L.A. Rebellion: Creating a New Black Cinema

by Allyson Field (Editor), Jan-Christopher Horak (Editor), Jacqueline Najuma Stewart (Editor)

L.A. Creating a New Black Cinema is the first book dedicated to the films and filmmakers of the L.A. Rebellion, a group of African, Caribbean, and African American independent film and video artists that formed at the University of California, Los Angeles, in the 1970s and 1980s. The group—including Charles Burnett, Julie Dash, Haile Gerima, Billy Woodberry, Jamaa Fanaka, and Zeinabu irene Davis—shared a desire to create alternatives to the dominant modes of narrative, style, and practice in American cinema, works that reflected the full complexity of Black experiences. This landmark collection of essays and oral histories examines the creative output of the L.A. Rebellion, contextualizing the group's film practices and offering sustained analyses of the wide range of works, with particular attention to newly discovered films and lesser-known filmmakers. Based on extensive archival work and preservation, this collection includes a complete filmography of the movement, over 100 illustrations (most of which are previously unpublished), and a bibliography of primary and secondary materials. This is an indispensible sourcebook for scholars and enthusiasts, establishing the key role played by the L.A. Rebellion within the histories of cinema, Black visual culture, and postwar art in Los Angeles.

Genres: Film, Nonfiction, Race, Media Tie In, History

482 pages, Paperback

First published July 22, 2015

Reviews

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent in breadth and depth on this constellation of directors and films and the conditions that framed their work and were somewhat reframed by that work. Admirable research & argument articulation--insights into filmmaking ideologies and alignments.