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Curating Regeneration: Black Cinema 1898–1971
47:15
Academy Museum of Motion Pictures

Curating Regeneration: Black Cinema 1898–1971

On August 21, 2022, in the Ted Mann Theater, on opening day of the museum’s landmark exhibition _Regeneration: Black Cinema 1898–1971_, curators Doris Berger (Vice President of Curatorial Affairs, Academy Museum), Rhea L. Combs (Director of Curatorial Affairs, Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery) and J. Raúl Guzmán (Assistant Curator, Academy Museum) discussed the process of creating this in-depth exhibition about Black participation in American filmmaking. The curators reflected on the previously unseen treasures and surprising revelations about African American cinema unearthed during their expansive research, the James Baldwin quote that guided them, and how they produced the exhibition while the museum itself was being constructed. Oscar®, Oscars®, Academy Awards®, Academy Award®, A.M.P.A.S.®, and Oscar Night® are the trademarks, and the ©Oscar® statuette is the registered design mark and copyrighted property, of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. *About the Academy Museum* The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures is the largest museum in the United States devoted to the arts, sciences, and artists of moviemaking. Global in outlook and grounded in the unparalleled collections and expertise of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Academy Museum offers exceptional exhibitions, screenings, and programs that illuminate the world of cinema for film lovers of all ages. In addition to ongoing film series such as Family Matinees, Oscar® Sundays, Available Space, and Branch Selects, the museum also features limited series and spotlight screenings that explore specific exhibitions, film artists, genres, and more. Ongoing education and family programs include youth programs, family drop-in tours and workshops, and school tours. Monthly accommodative programs include ASL Interpreted Tours for our Deaf and hard of hearing communities, Visual Description Tours for our blind and partially sighted communities, and Calm Mornings with accommodative family film screenings for neurodivergent visitors. *Connect with the Academy Museum* Subscribe for our latest videos: http://www.academymuseum.org/videos Plan your visit to the Academy Museum: http://www.academymuseum.org/visit Support the museum and become a member: https://www.academymuseum.org/en/membership *Follow Us on Social* Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheAcademyMuseum/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/academymuseum Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/academymuseum/
Focus on Film: Something Good–Negro Kiss
05:34
Academy Museum of Motion Pictures

Focus on Film: Something Good–Negro Kiss

Curators Rhea Combs and Doris Berger, along with Academy Museum President and Director Jacqueline Stewart, discuss SOMETHING GOOD – NEGRO KISS (1898), one of the earliest films featured in the Academy Museum exhibition “Regeneration: Black Cinema 1898–1971.” A parody of an even shorter, popular 1896 film called THE KISS, produced for Thomas Edison and featuring a white couple, the film disrupts the minstrel stereotypes commonly associated with African American performances in the late 19th century by showcasing accomplished actors in smart attire engaging in mainstream pop culture satire. This previously unknown material was uncovered in 2017 at the University of Southern California and added to the National Film Registry in 2018. In the very few years since its rediscovery, SOMETHING GOOD – NEGRO KISS has expanded the historical record and enhanced our understanding of Black performance in film, theater, and popular culture in the late 19th century. This video was produced in conjunction with the exhibition “Regeneration: Black Cinema 1898–1971.” "Regeneration: Black Cinema 1898–1971" explores the achievements and challenges of Black filmmakers in the US in independent production and within the studio system, both in front of the camera and behind it, from cinema’s infancy in the 1890s to the early 1970s. http://www.academymuseum.org/regeneration *About the Academy Museum* The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures is the largest museum in the United States devoted to the arts, sciences, and artists of moviemaking. Global in outlook and grounded in the unparalleled collections and expertise of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Academy Museum offers exceptional exhibitions, screenings, and programs that illuminate the world of cinema for film lovers of all ages. In addition to ongoing film series such as Family Matinees, Oscar® Sundays, Available Space, and Branch Selects, the museum also features limited series and spotlight screenings that explore specific exhibitions, film artists, genres, and more. Ongoing education and family programs include youth programs, family drop-in tours and workshops, and school tours. Monthly accommodative programs include ASL Interpreted Tours for our Deaf and hard of hearing communities, Visual Description Tours for our blind and partially sighted communities, and Calm Mornings with accommodative family film screenings for neurodivergent visitors. *Connect with the Academy Museum* Subscribe for our latest videos: http://www.academymuseum.org/videos Plan your visit to the Academy Museum: http://www.academymuseum.org/visit Support the museum and become a member: https://www.academymuseum.org/en/membership *Follow Us on Social* Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheAcademyMuseum/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/academymuseum Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/academymuseum/
Expanding Cinema History: Reform School (1939)
04:23
Academy Museum of Motion Pictures

Expanding Cinema History: Reform School (1939)

A landmark year in cinema history, 1939 saw the release of mainstream classics such as CASABLANCA, WIZARD OF OZ, and MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON. Curators Rhea Combs and Doris Berger, along with Academy Museum President and Director Jacqueline Stewart, discuss a lesser-known “race film”––a movie created by Black filmmakers for Black audiences––also released in 1939: REFORM SCHOOL, starring Louise Beavers. This video was produced in conjunction with the exhibition “Regeneration: Black Cinema 1898–1971.” "Regeneration: Black Cinema 1898–1971" explores the achievements and challenges of Black filmmakers in the US in independent production and within the studio system, both in front of the camera and behind it, from cinema’s infancy in the 1890s to the early 1970s. http://www.academymuseum.org/regeneration *About the Academy Museum* The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures is the largest museum in the United States devoted to the arts, sciences, and artists of moviemaking. Global in outlook and grounded in the unparalleled collections and expertise of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Academy Museum offers exceptional exhibitions, screenings, and programs that illuminate the world of cinema for film lovers of all ages. In addition to ongoing film series such as Family Matinees, Oscar® Sundays, Available Space, and Branch Selects, the museum also features limited series and spotlight screenings that explore specific exhibitions, film artists, genres, and more. Ongoing education and family programs include youth programs, family drop-in tours and workshops, and school tours. Monthly accommodative programs include ASL Interpreted Tours for our Deaf and hard of hearing communities, Visual Description Tours for our blind and partially sighted communities, and Calm Mornings with accommodative family film screenings for neurodivergent visitors. *Connect with the Academy Museum* Subscribe for our latest videos: http://www.academymuseum.org/videos Plan your visit to the Academy Museum: http://www.academymuseum.org/visit Support the museum and become a member: https://www.academymuseum.org/en/membership *Follow Us on Social* Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheAcademyMuseum/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/academymuseum Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/academymuseum/
Focus on Genre: Race Films
07:46
Academy Museum of Motion Pictures

Focus on Genre: Race Films

Curators Rhea Combs and Doris Berger, along with Academy Museum President and Director Jacqueline Stewart, discuss the history of race films. Between 1915 and 1948, more than 150 independent companies produced and distributed Black-cast movies, or “race films,” which offered an array of stories and roles for Black actors and were aimed at Black audiences. During this period, Black-owned production companies made melodramas, westerns, comedies, adventure films, and more. This video was produced in conjunction with the exhibition “Regeneration: Black Cinema 1898–1971.” "Regeneration: Black Cinema 1898–1971" explores the achievements and challenges of Black filmmakers in the US in independent production and within the studio system, both in front of the camera and behind it, from cinema’s infancy in the 1890s to the early 1970s. https://www.academymuseum.org/en/regeneration About the Academy Museum The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures is the largest museum in the United States devoted to the arts, sciences, and artists of moviemaking. Global in outlook and grounded in the unparalleled collections and expertise of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Academy Museum offers exceptional exhibitions, screenings, and programs that illuminate the world of cinema for film lovers of all ages. In addition to ongoing film series such as Family Matinees, Oscar® Sundays, Available Space, and Branch Selects, the museum also features limited series and spotlight screenings that explore specific exhibitions, film artists, genres, and more. Ongoing education and family programs include youth programs, family drop-in tours and workshops, and school tours. Monthly accommodative programs include ASL Interpreted Tours for our Deaf and hard of hearing communities, Visual Description Tours for our blind and partially sighted communities, and Calm Mornings with accommodative family film screenings for neurodivergent visitors. Connect with the Academy Museum Subscribe for our latest videos: http://www.academymuseum.org/videos Plan your visit to the Academy Museum: http://www.academymuseum.org/visit Support the museum and become a member: https://www.academymuseum.org/en/memb... Follow Us on Social Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheAcademyMu... Twitter: https://twitter.com/academymuseum Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/academymuseum/
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