How a Fearless Pioneer Become the Superhero of Independent Film
The Greatest American Story You’ve Never Heard Of
Obscure Avant-guard filmmaking isn’t something people expect me to know anything about.
I’m a Black woman who grew up in Kentucky.
As a child, the closest thing I had to an art-house theater was a vintage single-screen theater on “Black Business Row.”
I knew there was more for me to discover beyond what society relegated to me.
I’d find filmmakers who examined the complexities and celebrated the joys of various communities.
There would be unique voices who expressed their curiosity about how the world viewed them and how they viewed themselves.
I uncovered ground-breaking Mexican directors like Alejandro González Iñárritu (Amores Perros) and Alfonso Cuarón (Y tu mamá también).
Next, I relished expressive, award-winning Asian cinema like Farewell My Concubine (Chen Kaige) and Raise the Red Lantern (Zhang Yimou).
My spiritual awakening happened with Julie Dash’s historic Daughters of the Dust. Black women honoring their roots and fostering community was a revelation on screen.
