Happy Black History Month!!
Kickoff: Blaxploitation: Then and Now, by Dr. Novotny Lawrence & tour!
We started our Black History Month celebrations a day early and have been rocking and rolling ever since! Can you dig it?! BFCA Director Dr. Novotny Lawrence gave a talk on the Blaxploitation Movement and its lasting influence on contemporary pop culture. We were dressed in our 1970s threads as an ode to the movement. We had many archival items especially curated for the event on display throughout the BFCA, including newly acquired Black cinema lobby cards.
Lobby card acquisitions: Once a central part of motion picture promotions, lobby cards were small collectible posters often displayed in storefronts or theater lobbies advertising upcoming releases. The Black Film Center & Archive holds hundreds of historic lobby cards showcasing Black film stars from across the 20th century, and we just acquired 173 more to add to the collection! Purchased from collector Michael Bowen, these rare U.S. and international lobby cards represent various 1960s and 1970s films like Aaron Loves Angela, Claudine, Shaft, Thomasine and Bushrod, The Learning Tree, Cleopatra Jones, Black Belt Jones, and many more. Over the coming year, BFCA staff will be digitizing these cards for easier scholarly and educational access!
The world premiere of Jessie Maple’s film Will (1981) 4K Restoration!!
On Thursday, February 1st at 7pm at the IU Cinema, the Black Film Center & Archive presented the world premiere 4K restoration of Jessie Maple’s landmark film Will (1981), with author E. Danielle Butler joining BFCA Director Dr. Novotny Lawrence for the Q&A! We appreciate everyone that attended the screening and reception! The highlights of this event were welcoming Maple’s family, who spoke and shared fond memories of Mrs. Jessie with us and offered additional context to materials in the Jessie Maple Collection. Also, BFCA Finance & Office Administrator worked to secure a proclamation from the City of Bloomington Mayor Kerry Thomson to proclaim February 1st as Mrs. Jessie Maple Patton Day! We look forward to future events and helping to continue her legacy.
The Will (1981) restoration was a joint project between the Black Film Center & Archive (BFCA), the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture’s Time-based Media Archives & Conservation staff, and Center for African American Media Arts. The source material used for the restoration was a 16mm color print held by the BFCA at Indiana University. The print was donated to the BFCA in 2005 by the director, Jessie Maple, and is preserved within the larger Jessie Maple Collection. Restoration work was completed from 2020-2023, with generous funding provided by: the SI-NMAAHC Robert Frederick Smith Center for the Digitization and Curation of African American History; Prasad (image restoration); ColorLab (film scanning, color grading, and laboratory services); and Audio Mechanics (audio mastering).
The City of Bloomington Black History Month Exhibit
Stop by Bloomington City Hall during the month of February and check out our special exhibit in celebration of Black History Month! Packed with beautiful posters and lobby cards from across Black American film history, as well as a special proclamation from Mayor Kerry Thomson announcing Mrs. Jessie Maple Patton Day, this exhibit is located in the Showers Building display case where it will remain through February 28!
African American Read-In
In conjunction with a national effort, the Indiana University School of Education hosted an African American Read-In at the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center. The Read-In is part of the National African American Read-In Chain sponsored by the National Council of Teachers of English. Education faculty and students joined local high school students in reading selected poems and passages by African American authors. This year’s event featured author E. Danielle Butler who engaged the attendees and read passages of Mrs. Jessie Maple’s memoir, The Maple Crew (2019).
NMBCC Black Lit – February 2, 2024 – 6:00pm – Cook Center
The Black Lit Reading is another staple event on the Black History Month calendar, hosted by the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center Library. In recent years, the Cook Center has expanded it into a month-long exhibit featuring work by local writers and artists. Audience members were also invited to share before the close of the event, and many brought and read poems! BFCA Publications and Programming Associate Essence London participated, reading three poems. Thanks for sharing your creativity with everyone, Essence!
B(l)ack in the Day – Lunch and Learn
We ventured back down memory lane with a showcase of artifacts and historic tech items to an amazing crowd! People were able to pick-up and touch some items, while others were viewing access only. The BFCA & NMBCC Family are so grateful for your attendance and the many people that brought items to share!
NMBCC & BFCA presents Karaoke Black Movie Soundtrack Edition
Karaoke – Black Movie Soundtrack Edition was a huge hit!! We sang along to our favorite movies with our community and had so much fun! It seemed the entire room became the back-up singers to each performance!! We’ll have to do this one again!
Black Market – February 17, 2024, 10:00am – 2:00pm; City Hall
This event will feature a coalition of organizations, Black-owned businesses, Black creators, and artists. It will also provide a medium for local talent, business owners, and groups to share information and sell goods. The Black History Month “Black Market” pays homage to the original Black Market that was located in downtown Bloomington and was destroyed by a firebomb on December 26, 1968. Our staff looks forward to hosting an informational table about the only repository in the world that is solely dedicated to the collection and preservation of all things Black Cinema, the Black Film Center & Archive.
African American Choral Ensemble Black History Month Performance – February 21, 2024, 11:45am; School of Education Atrium
In celebration of Black History Month, the IU School of Education will hold a performance by the African American Choral Ensemble on February 21st, 2024, at 11:45am. According to the African American Arts Institute, the critically acclaimed African American Choral Ensemble helps to preserve the legacy and influence of African American choral music through their interpretations of this unique art form.
Founded in 1975, the ensemble features a broad range of spiritual and contemporary gospel music along with formally composed works by Black composers. IU professor of practice Dr. Raymond Wise instructs the ensemble.
The African American Choral Ensemble is offered as a credit-bearing course through IU’s Department of African American and African Diaspora Studies.
Free and open to the public, the performance will take place in the Wendell W. Wright Education Building in the atrium.
Black Knowledge Bowl – February 21, 2024, 6:00pm; Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center – Grand Hall
This 40+ year tradition is a signature event at the NMBCC and an opportunity for students to test their knowledge of Black history and culture. We invite student organizations or simply groups of friends and classmates to form teams and register to participate via this link: https://go.iu.edu/BKB2024. This event is free and open to the public.
20th Annual Black History Month Gala – February 24, 2024, 6:00pm; Woolery Mill – BFCA Director Dr. Lawrence will be the Emcee – Tickets will be available on February 1st.
The Bloomington community is cordially invited to attend the annual Black History Month Gala on Saturday, February 24 at 6 p.m., as we honor Elizabeth Ann Bridgwaters, affectionately known as “Betty,” as the 2024 Living Legend. Betty’s remarkable contributions to our community will be celebrated alongside the Outstanding Black Leaders of Tomorrow award recipients.
Join us in commemorating Betty’s legacy of unwavering dedication and service at an event filled with fine dining, live music, and dancing. The Gala promises to be a vibrant celebration of Black history and culture, bringing together individuals from all walks of life to honor the achievements and resilience of our community. The 20th edition is sure to be a night to remember—especially with Dr. Novotny Lawrence on the mic as emcee!
Event tickets are available in-person or online at the Buskirk-Chumley Box Office. Don’t miss this opportunity to be part of a memorable evening as we pay tribute to Betty and the Outstanding Black Leaders of Tomorrow.
The Kick It… Black Cinema, Black Love, and Food – February 28, 2024, 7:00pm; State Room East in the Indiana Memorial Union – BFCA’s Publication and Programming Associate, Essence London will host. – RSVP Link will be available on February 1st.
The Kick It: We’re celebrating Black films that depict how food brings our community together. Watch some clips, then get a taste of what your favorite characters are eating on screen. Come sit at our table! This event was inspired by the food issue of PERF, the Black Film Center & Archive’s zine. The latest issue “iconic on-screen couples” is coming soon!
Lecture New Black Genres by Rebecca Wanzo – February 29, 2024, 11:30am – 12:30pm; Black Film Center & Archive – Phyllis Klotman Classroom
Dr. Rebecca Wanzo is Chair and Professor of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Washington University in St. Louis, and author of both The Suffering Will Not Be Televised: African American Women and Sentimental Political Storytelling (SUNY Press, 2009) and The Content of Our Caricature: African American Comic Art and Political Belonging (NYU Press, 2020). Her research interests include African American literature and culture, critical race theory, fan studies, feminist theory, the history of popular fiction in the United States, cultural studies, theories of affect, and graphic storytelling. She has published in venues such as American Literature, Camera Obscura, differences: A Journal of Feminist Cultural Studies, Signs, Women and Performance, and numerous edited collections. She has also written essays for media outlets such as CNN, the LA Review of Books, Huffington Post, The Conversation, and the comic book Bitch Planet. Visit https://www.rebeccawanzo.com for more information.
BFCA @ Franklin Hall Screenings – All February 2024 – The Media School’s Franklin Hall Commons
In celebration of Black History Month, the BFCA is programming a series of pop-up screenings of films from our collections on the 24×12 foot video wall in the Franklin Hall Commons.
Other Exciting 2024 Upcoming Events
This spring, the BFCA will host the following events:
- The National Traveling Series: We will screen a selection of shorts and feature films from the New York African Film Festival.
- Screening: We’ll host documentarian, Kathe Sandler and screen a new restoration of Kathe Sandler’s poignant documentary exploring colorism, A Question of Color (1993). The screening will be followed by a Q & A with Sandler.
- Branching Out!: The BFCA will partner with the Center for Black Literature & Culture for a screening to celebrate Juneteenth!
Be on the lookout for more details about these and other upcoming BFCA events!
Social Media Highlights
Jennie Louise Toussaint Welcome
On January 10, we observed the birthday of pioneering visual artist Jennie Louise Toussaint Welcome (1885-1956)! A central figure of the Harlem Renaissance, in the early 1900s, Madame Toussaint Welcome and her husband Ernest, operated an art conservatory and several publishing and photography studios. Under the banner of the Toussaint Motion Picture Exchange, the couple produced a 12-part newsreel series titled Doing Their Bit (circa 1918), which chronicled Black American soldiers’ heroic efforts during World War I. Sadly, no copies of any of their films survive today, but Madame Toussaint Welcome’s legacy still stands as one of history’s first Black American women filmmakers.
James Earl Jones
January 17 marked the birthday of the legendary James Earl Jones (born 1931)! One of the most distinguished stage and screen actors of the past century, Mr. Jones’s deep, commanding voice is instantly recognizable to Star Wars and The Lion King fans, and his nearly-200 film, and TV credits highlight his versatility across nearly every genre. Since his film debut in Dr. Strangelove (1964), Jones has turned in unforgettable performances in The Great White Hope (1970), The Man (1972), Claudine (1974), The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings (1976), A Piece of the Action (1977), Matewan (1987), Coming to America (1988), Field of Dreams (1989), and The Sandlot (1993). The Black Film Center & Archive retains a rare backstage interview with Mr. Jones at the 1992 Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame Awards, where he ruminates on the past and future of Black film conservation.
(Lobby cards for The Great White Hope, The Man, and Claudine from the BFCA General Collection; interview screenshot from the Belva Davis & William Moore BFHFI Collection)
W. Kamau Bell
On January 26, we wished happy birthday to acclaimed comedian, TV host, and director, W. Kamau Bell (born 1973)! An important and savvy commentator on U.S. politics and racial identity, Mr. Bell is best known as the star of Totally Biased with W. Kamau Bell (2012-2013) and United Shades of America (2016-present) as well as for hosting multiple comedy and political podcasts and radio shows. In recent years, Mr. Bell has produced/directed the Peabody-Award-winning miniseries We Need to Talk About Cosby (2022), which takes a critical look at Bill Cosby’s career and crimes, and 1000% Me: Growing Up Mixed (2023), a documentary about the experiences of children in multi-racial families.
(Pressbook for Totally Biased and DVD for We Need to Talk About Cosby from the Black Film Center & Archive’s General Collection)
Paulin S. Vieyra
On January 31, we celebrated the birthday of African film pioneer Paulin Vieyra (1925-1987)! The director of the first Francophone African film, Afrique-sur-Seine (1955), Vieyra dedicated his life to creating infrastructures for film production across the newly-decolonized African nations. Be it in his role as mentor and producer to Ousmane Sembene, his extensive writings on anticolonial cinema, or his co-founding of FESPACO (the largest film festival in continental Africa), today, Vieyra is rightfully regarded as one of the Fathers of African Cinema. In 2021, the Black Film Center & Archive acquired Vieyra’s personal papers, which are currently being processed to help trace the full story of this central figure in world cinema history.
Tressie Souders
February 7 marked the birthday of pioneering filmmaker Tressie Souders (1897-1995), the earliest known Black woman to direct a feature film. Little is confirmed about Ms. Souders’s life, but she was known to have been involved in local theater productions around Kansas City, Missouri for several years before producing her film A Woman’s Error in 1922. A January 1922 issue of Billboard suggests that the film may have received some distribution from the Afro-American Film Exhibitors Company of Kansas City, but like so many other Black silent-era films, no other details about the film survive and a print has never been found. Public records indicate that Ms. Souders moved to Los Angeles in the mid-1920s, where she may have worked as a domestic maid the remainder of her life. In recent years, the International Black Women’s Festival has created the Tressie Souders Award and Tressie magazine to honor her memory.
(No confirmed photo exists of Tressie Souders. In recent years, images of otherfilmmaking pioneers like Jessie Maple or Maria P. Williams have been mistakenly purported to be of her. This featured photo possibly features Ms. Souders, but has not been authenticated.)
Clare-Hope Ashitey
Happy birthday on February 12 to actor Clare-Hope Ashitey (born 1987)! Born to Ghanian immigrants in England, Ms. Ashitey is a busy character actor across big and small screens, starring in the Netflix series Seven Seconds (2018), as well as appearing in Master of None (2017), Doctor Who (2020), and the Jimi Hendrix biopic Jimi: All Is by My Side (2013). Ashitey is best known for her startlingly fierce and beautiful performance as Kee, a pregnant refugee in a world where humanity has become infertile, in Alfonso Cuaron’s masterpiece Children of Men (2006).
Jessie Maple Patton
Happy birthday on February 14 to pioneering filmmaker Jessie Maple Patton (1937-2023)! Ms. Maple left a successful career as a bacteriologist in the 1970s to pursue filmmaking, becoming the first Black woman admitted to the New York Cinematographer’s Union after a prolonged discrimination lawsuit. In close collaboration with her husband, photographer Leroy Patton, Ms. Maple produced socially-conscious documentary shorts before moving to feature-length narrative filmmaking in the 1980s. Her film Will (1981) stands as the earliest surviving feature directed by a Black American woman. Fiercely independent and frustrated at the lack of exhibition venues for her work, Jessie and Leroy built the 20 West Theater in their Harlem home, which continued to showcase works by Black filmmakers from 1982-1992. On February 1, a new 4K restoration of Will created from a donated print at the Black Film Center & Archive debuted at the IU Cinema in Bloomington, IN, with Mayor Kerry Thomson officially declaring the day Mrs. Jessie Maple Patton Day. Future screenings for Will are currently being planned to draw more attention to Jessie Maple as a central figure in independent film history.
In Memoriam
Carl Weathers
The BFCA remembers the great Carl Weathers (1948-2024), who passed on February 1. Most recognized for his roles in the Rocky and Predator franchises, for six decades, Weathers was a beloved presence on both the big and small screens. He began his career playing small roles in the Blaxploitation films Friday Foster (1975) and Bucktown (1975), and later ascended to action star status in starring roles in Action Jackson (1988) and Hurricane Smith (1992). Weathers also appeared in dozens of dramatic and action TV series such as In the Heat of the Night (1988-1995), Law and Order SVU (1999-present), and The Mandalorian (2019-present), among many others. Versatile across genres and possessing a uniquely self-aware sense of humor, Weathers also enjoyed a late-career run in comedic roles in productions like Happy Gilmore (1996) and Arrested Development (2004 & 2013). Condolences to his loved ones.
(16mm screenshot from Bucktown and publicity photos from the Black Film Center & Archive’s General Collection)
Leave a Reply