Netflix Releases 20 Classic Black Pioneer Films Collection
Source: Twitter
Source: Twitter
The collection, which is now available on Netflix, includes Body and Soul, Darktown Revue, Ten Minutes to Live, and others.
Titled Pioneers of African-American Cinema, the collection features 20 classic black films highlighting the work of Spencer Williams, Oscar Micheaux, Richard E. Norman, and many black directors. Pioneers comes from a five CD set which originally began as a Kickstarter campaign launched by Kino Lorber last year. The project ultimately exceeded its original goal, allowing for both the collection to become a reality and for more content to be added to it.
READ: New Box Set Celebrates 'Pioneers Of African-American Cinema'
"Defying convention and operating outside the studio system, these filmmakers were the forefathers (and mothers) of the French New Wave, the L.A. Rebellion, and the entirety of American indie cinema," Lorber had said in a statement. "Previously circulated in poor quality 16mm prints, these newly restored versions allow us to witness the legacies of Oscar Micheaux, Spencer Williams, and James and Eloyce Gist with fresh eyes— proving that, anything but imitative, these Pioneers of African-American Cinema were purely innovative."
The CD collection is available to purchase here.
