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The first all black owned film company opens. Opened by William Foster in Chicago. They were in business until 1913, when they went out of business due to production problems -
1915, the film birth of a nation is released and it portrays the KKK as a heroic group.
https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/6845-black-cinema-at-its-birth -
Around this time there were over 30% of film companies were making 'race' films and were owned by black people. This was short lived since the economic crash of 1930 was right around the coroner. When the crash did hit it wiped out almost all of the black owned film companies at the time.
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Gone with the wind, a film set around the civil war time becomes the first film where a person of color won a academy award. Hattie McDaniel won for her performance. -
In 1942 there was an expansion in black representation in film due to the NAACP met with many studios to talk about film representation. This was in hopes to reduce the use of sterotypes and increase film opportunities.
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In the 1950 the shift of representation could start to been seen. While in the 40s most film that had African American performers were race films, the 50s saw a change. People of color were being offered more complex roles and actors such as Sidney Potier was getting top billing in said films
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Sidney Poitier is one of the most well know African American actors. In the 1960s his career boomed and he became one of the most casted actors of color. He had many roles and became the first black man to win an academy award -
In the 1970s there was another boom in black film. Although these movies showed black men as pimps and drug dealers, but also painted them in anti-heros. This created stereotypes that still affect films today
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"Do the Right Thing" was a 1989 film directed by spike lee. This film was praised for showing black communities in a realistic light. -
Over the years Black film makers have struggled to have their art and stories shown in the most years there have been big shifts in the entertainment world to inculde more diversity in film a storytelling.
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The film Malcom X is released