- Directed by
- Davenport, Tom, American, born 1939
- Subject of
- Landis, Bertha M., American, born 1898
- Produced by
- Davenport Films, American
- Subject of
- Landis, Claude, American, 1935 - 2019
- Landis, John, American
- Daniel, Kenneth, American
- Owned by
- D.C. Public Library, American, founded 1896
- Date
- 1986
- Medium
- polyester film
- Dimensions
- Duration: 49 Minutes
- Length (Film): 1750 Feet
- Caption
- This film was a part of the Washington D.C. Public Library's circulating 16mm film collection housed at the Martin Luther King Jr. Central Library. The collection is particularly noted for the wide variety of African American and African diaspora content.
- Description
- A documentary film with the title A Singing Stream: A Black Family Chronicle. It consists of a single reel of color 16mm polyester film with optical sound.
- The documentary chronicles the experiences of the Landis family, a religious and musical family based in Granville County, North Carolina. Through interviews, anecdotes, family reunions, church services, family conversations and family photographs, the documentary traces the family's history over the lifetime of family matriarch Bertha Landis.
- Mrs. Landis relates experiences such as defying odds and buying her first home with her husband, not being able to vote at some point in her life and teaching her children the importance of voting. Other members of the family also relate their experiences as well: Grandson Kenneth Daniel describes his experience of being one of the first black children at a newly integrated school. In addition to the numerous anecdotes, there are also several scenes in which family members engage in musical performances.
- Place used
- Washington, District of Columbia, United States, North and Central America
- Place filmed
- Granville County, North Carolina, United States, North and Central America
- Collection title
- DC Public Library Film Collection
- Classification
- Time-based Media - Moving Images
- Topic
- American South
- Families
- Film
- Gospel (Music)
- Independent films
- Religion
- Segregation
- Singers (Musicians)
- Suffrage
- Credit Line
- Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
- Object number
- 2017.55.100.1a
- Restrictions & Rights
- Restrictions likely apply. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.




