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Melanin Cinematography | Lighting

Introduction It propels the food chain, giving us life; it creates atmosphere, shaping our mood and affecting how we feel. We harness it to create experiences that allow us to curate time and space. We also harness it to influence how we curate character to an audience. That is the…

INTERVIEW: The Craft of Cinematography

Tommy Maddox-Upshaw is a cinematographer who is on the brink of becoming a key figure in the discussion about African people in film. He had to travel across the world to Africa to shoot Kalushi (2016) for him to be anointed as a world-class cinematographer back home in the United…

Melanin and Cinematography

Looking at the Challenges of Lighting Darker Skin Tones There can be no strong opposition to the fact that the use of cave walls serves as our first encounter with the art of self-expression using color to paint and communicate our environmental heritage. The first Shamans of indigenous cultures around…

Travel Notes of a Geechee Girl: Julie Dash’s Celebration of Vertamae Smart-Grosvenor

Julie Dash is creating a documentary titled Travel Notes of a Geechee Girl, exploring the life of Vertamae Smart-Grosvenor, a culinary and cultural pioneer. The series showcases her journey from a Gullah Geechee community to global influence, emphasizing her contributions to food as a means of identity, resistance, and liberation.

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The Michelle Materre Collection
The Black Film Center & Archive (BFCA) presents a series of special programs celebrating its acquisition of the collection of renowned distributor, programmer, and educator Michelle Materre (1954–2022). Founded in 1981 at Indiana University, the BFCA is dedicated to collecting, preserving, and making accessible films and related materials by... Read more
Niyah’s Multiverse: Chicago’s Afrofuturist Lineage from Sun Ra to Adler Planetarium

“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved father, brother, partner and uncle Menelik Shabazz, age 67.

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INTERVIEW: In The Editor’s Room
Shannon Baker Davis discusses her journey as a film editor Writing, directing and producing are the media darlings of the filmmaking industry. But only through the process of editing is the real story crafted. With the upcoming release of the film, The Photograph, starring Issa Rae and LaKeith Stanfield,... Read more
Decolonizing Mammy
Warning: In this analysis of the Tate Taylor film Ma starring Octavia Spencer, the post contains spoilers. This September, Harlem rapper Azealia Banks took to Instagram to disparage plus-size singer Lizzo shortly after her single Truth Hurts hit number one on the Billboard charts. “Lmao the fact that the... Read more
INTERVIEW: Label Signs Gamer Musicians
Columbia’s Lost Rings Label Discovers New Talent with Three Women of Color Gamers Nerd culture is often associated with comic book fans, anime junkies and video game enthusiasts. When one thinks of a “nerd,” very smart males or females who live on the fringe of cool culture come to... Read more
INTERVIEW: The Truth is in the Content
KweliTV founder DeShuna Spencer’s Vision Streaming platforms are great alternatives to cable and network tv and offer a wider variety of programming than traditional television. There are a few streaming services that aren’t only Black-owned, they offer stellar afro-centric shows. Black on Purpose Television, American Legacy Network, Brown Sugar... Read more
So You Want to Be a Filmmaker…
bfm interviews Toni Bell There are numerous avenues to create, be it digital or film. But telling the simple story is always the same. bfm sits down with Toni Bell,  Filmmaker Services Manager for the International Documentary Association (IDA) in Los Angeles to discuss the state of documentary film... Read more
Funding your film – A personal journey of success and failure
The world of film finance can present itself like the Art of War, where only those who have the right weapons and strategy will win the battle and in this case, the battle is garnering funding for your film. Well, that’s how it felt for me when I embarked... Read more