On the eve of Juneteenth, the Tribeca Festival came to close with the Rev. Al Sharpton documentary “Loudmouth” in a premiere that united on stage Sharpton and Spike Lee — two towering New York figures who have each been both vilified and celebrated for careers championing of racial justice.
The event held Saturday at the Borough of Manhattan Community College celebrated Sharpton with the kind of big-screen portrait that has been commonplace for an older generation of civil rights leaders, but had, until “Loudmouth,” eluded the 67-year-old activist. “Loudmouth” contextualizes Sharpton's legacy as an extension of Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Rep. John Lewis and others, while at the same time chronicling his unique longevity despite plenty of naysayers along the way.
