Leading Black filmmakers, producers and writers opened up about what inspired them to enter cinema and the importance of capturing the Black diasporic experience on screen during a virtual panel co-hosted by the American Cinematheque and the African American Film Critics Association.In celebration of Black History Month, the “Black Identity Through Cinema” panel featured Cynthia Erivo, Philippe Lacôte, Franklin Leonard, Ekwa Msangi and Euzhan Palcy, as well as Shaka King and Kemp Powers, both of whom were named Variety’s 2020 “Screenwriters to Watch.” The conversation, moderated by Aafca president Gil Robertson, explored the diversity of Black identity in film and how the panelists’ works delve into core themes of freedom and justice in relation to their own personal identities.The panelists discussed how the lack of Black creatives in front of and behind the camera and the first Black-led films they saw, such as “The Color Purple” for Erivo
Read full article