This is the first ever documentary on the life and work of author and activist Lorraine Hansberry whose classic play, A Raisin in the Sun influenced the representation of African Americans and changed the American theater forever.
BaddDDD Sonia Sanchez offers unprecedented access to the life, work and mesmerizing performances of renowned poet, educator and activist Sonia Sanchez who describes herself as “a woman with razor blades between my teeth.”
This film documents the history of the leading figures, institutions and events that transformed the American stage in the wake of Civil Rights activism. It includes interviews with Ossie Davis, Amiri Baraka, James Earl Jones and Ntozake Shange, and clips from many landmark plays.
Explores tensions surrounding white participation in Hip-Hop. For some, it is an example of cultural progress. For others, it is just another case of cultural appropriation.
Marlon Riggs' study of how network television absorbed deep-seated racial conflict into the non-threatening formats of primetime television. Clips from Amos 'n' Andy, Good Times, Roots and The Cosby Show among others are intercut with interviews with producers, cultural critics and actors.
A literary biography of a seminal figure of 20th century American literature, Margaret Walker, who established one of the first Black Studies centers in the nation, and mentored the Black Arts movement of the 1960s.
Homegoings takes an up-close look at the rarely seen world of undertaking in the black community, where funeral rites draw on a rich palette of tradition, history and celebration. It reveals the special status of undertakers in the community; borne out of their permanence, their economic stability, and the necessities of the segregation period. It film paints a portrait of the dearly departed, their grieving families and a man who sends loved ones "home."
This cine-poetic experience celebrates the spirit and work of Harlem's poet laureate Langston Hughes. Contemporary writers, slam poets and arts supporters star.
An introduction to six distinguished African American writers - Charles Johnson, Gloria Naylor, Toni Morrison, Alice Walker, John Wideman and August Wilson.
Film biography of the life of James Baldwin includes excerpts from his work . Writers Maya Angelou, Amiri Baraka, Ishmael Reed and William Styron discuss Baldwin's influence.
Images, instrumental music, song, interviews and narrative provide clues in the search for a lost song, its history, and its argument for cultural retention between aspects of African and African-American culture.
A lively exploration of the historical and cultural context of Stepping, an energetic communal dance form sweeping college campuses. Young teams of dancers creatively add hip-hop movements to a tradition dating back to the early 20th century.
A biography of Richard Wright, author of Black Boy and Native Son, from his impoverished childhood, involvement in left-wing politics and literary relationships, to his exile and death in Paris.
Four leading African American writers, Wesley Brown, Thulani Davis, Toni Cade Bambara and Amiri Baraka, lead us through Du Bois's life and work and describe his impact on their work
A valuable and colorful examination of 40 years of changing representations of Black masculinity in a significant area of popular culture - comic books. This genre's reach and impact extended into other forms of cultural production such as movies and animated TV series.
The lives, times and music of Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith, Ida Cox, Ethel Waters and other legendary women illustrate how the blues became a vital part of American culture.
