow ing the screening, we gather on the dancefloor for selected tunes by DJ Sh ug La Sheedah. Check out the movie trailer for Assembly below thi s page!

Trailer Assembly Line-up

JNM The Naked M C (Host)

Our host Jennifer Muntslag, also known as JNM th e Naked MC, brings you more than a feeling, a sound, or a beautiful view. JNM is an experience in itself. With her high-energy stage presence and au thentic audience engagement, JNM brings events to life with a unique and m emorable style. Unafraid to share personal experiences, she inspires other s to do the same, turning every appearance into something deeper than a co nversation or presentation.

DJ Shug la Sheedah

Shug La Sheedah is a respected figure in the Dutch music scene, ce lebrated for her seamless mixing, unexpected track selection, and ability to bring people together across generations through sounds ranging from so ul, hip-hop, and R&B to afro, dancehall, and global music. Having shar ed stages and warmed up crowds for icons such as Diana Ross, Lauryn Hill, and Snoop Dogg, she will close the assembly with an uplifting set designed to leave the audience energized, connected, and inspired.

Filmm akers

Rashaad Newsome
Rashaad Newsome (dire ctor/producer/director of photography & visual effects) is an award-wi nning filmmaker, multidisciplinary artist, and innovator whose work defies conventional boundaries, blending film, performance, technology, and comm unity organizing. Through his visionary approach, he crafts immersive expe riences that challenge outdated narratives and create new spaces for Black , queer, and trans stories to thrive.

Johnny Symons

Johnny Symons (director/producer/cinematographer) is an Emmy- nominated filmmaker who has directed and produced multiple award-winning L GBTQ-themed feature documentaries. His work has screened at more than 200 international film festivals and received support from funders such as Sun dance, Tribeca, ITVS, Catapult, HBO, Frameline, and the California Council for the Humanities. He graduated with honors from Brown University and ha s a Master’s in documentary production from Stanford. Currently, he is pro fessor and MFA coordinator in the School of Cinema at San Francisco State University.

Would you like to attend this program, but don’t have the means to pay for a ticket? Send an email to info@felixmeritis.nl , we can work something out.

Note: By booking this ticket, you agree to potentially be photographed during the event.

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