Regeneration: Black Cinema

Wednesday, May 31, 2023 from 10:00am to 6:00pm
Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
6067 Wilshire Blvd
310-247-3000

Regeneration: Black Cinema 1898–1971 explores the rich history of Black participation in US cinema from its beginnings to just beyond the civil rights movement.

Inspired by and named after an independent all-Black-cast movie from 1923, Regeneration seeks to revive lost or forgotten films, filmmakers, and performers for a contemporary audience.

Moviemaking has always been instrumental in shaping culture more broadly, and Black artists and entrepreneurs have been involved from the start despite racism and prejudices that limited their opportunities.

Black actors, at times, turned stereotypical roles that did not represent their full humanity into three-dimensional characters, while Black directors who were left out of the mainstream system created their own independent production companies.

Later, particularly after World War II, opportunities for Black filmmakers in Hollywood expanded as segregation slowly unraveled. By examining Black participation in film over a 70-year period, Regeneration showcases the long-standing relationship between film and Black visual culture.

It highlights the agency many artists asserted in their respective crafts despite challenges, revealing their tenacity, immense talent, and unwavering commitment to creative expression.

Regeneration: Black Cinema 1898–1971 tells this story through seven galleries and themes. Introduction considers the social and political situation of Black Americans at the dawn of cinema in the United States. Early Film looks at the representation of Black people in cinema from 1897 to 1915.

Pioneering independent Black filmmakers such as Oscar Micheaux and films made for Black audiences from the 1910s to the 1940s are examined in Race Films. Music and Film takes stock of Black music in American film, from Black musicals to the lost art of the soundie.

Stars and Icons shines a light on Black stardom. Freedom Movements documents a set of cinematic stories and careers born in changing times and politics. Agency tracks Black directors' daring and pioneering paths during the civil rights movement.

Among the over 225 original objects on view in Regeneration, visitors will encounter photographs, scripts, drawings, costumes, moviemaking equipment, posters, and original contemporary artworks.

Highlighted objects include never-before-shown costume drawings from Carmen Jones - 1954, promotional glamour portraits of dozens of leading Black film stars, costumes worn by Lena Horne in Stormy Weather - 1943 and Sammy Davis, Jr. in Porgy and Bess 1959, cowboy boots worn by Herb Jeffries in Harlem on the Prairie - 1937, a 1920s camera from the Norman Film Company, a producer of race films, a Mills Panoram soundie machine from the 1940s, tap dance shoes from the Nicholas Brothers; and one of Louis Armstrong’s trumpets.

The in-gallery experience will also be enhanced by two augmented reality experiences designed specifically for the exhibition, one looking at the geography of early Black film production and the other offering a taste of vintage Black Hollywood’s glamour.

The exhibition also features rarely seen excerpts of films restored by the Academy Film Archive and clips from other narrative films, documentaries, newsreels, and home movies.

Several film series will also accompany the exhibition featuring films from cinema’s infancy in the 1890s to the early 1970s, from a series showcasing silent film pioneers such as writer-producer-director Oscar Micheaux to an in-depth look at independently produced, genre-defying works of innovators such as Melvin Van Peebles.

The Academy Museum has also produced a complementary microsite, which offers a wide range of informational and educational assets. As the show's permanent digital home, the site extends Regeneration’s themes and delivers a rich content experience to both exhibition visitors and curious audiences engaging from home.

In addition to original articles, essays, and curricular materials, the site offers introductory excerpts of the show's print catalogue and an interactive database capturing the films, filmmakers, and production companies examined in the show.

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