What’s new at the BFCA?!
It has been quite some time and lots of happenings, but one thing is for certain… We’ve missed you! We truly hope that this email finds you well and look forward to reconnecting with each of you! To start, we would like to virtually introduce you to our new interim director, Dr. Akinwumi Adesokan. Many of you may already be familiar with him, from previous events and interactions. We are very happy to have him join us and appreciate his willingness to serve.
New name, new logo, new website
We kicked off the new 2022 year with the launch of our new name, logo, and website! Starting January 18, 2022, we are officially the Black Film Center & Archive. Updated with details on all of our current collections and featuring a cleaner, more user-friendly interface design, this site is primed to enhance the accessibility of the BFCA’s holdings and resources. Visit us at bfca.indiana.edu to check it out and see an example of our new logo below:
Something old, something new, and it’s certainly a beautiful blue!
Last fall (2021), we welcomed a new team member when the Indiana University Libraries Moving Image Archive gifted us a Steenbeck 16mm flatbed film editing table. Known for their widespread use by professional film editors to view and edit film stock for much of the 20th century, Steenbeck machines have become highly sought after by film archivists for their ability to easily screen 16mm film without the risks associated with running a physical film through a movie projector. With the Steenbeck, we are now able to allow researchers to watch titles from our extensive 16mm film collections onsite in our office. Please send an email to bfca@indiana.edu to schedule a tour or research appointment, to check it out in-person!
Paulin S. Vieyra Collection
Beninese filmmaker Paulin S. Vieyra is one of the most significant yet relatively unknown figures in African cinema history, directing the first substantial film by a French-speaking sub-Saharan African and advising numerous postcolonial filmmakers, festivals, and film initiatives from the 1960s until his death in 1987. In Summer 2021, the BFC&A, through a generous donation from Paulin’s son Stéphane Vieyra, acquired thousands of Vieyra’s personal and professional papers and artifacts. We spent weeks on the initial inventorying and storage of these the materials that now comprise our new Paulin S. Vieyra Collection. We expect it to be a significant resource for future researchers, historians, and students of African and postcolonial film once it is fully cataloged. Additional information on the initial acquisition of this collection can be found in our recent blog post.
To assist with the enormous task of cataloging this collection (most of which is written in French), archivist Amber Bertin and assistant archivist Dan Hassoun partnered with Prof. Vincent Bouchard from IU’s Department of French and Italian. The team spent many days throughout the Fall 2021 semester meticulously identifying the contents of the collection, most of which have never been circulated or published in the English-speaking world. Dr. Bouchard is currently at work translating some of Vieyra’s essays on African film culture for future publication.
Flyover Culture spotlight
In October 2021, the Black Film Center & Archive was profiled on the YouTube channel Flyover Culture. Check out the video here.
Upcoming events
Vieyra Screenings
Paulin Vieyra’s film works are rarely screened and extremely difficult to access. To celebrate the arrival of the Paulin S. Vieyra Collection, the Black Film Center & Archive is proud to partner with the IU Cinema to program a selection of Vieyra’s groundbreaking shorts on February 8 (in addition to a virtual stream of the same program from February 4-11). The film program is free and open to the public and will be accompanied by a February 10 virtual conversation on Vieyra’s life and career with former BFCA director Terri Francis and IU French and Italian professor Vincent Bouchard. Visit the IU Cinema’s website for more information on attending any of these events.
BFCA Poster Exhibit in Franklin Hall
Starting February 8th, posters from the Black Film Center & Archive’s extensive collections will be exhibited in the Commons in Franklin Hall. Stop by during the semester to see this tastefully curated show and learn more about the collection.
“Voice with a Mission”: Amazing Grace Screening
In collaboration with the Neal Marshall Black Culture Center’s Black History Month programming, on February 22nd, we will be screening Amazing Grace. Registration is limited and will be managed by the NMBCC. Immediately following the film, we will have a panel discussion in a hybrid format.
For more information about the BFCA, please visit our website www.bfca.indiana.edu. To subscribe to our blog, please visit our blog page https://blogs.iu.edu/bfca/ and click on “Subscribe” in the bottom right of the screen. Please consider ways to give, to continue our efforts and supporting our mission. We sincerely thank you all for your support. We would not be able to complete all of our wonderful programs and awesome events, without your help.
Warmest regards,
BFCA Interim Director and Staff
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