Black Film Center/Archive

Collection Development Policy

General Film Collection

A diverse collection of over 1,000 historic and contemporary Hollywood and independent films; black & white and color, silent and sound; features, documentaries, dramatic and musical shorts, comedy shorts, trailers, newsreels and animations in 35mm, 16mm, 8mm, DVD, and videocassette formats.

The BFC/A General Film Collection includes a number of important films spanning the century, made by independent black and white filmmakers. Among these are:

• Scar of Shame (1927), by The Colored Players of Philadelphia, a silent melodrama about the effects of class and caste on the marriage of a concert pianist and a poor, lower class young woman.
• God's Stepchildren (1938), dramatizing the issues of passing and intra-racial hierarchies, was written, produced, and directed by Oscar Micheaux, the most prolific of the early independent filmmakers.
• The Blood of Jesus (1941), an important representation of black religious music and doctrine by black director, writer, actor Spencer Williams.
• Let the Church Say Amen (1972), by St. Clair Bourne, exploring the effects of the black church on the community through the experiences of a seminary student.
• Killer of Sheep (1977), by Charles Burnett, about an impoverished black man's struggle for a better future for his family.
• A Different Image (1981), by Alile Sharon Larkin, depicting the development of a young black woman's consciousness.
• Illusions (1982), Julie Dash's exploration of the illusions perpetuated by the Hollywood studio system.
• Tongues Untied (1986), produced by Marlon Riggs, documenting the consciousness-awakening experiences of black gay men.
• Cycles (1989), Zeinabu irene Davis' short film about a woman's biological and metaphysical cycles.
• Zajota and the Boogie Spirit (1989), an animated short chronicling black empowerment through music and dance from precontact Africa to contemporary America.
• Finding Christa (1992), Camille Billops' documentary drama about rediscovering the daughter she gave up for adoption.

In addition to independent films in the BFC/A, the holdings include many contemporary Hollywood films, as well as Blaxploitation era films.

Please click on a letter below to browse our collection by TITLE:

Please click on a letter below to browse our collection by DIRECTOR:

Also, see a list of our latest acquisitions.

Special Collections

• Byllye Y. Avery Collection
• S. Torriano Berry Collection
• St. Clair Bourne Collection
• Peter Davis Collection
• William Greaves Collection
• Louis Guida Collection
• Hatch-Billops Collection
• Warrington Hudlin Collection
• Alile Sharon Larkin Collection
• Jessie Maple Collection
• Major Motion Picture Collection
• Edward Mapp Collection
• William Miles Collection, Liberators: Fighting on Two Fronts in World War II
• Richard E. Norman Collection
• Burnham Ware Collection
• John West Collection

Interviews (Transcripts, Audio and Video Interviews)

Photographs

• Listed by name
• Listed by title of film

To request a photograph(s), fill out our Photograph Request Form and then mail, fax, or email it to us:

Black Film Center/Archive
Smith Research Center, rm. 180
2805 E. 10th St.
Bloomington, IN 47408
Fax: (812) 856-5832
Email: bfca@indiana.edu

Posters

Screenplays

Frame by Frame Database

A continually up-dated computer database of films supplementary to Frame by Frame: A Black Filmography, Frame by Frame II: A Filmography of the African American Image, 1978-1994, and the forthcoming Frame by Frame III: A Filmography of the African Diasporan Image, 1994-2004.

Note: Users will be charged a user fee for some services provided by the BFC/A.