Overview

My Brother Ashley Clark Has Broke It Down To What Black Film Was, Is Present Day, And What The Future Might Be. BLAK IZ BLAK. YA-DIG? SHO-NUFF. Enjoy This BLAK CINEMATIC SCIENCE. - Spike Lee The World of Black Film is an entertaining, informed, and thought-provoking survey of important and influential Black films from around the globe. Starting with the unfinished silent comedy Lime Kiln Club Field Day (1913) and concluding with Steve McQueen's World War II epic Blitz (2024), this book takes readers on an exciting journey through an eclectic mix of classics and hidden gems spanning more than 100 years and 30 countries. Beautifully designed and bursting with eye-catching film imagery and poster art, this is essential reading for general film fans, enthusiasts of Black cinema, educators, and students alike. Includes a foreword by Sir John Akomfrah, CBE RA. Films and directors include: Black Orpheus (Marcel Camus, 1959) Black Girl (Ousmane Sembene, 1966) Hollywood Shuffle (Robert Townsend, 1987) Malcolm X (Spike Lee, 1992) Belle (Amma Asante, 2013) Timbuktu (Abderrahmane Sissako, 2015) Moonlight (Barry Jenkins, 2016) Black Panther (Ryan Coogler, 2018) Saint Omer (Alice Diop, 2022) Dahomey (Mati Diop, 2024) Blitz (Steve McQueen, 2024)

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9781529438253

Table of Contents

Reviews

Resonant, exciting and eye-opening-one of the best books I've read about Black cinema. -- Mark Cousins, Filmmaker and writer Clark's dedicated research and unmatched eye for beauty has uncovered so many cinematic treasures, which he generously shares with us here-from Barack Obama's take on Black Orpheus to a 1940s Tyler Perry forerunner and the first sub-Saharan western. His writing, at once authoritative and playful, is illustrated with fascinating film stills, resulting in far more than century's worth of reading-and viewing-pleasure. What a joy! -- Ellen E Jones, film & TV journalist

Resonant, exciting and eye-opening-one of the best books I've read about Black cinema. -- Mark Cousins Clark's dedicated research and unmatched eye for beauty has uncovered so many cinematic treasures, which he generously shares with us here-from Barack Obama's take on Black Orpheus to a 1940s Tyler Perry forerunner and the first sub-Saharan western. His writing, at once authoritative and playful, is illustrated with fascinating film stills, resulting in far more than century's worth of reading-and viewing-pleasure. What a joy! -- Ellen E Jones An excellent starting point for exploring the world of Black film in all its diversity and complexity. This brilliant and accessible survey invites the reader to reflect on 'cinematic Blackness' and makes them eager to continue the journey beyond the book onto the screen. -- Mahamat-Saleh Haroun My Brother Ashley Clark Has Broke It Down To What Black Film Was, Is Present Day, And What The Future Might Be. BLAK IZ BLAK. YA-DIG? SHO-NUFF. Enjoy This BLAK CINEMATIC SCIENCE. -- Spike Lee Ashley Clark has given us an essential gift with The World of Black Film-a meticulously curated journey through one hundred films that illuminate the breadth, depth, and revolutionary power of Black cinema. As someone who has spent decades fighting to tell our stories on our own terms, I'm deeply moved by this love letter to the artists who dared to dream in celluloid and digital, who transformed limited resources into limitless vision, and who understood that our stories matter not just to us, but to the world. Clark's insightful commentary provides crucial context while allowing each film to speak with its own voice, creating a chorus that truly spans continents, decades, and genres. This book belongs on the shelf of every film lover, every student of cinema, and everyone who believes in the transformative power of storytelling. It's a celebration, an education, and an inspiration all at once. -- Julie Dash

Author Information

Ashley Clark is a writer, broadcaster, and film programmer. He has organized numerous film seasons at international venues including London's BFI Southbank, New York's Museum of Modern Art, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and Toronto's TIFF Lightbox. His writing has appeared in The Guardian, Reverse Shot, Sight & Sound, and Film Comment, and he is the author of Facing Blackness: Media and Minstrelsy in Spike Lee's Bamboozled (2015). Ashley was born in London, lives in Jersey City, and works in New York City, where he has been the curatorial director of the Criterion Collection since 2020.

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