UNC's Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Black Culture and History will open its fall Diaspora Festival of Black and Independent Film on Wed. Sept. 16 with the screening of "My Name is Albert Ayler."

The documentary chronicles the life of the1960s avant-garde jazz saxophonist from his native Cleveland to Sweden and then to New York. Ayler, who was plagued by mental illness, died in 1960 at the age of 34.

Larry Reni Thomas, a 30-year veteran writer/radio announcer and host of Sunday Night Jazz on WCOM 103.5 FM, will lead a post-discussion.

The center's diaspora film festival will present films and discussions that highlight contemporary and historical movements of people and the conflicts that tend to define their daily lives. All film screenings will take place at the Stone Center and are free to the public.

For more information, visit www.unc.edu/depts/stonecenter or call the Stone Center at (919) 962-9001.

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