African American Film Critics Association and TCM team up for month of black film
It’s not too late to catch several of the films showing during the “Black Experience on Film” project.
Turner Classic Movies and the African American Film Critics Association partnered for a month-long programming event that featured 32 seminal films airing every Tuesday and Thursday in September.
Thirteen film critics and journalist also discussed the films.
The initiative showcased portrayals of African Americans throughout cinematic history, providing a wide range of retrospective from the 1920s through the 1990s.
“Since the earliest days of film, the portrayal of black characters has ranged from stereotypical and one-dimensional to more nuanced and complex,” Charles Tabesh, senior vice president of programming and production for TCM said in a release. “With this programming tent pole, we will explore this important part of film history specifically from an African-American perspective with insightful commentary from some of the nation's most prominent film critics.”
The venture was a about a year in the making, said Gil Robertson, president of AAFCA, who splits his time between Atlanta and Los Angeles.
They sorted through thousands of films before selecting the ones to be shown.
“We looked at everything from black identity and black romance to black comedy and stories from the black diaspora,” Robertson said. “We were looking for titles that resonated well with the theme and titles that were entertaining but also insightful.”
He hopes it will call attention to the contributions that blacks - in front and behind the camera - have made to cinema.
Upcoming:
- "African-American Musicals " airing Sept. 18 - Black Tree Media's Jamaal Finkley and Black Tomatoes host Carla Renata delve into "Cabin in the Sky" (1943), about a gambler's efforts to get into heaven; and "Carmen Jones" (1954), which made star Dorothy Dandridge the first African American to be nominated for the best actress Academy Award
- "Strong Black Women" airing Sept. 20 - Fortune correspondent Anita Bennett and veteran entertainment journalist KJ Matthews review films including "Claudine" (1974), the story of a single mother in Harlem; and "Sparkle" (1976).
- "African-American Comedies" airing Sept. 25 - AAFCA co-founder and film critic Shawn Edwards and award-winning writer Edward Adams discuss "Watermelon Man" (1970), starring Godfrey Cambridge as a white insurance salesman who wakes up to find he has turned black; and Robert Townsend's satire "Hollywood Shuffle" (1987).
- "Black Stories from Around the World" airing Sept. 27 - Gil Robertson and WGN's Tyra Martin study "Cry, the Beloved Country" (1951), starring Canada Lee and Sidney Poitier as South African ministers who struggle to help individuals damaged by their country's policies of apartheid; and "Walkabout" (1971), a film about two white students who find themselves reliant on aid from an Aboriginal boy to survive while adrift in the Australian outback.
About the Author
Shelia has worked at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for more than 30 years. Previously, she worked at The Lexington Herald-Leader and The Louisville Defender. Her beat is a bit of a mixed bag that includes religion and spirituality, culture and trends, race and aging. She earned degrees from Spelman College and Northwestern University.
