Black Lenses, Black Voices: African American Film Now (Genre and Beyond: A Film Studies Series)

"Black Lenses, Black Voices is a provocative look at films directed and written - and sometimes produced - by African Americans, as well as black-oriented films whose directors and/or screenwriters are not black. Mark Reid shows how certain films dramatize the contemporary African American community as a politically and economically diverse group, vastly different from film representations of the 1960s. Taking us through the development of African American independent filmmaking before and after World War II, he then illustrates the unique nature of African American family, action, horror, female-centered, and independent films, such as Eve's Bayou, Jungle Fever, Shaft, Souls of Sin, Bones, Waiting to Exhale, Monster's Ball, Sankofa, and many more."--Jacket Black Lenses, Black Voices is a provocative look at films directed and written_and sometimes produced_by African Americans, as well as black-oriented films whose directors or screenwriters are not black. Mark Reid shows how certain films dramatize the contemporary African American community as a politically and economically diverse group, vastly different from film representations of the 1960s. Taking us through the development of African American independent filmmaking before and after World War II, he then illustrates the unique nature of African American family, action, horror, female-centered, and independent films, such as Eve's Bayou, Jungle Fever, Shaft, Souls of Sin, Bones, Waiting to Exhale, Monster's Ball, Sankofa, and many more. Black Lenses, Black Voices is a provocative look at films directed and written—and sometimes produced—by African Americans, as well as black-oriented films whose directors and or screenwriters are not black. Taking us through the development of African American independent filmmaking before and after World War II, Mark A. Reid then illustrates the unique nature of African American family, action, horror, female-centered, and independent films, such as Eve's Bayou, Jungle Fever, Shaft, Souls of Sin, Bones, Waiting to Exhale, Monster's Ball, Sankofa, and many more. Contents......Page 7 Acknowledgments......Page 9 Introduction......Page 11 1 Early African American Film, 1912-1940 and Beyond......Page 17 2 Black Family Film: The 1990s......Page 29 3 Black Action Film after Twenty Years......Page 47 4 Two African American Horror Films......Page 71 5 Black Female–Centered Film......Page 89 6 Black Independent Film: Haile Gerima's Sankofa......Page 115 Bibliography......Page 131 Selected Filmography......Page 137 Index......Page 143 About the Author......Page 146