Celebrating Black History Month
Film Society of Lincoln Center & Separate Cinema Archive
presents
Black Women Behind the Lens
February 5 - March 5, 2007
Black Women Behind the Lens celebrates the uncompromising cinematic labors of love created by a group of brave African-American women committed to speaking truth to power while offering criticism of and alternatives to the stereotypical images of black women found in mainstream media. Their filmic manifestos address the challenges encountered and eventually surmounted by this burgeoning community. The posters are on display in the Walter Reade Theater’s Frieda and Roy Furman Gallery at Lincoln Center. Gallery hours are 2-8 pm daily.
Guerrilla filmmaking. It is the only alternative when Hollywood banishes you to the far edges of its privileged community. It’s never easy; artistic rebellion in the old-boys-network of cinema still requires blood, sweat, tears and sacrifice. Above all, it requires a fresh vision.
Many of these women left behind stable jobs to charter new territory, fueled only by the faith in their hearts and the fire in their bellies. Some tried for many years, though countless doors were slammed in their face. Some were rejected from film schools, and others told their stories were “too intelligent for blacks.” But still they persevere.
Guerrilla filmmaking. It is the only alternative when Hollywood banishes you to the far edges of its privileged community. It’s never easy; artistic rebellion in the old-boys-network of cinema still requires blood, sweat, tears and sacrifice. Above all, it requires a fresh vision.
Many of these women left behind stable jobs to charter new territory, fueled only by the faith in their hearts and the fire in their bellies. Some tried for many years, though countless doors were slammed in their face. Some were rejected from film schools, and others told their stories were “too intelligent for blacks.” But still they persevere.
It's natural for pangs of frustration to creep in at the thought of being female and black in an industry that's not particularly enamored with either. However, a new crop of black women filmmakers has emerged, challenging old cinematic perceptions and using their art to erect new visions of their people, their heritage and their world.
Beginning with Tressie Souders' film A Woman's Error in 1922, black women have had a long, slow path to the director's chair, yet their evocative work manages to satisfy and challenge all at once, breaking racial barriers, and allowing successive generations access to more and more opportunities.
Some of the films in this exhibit have been directed or produced by recognizable names – Oprah Winfrey, Queen Latifah, Halle Berry, Maya Angelou, and Debbie Allen, but many are more obscure. Familiar, or soon-to-be, they have all created a complex, diverse, and challenging body of work, tackling fire-brand issues like apartheid, civil rights, incarceration, lesbian relationships, homelessness, and even their own absence from the Hollywood machine. Instead of alienating audiences by focusing on our dissimilarities, they seek to remind us that we are all more alike than different. That our experiences are universal, and often what makes us stumble and fall, is also what gives us the strength to rise.
“I never had dreams of Hollywood,” said celebrated filmmaker Julie Dash. “I made films because that's what I enjoy to do. You get bitten by this bug … and just keep standing up every time you're knocked down.”
Dianne Houston was the first black woman nominated for an Oscar for Best Short Film, Live Action for her 1995 film Tuesday Morning Ride. “Black women historically have been presented as either subhuman or superhuman,” said Houston. “Now we are starting to emerge as simply human, and that's a wonderful thing.”
“People say it is very hard to do films. Yes, that is true. And more difficult when you are a woman.” said inspirational filmmaker Euzhan Palcy. “But if a woman loves film, if a woman wants to be a director, she must fight hard, very hard, to do that.”
These are the women seeking to transform African-American consciousness, fighting to tell their stories, despite all the cynics, closed doors, and conflicts. These are Black Women Behind the Lens.
The Film Society of Lincoln Center presents curated exhibits in the Frieda and Roy Furman Gallery at the Walter Reade Theater that either compliment the programming or are film related art shows. Inaugurated in 1991, the space was designed by prestigious architectural firm Davis Brody and named in honor of the Furmans, longtime supporters of the Film Society.
