In the new documentary film Assembly, artist Rashaad Newsome takes us on a behind-the-scenes journey of his installation at the New York Park Avenue Armory, where he creates a futuristic homage to black queer voices.
Featured are Zena Abubakari, Puma Camille, Dazié Rustin Grego-Sykes, Florence Newsome, and Dana Vitkovski.
Co-directed by Newsome and Johnny Symons, Assembly opens Friday, October 10, in New York’s Cinema Village.
The film which played at SXSW, BFI Flare, Hot Docs, Frameline and DeadCenter film festivals, will continue to make appearances nationwide.
Part documentary, part multi-sensory performance, the film takes audiences behind the scenes of Rashaad Newsome’s groundbreaking installation at New York’s Park Avenue Armory, transforming a bastion of white military power into a vibrant celebration of queer joy, resistance, and possibility.
Blending music, dance, projections, sculpture, holograms, and African fractal patterns, Assembly channels the energy of the queer underground while delivering sharp political commentary. At its center is Being, the Digital Griot — a voguing, storytelling, non-binary AI informed by the writings of Black feminist thinkers. Through the film, Being underscores the urgency of decolonization and envisions a future where machines amplify diverse voices rather than silence them.
From breathtaking visuals to powerful tributes — including an homage to Black trans women and a journey to Ghana to commune with enslaved ancestors — Assembly is at once a vision of intergenerational resilience and a love letter to queer Black excellence.
Barbara Goslawski’s review for POV Magazine states, “Through their collective efforts, Newsome and his collaborators lead the charge into a brighter artistic future that eschews bigotry.”
She added, “Assembly is a loud and proud assertion from a community that refuses to be dismissed anymore.”
Watch the official trailer of Assembly above.
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