USA,
1998, 86 min
Shown in 1999
CREDITS
- dir
-
Stanley Nelson
- prod
-
Stanley Nelson
- scr
-
Lou Potter, Jill Nelson, Marcia Smith
- cam
-
Robert Shepard, Rick Butler
- editor
-
Lewis Erskine
- source
-
Half Nelson Productions, 324 Convent Avenue, Newyork, NY 10031. FAX: 212¬234 6688
- gga award
-
Golden Spire, Film & Video: History
-
COMMENTS
Stanley Nelson in person.
OTHER
An eloquent and elegant documentary film wipes away the mists of time and blurred memory to reveal the little-known story of one of the most powerful institutions in African American history. Armed only with the tools of their trade, Black journalists used the written word to give a voice to the voiceless. Black newspapers argued for equal rights and social change while diligently documenting the often ignored struggles and achievements of their readers. As passionate advocates for African Americans, they provided a much needed forum for debate within Black society. And the pioneering men and women who overcame daunting economic and social obstacles to get their papers printed made no bones about their deliberate slant toward Blacks—a bias they felt was justified because of the consistent discrimination toward, and historic erasure of, the African American from mainstream media. Through compelling narration, archival materials and lively interviews, award-winning filmmaker Stanley Nelson traces the ascent, contribution and impact of Black-owned, -operated and -distributed newspapers from slavery through Reconstruction, the Civil War and two World Wars. What emerges is a thoroughly entertaining and educational portrait of the role of the African American press in documenting, and making, American history.
—T. Nicole Atkinson-Roach
FACTOID #65
The combined running time for all the films in the Festival is approximately 310,000 minutes. Or to put it another way, 5,167 hours. That’s about 215 days of viewing, 24 hours a day, with no breaks.
