Among the films to be shown at the 39th annual New Directors/New Films Series is 'Night Catches Us,' starring Kerry Washington and Anthony Mackie.

The debut feature from Tanya Hamilton exposes the realities of African American life during the final days of the Black Power Movement, as potluck suppers, run-ins with the authorities and lingering radicalism threaten to set off a neighborhood teetering on the edge.

Set in Philadelphia in 1976, 'Night' focuses on two former Black Panthers (Mackie and Washington) who reunite during the summer before Jimmy Carter's election. As friends forced to confront personal and political demons, the two actors give spectacular performances, while Hamilton's use of an intense soundtrack (by The Roots) and moving archival footage bring to life the history of black resistance.

The film paints a fresh perspective of the era and provides an allegory for our own times in the age of Barack Obama.

Produced by Ron Simon's SimonSays Entertainment, the film premiered last month at the Sundance Film Festival.

New Directors/New Films, the longstanding collaboration between the Film Society of Lincoln Center and the Museum of Modern Art, is dedicated to discovering the work of emerging filmmakers and will screen 38 films at both venues, from March 24 - April 4.