“Oscar Micheaux: The Superhero of Black Filmmaking” at the Last Picture House -- March 22.
Oscar Micheaux: The Superhero of Black Filmmaking and Post-Film Discussion: Sunday, March 22, 2 p.m.
Within Our Gates: Sunday, March 22, 4:15 p.m.
The Last Picture House, 325 East Second Street, Davenport IA
An Illinois-born pioneer, independent filmmaker, and former Iowa resident’s story will be revealed when the Truth First Film Alliance hosts the feature-length documentary Oscar Micheaux: The Superhero of Black Filmmaking, this March 22 showing at Davenport venue The Last Picture House boasting a post-film discussion with guest historian Jordan Bell, and followed by a screening of Micheaux's 1920 silent movie Within Our Gates.
Directed by Francisco Zippel, the 2021 documentary Oscar Micheaux: The Superhero of Black Filmmaking features on-camera interviews with Morgan Freeman, John Singleton, Chuck D, Amma Asante, Haskel Wexler, Kevin Willmott, and other film luminaries discussing the extraordinary achievements and contemporary legacy of Micheaux and his films. Born in 1884 in Metropolis, Illinois, Micheaux, became a prolific writer, authoring seven novels, and was the first major Black American filmmaker to write, direct, and produce independent feature films showing contemporary Black life, challenging Black stereotypes, and opposing racial injustice. He founded the Micheaux Film & Book Company in Sioux City, Iowa, and in 1919, he produced his first silent film The Homesteader, based on his self-published first novel The Conquest: The Story of a Negro Pioneer.
Sometimes considered to be his response to D.W. Griffith’s controversial 1915 film Birth of a Nation, Micheaux wrote, directed, and produced his second film Within Our Gates, a silent film that portrays the contemporary racial injustice in the United States during the Jim Crow years, and the revival of the Ku Klux Klan. The film was heavily censored upon release in 1920 due to its raw portrayal of white supremacy and interracial sexual violence. It is the oldest surviving film by a Black film director. Once thought to be lost, the Library of Congress Motion Picture Conservation Center restored the film from a single print discovered in Spain.
From 1923 to 1925, Micheaux operated out of Roanoke, Virginia, living and working on Henry Street in the historic Gainsboro neighborhood. At the time Gainsboro was an active participant in the global Harlem Renaissance, and Micheaux played a crucial part in that, producing eight films for Black audiences at a time when they were prohibited from going to see more mainstream fare at white theaters. "During that time, he was just an entrepreneur filmmaker that was making films," said Jordan Bell, a Gainsboro historian. "But now, he's recognized around the world for his films."
Micheaux went on to produce 44 films between 1919 and 1948 (silent and sound), reaching audiences throughout the U.S., as well as internationally. “I use my films to help elevate the race,” Micheaux once said. “I have always tried to lay before the colored race a cross section of its own life, to view the colored heart from close range.”
The March 22 presentations at The Last Picture House are being hosted by Truth First Film Alliance, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that supports and encourages the production and exhibition of documentary films, as well as narrative films based on true stories, through public presentations and educational programs in the Quad Cities region. Truth First Film Alliance, Inc. is pleased to join with sponsors Azubuike African American Council for the Arts, Friends of MLK, Inc., the Rock Island County NAACP Chapter 3268B, the QC Film Office and the Northwest Illinois Film Office to present these important Black history films.
Oscar Micheaux: The Superhero of Black Filmmaking will be screened at The Last Picture House on March 22, the 2 p.m. showing followed by a discussion with historian Jordan Bell from Roanoke, Virginia. Micheaux’s rare 1920 silent film Within Our Gates will be shown at 4:15 p.m. in the venue's neighboring theater, and admission to both movies are free, with seating limited. For more information, e-mail TruthFirstFilmAlliance@gmail.com and visit TruthFirstFilmAlliance.org.
