Through a lens darkly [dvd] : black photographers and the emergence of a people / k. media ; Chimpanzee Productions ; a film by Thomas Allen Harris ; director, producer, writer, Thomas Allen Harris ; producer, Deborah Willis ; producer, Ann Bennett ; producer, Don Perry ; executive producers, John Singleton, Kimberly Steward ; writers, Don Perry, Paul Carter Harrison ; a co-production of Through a Lens Darkly, LLC and the Independent Television Service (ITVS) ; produced in association with the National Black Programming Consortium (NPBC).
Format:
[dvd] :
Edition:
Widescreen.
Publisher:
First Run Features,
Copyright Date:
2014
Description:
1 videodisc (92 min.) sound, color, black and white ; 4 3/4 in.
Inspired by the book 'Reflections in black : a history of black photographers 1840 to the present' by Deborah Willis. Originally released as a documentary film in 2014.
Contents:
Extra features: Digital diaspora family reuinion; Bonus shorts; Biographies.
Summary:
Inspired by Deborah Willis's book, Reflections in Black, Through a Lens Darkly, casts a broad net that begins with filmmaker Thomas Allen Harris's family album. It considers the difference between black photographers who use the camera to define themselves, their people, and their culture and some white photographers who, historically, have demeaned African-Americans through racist imagery. The film embraces both historical material (African-Americans who were slaves, who fought in the Civil War, were victims of lynchings, or were pivotal in the Civil Rights Movement) and contemporary images made by such luminaries as Roy DeCarava, Gordon Parks, and Carrie Mae Weems. The film is a cornucopia of Americana that reveals deeply disturbing truths about the history of race relations while expressing joyous, life-affirming sentiments about the ability of artists and amateurs alike to assert their identity through the photographic lens.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.