Suggested Reading:
African Americans in the movie industry is almost an outline of the struggle for equality and tales of courage and creativity that have defined the story of the black man in America. Today’s films can only be truly appreciated through historically correct lenses. Here’s a list of great books with valuable insights into African American film and performances both past and present, from the roots that have shaped our culture to newer releases that manage timeless social commentary.
- Black Lenses, Black Voices: African American Film Now (Genre and Beyond) by Mark A Reid
- Framing Blackness: The African American Image In Film (Culture and the Moving Image) by Ed Guerrero
- The 50 Most Influential Black Films, Movies That Changed the Way We See America by S. Torriano Berry and Venise T. Berry
- Toms, Coons, Mulattoes, Mammies and Bucks: An Interpretive History of Blacks in American Films, 4th Edition by Donald Bogle
- Why We Make Movies: Black Filmmakers Talk About the Magic of Cinema by George Alexander