Black Theatre: The Making of a Movement documents the birth of a new theatre out of the Civil Rights activism of the 1950s, '60s and '70s. It is a veritable video encyclopedia of the leading figures, institutions and events of a movement that transformed the American stage. Amiri Baraka, Ossie Davis, James Earl Jones and Ntozake Shange describe their aspirations for a theatre serving the Black community. Excerpts of A Raisin in the Sun, Black Girl,...

The trials of Muhammad Ali investigates its extraordinary and often complex subject's life outside the boxing ring. From joining the controversial Nation of Islam and changing his name from Cassius Clay to Muhammad Ali, to his refusal to serve in the Vietnam War in the name of protesting racial inequality, to his global humanitarian work, Muhammad Ali remains an inspiring and controversial figure.

The Black Press: Soldiers Without Swords is the first film to chronicle the history of the Black press, including its central role in the construction of modern African American identity. It recounts the largely forgotten stories of generations of Black journalists who risked life and livelihood so African Americans could represent themselves in their own words and images. The Black Press takes viewers "behind the veil" of segregation to recover a...

Lorraine Hansberry's classic chronicle of the Youngers, a working-class African-American family struggling to maintain dignity in a harsh world, is a heroic testament of hope and a seminal American drama. A full-cast recording starring Rutina Wesley from the HBO hit series True Blood. "...a stirring performance..."--School Library Journal

Ralph Ellison: an American journey is the first documentary on one of the most gifted and intellectually provocative authors of modern American literature. It establishes Ellison as a central figure in contemporary debates over art, politics, race and nationhood. Narrated by Andre Braugher, the film brilliantly presents the first scenes ever filmed from Ellison's landmark novel, Invisible man. The extended Film version is nothing less than a virtual...

James Baldwin (1924-1987) was at once a major twentieth century American author, a Civil Rights activist and, for two crucial decades, a prophetic voice calling Americans, Black and white, to confront their shared racial tragedy. James Baldwin: the price of the ticket captures on film the passionate intellect and courageous writing of a man who was born black, impoverished, gay and gifted. James Baldwin: The Price of the Ticket uses striking archival...

Musician Daryl likes to meet and befriend members of the Ku Klux Klan- something few black men can say. In his travels, he's collected robes and other artifacts from friends affiliated with the Klan, building a collection piece by piece, story by story, and person by person in hopes of eventually opening a "Museum of the Klan", a testimony to what knowledge and respectful, personal communication can accomplish. In ACCIDENTAL COURTESY, Daryl's journey...

The first documentary to explore the role of photography in shaping the identity, aspirations and social emergence of African Americans from slavery to the present, Through a Lens Darkly probes the recesses of American history by discovering images that have been suppressed, forgotten and lost. Bringing to light the hidden and unknown photos shot by both professional and vernacular African American photographers, the film opens a window into lives,...

Eight professors of color discuss the special pressures minority faculty face in majority white institutions. Shattering the Silences: The Case for Minority Faculty offers everyone in higher education an unprecedented opportunity to see American campuses through the eyes of minority faculty. Across America campus diversity is under attack; affirmative action programs are banned, ethnic studies departments defunded, multicultural scholarship impugned....

Collection of four films featuring world-renowned cultural theorist Stuart Hall. In these films, Stuart Hall traces the social, intellectual, and institutional environment from which cultural studies emerged. An invaluable introduction to the issues that inspired cultural studies as both an intellectual and political project.