Film Studies

"Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975 is a compilation film featuring extraordinary documentary footage of the Black Panthers in the late 60's, set to a soundtrack from Questlove and Om'Mas Keith and new commentary from the likes of Talib Kweli, Questlove and Erykah Badu. Unearthed from a basement, the footage contains intimate interviews alongside rousing speeches from Stokely Carmichael and black power activist Angela Davis whose imprisonment is captured on camera. For all its archival footage, this is a very contemporary piece of work that shines new light on one of the most important political movements to emerge in the last century." Box

"Follows the lives of three young males living in the Crenshaw ghetto of Los Angeles, dissecting questions of race, relationships, violence and future prospects". --IMDB

"A history of the racially stereotyped portrayal of African Americans in cinema." (IMDB)

"Languid look at the Gullah culture of the sea islands off the coast of South Carolina and Georgia where African folk-ways were maintained well into the 20th Century and was one of the last bastions of these mores in America. Set in 1902." IMDB

"A sharp and funny comedy about a group of African-American students as they navigate campus life and racial boundaries at a predominately white college. A sly, provocative satire about being a black face in a white place". --OCLC.

"It is 1948 in LA and Ezikeal "Easy" Rawlins, a World War II veteran, is looking for work. At his friend's bar, he is introduced to DeWitt Albright, who is looking for someone to help him find a missing white woman assumed to be hiding somewhere in LA's Black community. This woman, Daphane Monet, happens to be the fiancée of a wealthy 'blue blood'Todd Carter, who is currently the favorite in the city's race for mayor. Daphane Monet is known to frequent the black jazz clubs in LA. Easy, innocently accepts Albright's offer, however, he quickly finds himself caught up in murder, with crooked cops, ruthless politicians, and brutalizing hoodlums". IMDB.

'Do the Right Thing is a joyful, tumultuous masterpiece--maybe the best film ever made about race in America, revealing racial prejudices and stereotypes in all their guises and demonstrating how a deadly riot can erupt out of a series of small misunderstandings. Set on one block in Bedford-Stuyvesant on the hottest day of the summer, the movie shows the whole spectrum of life in this neighborhood and then leaves it up to us to decide if, in the end, anybody actually does the "right thing." Featuring Danny Aiello as Sal, the pizza parlor owner; Lee himself as Mookie, the lazy pizza-delivery guy; John Turturro and Richard Edson as Sal's sons; Lee's sister Joie as Mookie's sister Jade; Rosie Perez as Mookie's girlfriend Tina; Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee as the block elders, Da Mayor and Mother Sister; Giancarlo Esposito as Mookie's hot-headed friend Buggin' Out; Bill Nunn as the boom-box toting Radio Raheem; and Samuel L. Jackson as deejay Mister Seǫr Love Daddy. A rich and nuanced film to watch, treasure, and learn from--over and over again. --Jim Emerson' Amazon.com

"In the hot and deadly summer of 1964, the nation could not turn away from Mississippi. Over ten memorable weeks known as Freedom Summer, more than 700 student volunteers joined with organizers and local African Americans in a historic effort to shatter the foundations of white supremacy in one of the nation's most segregated states, even in the face of intimidation, physical violence, and death". IMDB.

"Dr. Hess Green, an archaeologist overseeing an excavation at the ancient civilization of Myrthia, is stabbed by his research assistant, who then commits suicide. When Hess wakes up, he finds that his wounds have healed, but he now has an insatiable thirst for blood, due to the knife carrying ancient germs". IMDB

"A young African-American visits his white girlfriend's parents for the weekend, where his simmering uneasiness about their reception of him eventually reaches a boiling point".

"Stan works in drudgery at a slaughterhouse. His personal life is drab. Dissatisfaction and ennui keep him unresponsive to the needs of his adoring wife, and he must struggle against influences which would dishonor and endanger him and his family". IMDB

"King: Man Of Peace In A Time Of War is a fascinating and revealing look at the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. filtered through the prism of three major conflicts: the struggle between black and white America, divisiveness within the civil rights movement itself, and an undeclared war in Vietnam. This timely tribute features archival footage of Dr. King, exclusive interviews with the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Colin Powell, and Quincy Jones amongst other including Hugh Hefner, Howard K. Smith, and Laurence Fishburne, plus controversial commentary from Malcolm X". --Back cover.

"A comedy-drama about a Black American female philosophy professor and her insensitive, philandering, flamboyant artist husband who are having a marital crisis. When the wife goes off on an almost unbelievable journey in search of ecstasy, her husband is forced to see her in a different light". IMDB

"Biography of Malcolm X, the famous African American leader. Born Malcolm Little, his father (a minister) was killed by the Ku Klux Klan. He became a gangster, and while in jail discovered the Nation of Islam writings of Elijah Muhammad. He preaches the teachings when let out of jail, but later on goes on a pilgrimage to the city of Mecca, there he converts to the original Islamic religion and becomes a Sunni Muslim. He changes his name to El-Hajj Malik Al-Shabazz and stops his anti-white teachings, as he realises the error of his mistakes. He is later on assasinated and dies a Muslim Martyr." IMDB

"A chronicle of the childhood, adolescence and burgeoning adulthood of a young African-American gay man growing up in a rough neighborhood of Miami". --IMDB.

"Explore the landmarks of early African-American film with this extensive collection of features and shorts. One of the most fascinating chapters of film history, the so-called 'race films' of 1920s, 30s and 40s America rallied against the prejudiced conventions of the time. Starring, written, produced and directed by African-Americans, these pioneering films refined an innovative style that set them apart from the Hollywood establishment. Showcasing the works of influential filmmakers such as Oscar Micheaux, Spencer Williams, Zora Neale Hurston, and James and Eloyce Gist, the Pioneers of African-American Cinema is a newly restored collection of rare and nearly-forgotten films that celebrates the enduring influence of these overlooked visionaries." --BFI.

"The problem with Nola's men is that there are three of them, and they don't want to share her. The problem with Nola is that there's only one of her -- and she wants all three." OCLC

"Marlon Riggs, with assistance from other gay black men, especially poet Essex Hemphill, celebrates black men loving black men as a revolutionary act. The film intercuts footage of Hemphill reciting his poetry, Riggs telling the story of his growing up, scenes of men in social intercourse and dance, and various comic riffs, including a visit to the Institute of Snap!thology, where men take lessons in how to snap their fingers: the sling snap, the point snap, the diva snap. The film closes with obituaries for victims of AIDS and archival footage of the civil rights movement placed next to footage of black men marching in a gay pride parade". --IMDB

"Based on an incredible true story of one man's fight for survival and freedom. In the pre-Civil War United States, Solomon Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a free black man from upstate New York, is abducted and sold into slavery." IMDB

"Cheryl is young, Black, and lesbian, working in Philadelphia with her best friend Tamara and consumed by a film project: to make a video about her search for a Black actress from Philly who appeared in films in the 30s and was known as the Watermelon Woman. Following various leads, Cheryl discovers the Watermelon Woman's stage name and real name and surmises that the actress had a long affair with Martha Page, a White woman and one of Hollywood's few female directors. As she's discovering these things, Cheryl becomes involved with Diana, who's also White. The affair strains Cheryl's friendship with Tamara. More discoveries bring Cheryl (and us, her audience) to new realizations."

"In August 2005, the American city of New Orleans was struck by the powerful Hurricane Katrina. Although the storm was damaging by itself, that was not the true disaster. That happened when the city's flooding safeguards like levees failed and put most of the city, which is largely below sea level, underwater. This film covers that disastrous series of events that devastated the city and its people. Furthermore, the gross incompetence of the various governments and the powerful from the local to the federal level is examined to show how the poor and underprivileged of New Orleans were mistreated in this grand calamity and still ignored today." IMDB

"An unflinching look at how the police killing of 18-year-old Mike Brown inspired a community to fight back and sparked a global movement". -- Publisher.

"L'Afrique est-elle en Afrique, sur les bords de la Seine ou au Quartier latin? Interrogations aigres-douces d'une génération d'artistes et d'étudiants à la recherche de leur civilisation, de leur culture et de leur avenir. Ce film, premier essai de cinéastes africains, a été réalisé sous le patronage du Comité du film ethnographique du Musée de l'Homme." - Box "Paulin Vieyra and his collaborator Mamadou Sarr explore the lives of Africans living in Paris."

"In a suburb of Dakar that lies along the Atlantic coast, a futuristic-looking tower is about to be officially opened. The construction workers have not been paid for months. One night, the workers decide to leave the country by sea, in search of a brighter future in Spain. Among them is Souleiman, the lover of Ada. However, Ada is betrothed to another man - the wealthy Omar. Ada is deeply worried about Souleiman, as she waits for news of his fate in the run-up to her wedding. On her wedding day, Omar's bed mysteriously catches fire in a suspected arson attack, and a young detective is assigned to investigate the case. In the coming days, Ada falls under suspicion and is subjected to interrogations and a virginity test. Meanwhile, her friend Fanta and the young detective are both suffering from a mysterious illness. It slowly emerges that the spirits of the men lost at sea have returned and each night take possession of the bodies of other inhabitants of Dakar.

"Melé is a bar singer, her husband Chaka is out of work and the couple is on the verge of breaking up. In the courtyard of the house they share with other families, a trial court has been set up. African civil society spokesmen have taken proceedings against the World Bank and the IMF whom they blame for Africa's woes... Amidst the pleas and the testimonies, life goes on in the courtyard. Chaka does not seem to be concerned by this novel Africa's desire to fight for its rights". IMDB

Black Girl "A Senegalese woman is eager to find a better life abroad. She takes a job as a governess for a French family, but finds her duties reduced to those of a maid after the family moves from Dakar to the south of France. In her new country, the woman is constantly made aware of her race and mistreated by her employers. Her hope for better times turns to disillusionment and she falls into isolation and despair. The harsh treatment leads her to consider suicide the only way out." -- IMDB.
Borom Sarret "...arguably the first film made by a black African. It illustrates poverty in Senegal, particularly for the working man" IMDB

"Boron Sarret is arguably the first film made by a black African. It illustrates poverty in Senegal, particularly for the working man" IMDB

"Félicité sings in a bar in Kinshasa. When her 14-year-old son has a motorcycle accident, she goes on a frantic search through the streets of Kinshasa, a world of music and dreams. And her path crosses that of Tab". -- IMDB.

"In the last days of 1999, after a few shots of a French supermarket, abundant in food and color, we hear Dramane compose a letter home to his father in Mali whom he then visits in the village of Sokolo. He meets the lovely Nana, and there are possibilities. People place long-distance calls from the post office. "Reaching people," says the postmaster, "is a matter of luck." Contrasts between Paris and Sokolo - between Mali and France and between Africa and Europe - are underscored by voice-over poems and comments by Aimé Césaire. A man dictates a letter to a brother in France: what is the nature of their hardships? People look for their place on this earth." IMDB

"A historical portrait of Senegal showing scenes from pre-colonial traditions, represented mainly by dance, to the exploitative European domination, to the new beginning represented by the celebration of the republic."

"Good Kenyan girls become good Kenyan wives, but Kena and Ziki long for something more. When love blossoms between them, the two girls will be forced to choose between happiness and safety". -- IMDB.

"Tableau Ferraille offers an intimate view of how modernization, at least as practiced in today's Africa, corrodes traditional communities and retards grassroots development. Like such past Senegalese masterpieces as Ousmane Sembene's Xala and Djibril Diop Mambety's Hyenas, it deplores a corrupt post-colonial elite's exploitation of the promise of African independence." Alexander Street

"This is the first major collection of criticism on Black American cinema. From the pioneering work of Oscar Micheaux and Wallace Thurman to the Hollywood success of Spike Lee, Black American filmmakers have played a remarkable role in the development of the American film, both independent and mainstream."

"This second edition of Historical Dictionary of African American Cinema covers its history through a chronology, an introductory essay, appendixes, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 1400 cross-referenced entries on actors, actresses, movies, producers, organizations, awards, and terminology, this book provides a better understanding of the role African Americans played in film history. This book is an excellent access point for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about African American cinema."

"For the past century African American cinema has primarily been an independent phenomenon. However, recent and consistent inclusion in the mainstream film industry of Hollywood suggests a significant change in its status. Despite a tendency to posit the «genre» as «other» it is not a separate cinema. Contemporary African American cinema contextualizes its forms and themes within the American film tradition."

Diverse in their art, paradoxically more celebrated abroad than they are at home, African filmmakers eke out their visions against a backdrop of complex historical, social, economic, and political practices. The richness of their accomplishments emerges with compelling clarity in this book, in which African filmmakers speak candidly about their work.