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Apr 13, 2020 · In 1969, Gordon Parks became the first black director to make a major Hollywood studio film. His career made it possible for the next generation to fight their way into the mainstream —...
- Oscar Micheaux
- Spike Lee
- Sidney Poitier
- Melvin Van Peebles
- Julie Dash
What is Oscar Micheaux known for? Oscar Micheaux was a pioneer for Black filmmaking and is credited for being the first African American to produce a feature-length film in 1919. Born into slavery in southern Illinois, Oscar Micheaux left home for Chicago to pursue work as a Pullman porter on railroads. This was one of the best jobs at the time for...
What is Spike Lee known for? Spike Lee splashed on the film scene with his 1986 movie, She’s Gotta Have it, which only took two weeks to shoot with a budget of $175K. The movie grossed $7 million and is considered the most profitable movie in 1986. Spike Lee went on to direct, produce, write and star in films over the past four decades and only kee...
What is Sidney Poitier known for? Sidney Poitier is the greatest American movie star, according to Times culture critic Wesley Morris. Sidney Poitier was the first Black actor to win the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in Lilies of the Field. It took 38 years for another Black actor to win Best Actor at the Academy Awards. Only four Black...
What is Melvin Van Peebles known for? Melvin Van Peebles is best known for his landmark films Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song and Watermelon Man. Both films introduced Black themes to audiences in the 1970s in an effort to appeal to Black urban audiences. As a Chicago native, Melvin Van Peebles had a pulse on the film and entertainment industry a...
What is Julie Dash known for? Julie Dash is a modern television tycoon who has worked in the film and TV industry for the past three decades. Julie Dash is a director, writer and producer who received her MFA from UCLA Film School. She is part of the graduating class of filmmakers known as the L.A. Rebellion, which refers to the first African and A...
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- Oscar Micheaux. Hailed as the first major Black filmmaker, Oscar Micheaux directed and produced 42 feature films between 1919 and 1948. He was a writer-turned-filmmaker, using his first novel "The Homesteader" to launch his career in the film industry.
- William Greaves. An influential independent documentary filmmaker, William Greaves produced and directed more than 100 films. His films captured social issues as well as key African American figures such as Muhammad Ali and Ida B. Wells.
- Gordon Parks. Gordon Parks started his career as a prolific and famed photographer before branching out into filmmaking. He started as a consultant on various Hollywood productions in the '50s before directing a series of documentaries about Black urban life for National Educational Television.
- Melvin van Peebles. Melvin van Peebles directed more than a dozen films during his career in Hollywood, but he is most well known for the 1971 movie "Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song," which he wrote, directed and acted in.
Apr 1, 2019 · Especially for black films, it shows that 43 black directors (63 percent) made films with less than 20 million dollar budgets, while 31 white directors (86 percent) did so with more than 20 million dollar budgets.
- Minjeong Kim, Rachelle J. Brunn-Bevel
- 2020
Feb 14, 2017 · In the onset of the American film industry and the Hollywood system, African-Americans were excluded as directors at major Hollywood studios. Instead, from the 1910s through the 1950s, African-Amer...
- Maryann Erigha
- 2018
Aug 14, 2020 · Singleton became the youngest and first ever African American to be nominated for Best Director at the Academy Awards, with his film prompting a shift in the way Black people were portrayed on screen. Hollywood has continued to take strides toward diversity and inclusion in recent years, albeit very slowly.
Dec 27, 2023 · Dec. 27 2023, Published 5:16 p.m. ET. Black directors are transforming Hollywood with new perspectives, untold stories, and authentic voices while catering to diverse audiences. That is undoubtedly due to the success of renowned African American directors like Tyler Perry and Spike Lee.
