Black Women Directors

by Christina N. Baker

Overview

Black women have long recognized the power of film for storytelling. For far too long, however, the cultural and historical narratives about film have not accounted for the contributions of Black women directors. This book remedies this omission by highlighting the trajectory of the culturally significant work of Black women directors in the United States, from the under-examined pioneers of the silent era, to the documentarians who sought to highlight the voices and struggles of Black women, and the contemporary Black women directors in Hollywood.  Applying a Black feminist perspective, this book examines the ways that Black women filmmakers have made a way for themselves and their work by resisting the dominant cultural expectations for Black women and for the medium of film, as a whole.
 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781978813359
Publisher:	Rutgers University Press
Publication date:	03/18/2022
Series:	Quick Takes: Movies and Popular Culture
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	173
File size:	205 KB

About the Author

CHRISTINA N. BAKER is an associate professor in the Department of History & Critical Race and Ethnic Studies at the University of California, Merced. She is the author of Contemporary Black Women Filmmakers and the Art of Resistance and the editor of Kasi Lemmons: Interviews.
 

Table of Contents

Introduction
1. Recognizing the Pioneers                  
2. Women of the L.A. Rebellion           
3. Moving into the Mainstream 
4. More than Mainstream                                                
Acknowledgments  
Further Reading
Selected Filmography
Works Cited   
Index
 

Editorial Reviews

This eloquently written book is an essential read for those who want to learn about Black women behind the camera. Baker skillfully weaves Black feminist theory with the ideals and goals of Black women directors from the beginnings of cinema to contemporary times. Her careful consideration of how pioneer Kathleen Collins influenced the women of the LA Rebellion and Ava DuVernay is thoughtful and illuminating.

Professor and Independent Filmmaker, University of California, San Diego - Zeinabu irene Davis

"Christina N. Baker offers an engaging study on the vibrant and, yet, overlooked contributions of Black women directors. With astute and accessible prose, Baker deftly reveals a rich cinema history that highlights forgotten, groundbreaking, independent, and mainstream Black women filmmakers. This compact and resourceful text will inform and inspire."
 

author of Sporting Blackness: Race, Embodiment, and Critical Muscle Memory on Screen - Samantha N. Sheppard

"Recent Books of Interest to Women Scholars"

Women in Academia Report

"In showcasing the incredible range of films made by Black women directors from the silent era to the present day, Christina N. Baker masterfully reveals the rich diversity of their work, their astounding creativity, and their impressive resilience in the face of an often-hostile industry."

co-editor of L.A. Rebellion: Creating a New Black Cinema - Allyson Nadia Field