Programmed November 2025

Pioneers of African American Cinema

Among the most fascinating chapters of cinematic history is that of the so-called “race films” that flourished in the U.S. between the 1920s and the ’40s. Unlike the “black cast” films produced within the Hollywood studio system, these films not only starred African Americans but were funded, written, produced, edited, distributed, and often exhibited by people of color. Entrepreneurial filmmakers built an industry apart from the Hollywood establishment, cultivating visual and narrative styles that were uniquely their own. Among the trailblazing artists featured here are Oscar Micheaux, the first major African American feature filmmaker, whose body of work includes Body and Soul , starring Paul Robeson in his film debut, and Within Our Gates ; Spencer Williams, whose masterpiece The Blood of…