Collections/February 2021

Directed by Gordon Parks

Gordon Parks was a true Renaissance man. The first African American to direct a major Hollywood feature—the moving coming-of-age saga The Learning Tree —he was also a writer, composer, and brilliant photographer who created some of the most iconic images of his time, using his camera to expose poverty, struggle, and systemic racism in America. This tribute to Parks’s cinematic genius—including his chronicle of the life of legendary folk singer Lead Belly, his rendition of the Solomon Northup story (later the basis for Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave ), and his gorgeous autobiographical essay film Moments Without Proper Names —reveals a sensitive artist who brought passion and personal insight to his groundbreaking portrayals of the Black American experience across history. Added on Thursday, 4 February 2021

4 films — 0 on the Channel, 4 unavailable