Through a lens darkly : black photographers and the emergence of a people / a film by Thomas Allen Harris ; 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) ; Chimpanzee Productions.

Format:

Video

Contributor:

Harris, Thomas Allen, film director, film producer, screenwriter, director, producer, screenwriter.

Willis, Deborah, 1948- film producer, producer.

Bennett, Ann (Producer), film producer, producer.

Perry, Don, film producer, screenwriter, producer, screenwriter.

Harrison, Paul Carter, 1936-2021, screenwriter, screenwriter.

Reid, Vernon, composer (expression), composer.

Willis, Deborah, 1948-

Independent Television Service, production company, producer.

National Black Programming Consortium, production company, producer.

Chimpanzee Productions, production company, producer.

First Run Features (Firm), film distributor, distributor.

Class of 1924 Book Fund.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

African American photographers--History.

African American photographers.

Photography--United States--History.

Photography.

Photography--Moral and ethical aspects.

Photography--Social aspects.

History.

United States.

Photography--Social aspects--United States.

Photography--Moral and ethical aspects--United States.

United States--Race relations--History.

Race relations.

Genre:

Documentary films.

Video recordings.

Physical Description:

1 videodisc (92 min.) : sound, color, black and white ; 4 3/4 in.

4 3/4 in.

Place of Publication:

New York, NY : First Run Features, 2014.

System Details:

DVD ; 5.1 + stereo audio options.

digital optical

video file DVD video

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.

Credits:

Director, producer, writer, Thomas Allen Harris ; producers, Deborah Willis, Ann Bennett, Don Perry ; writers, Don Perry, Paul Carter Harrison ; editors, K.A. Miille, Matthew Cohn ; composer, Vernon Reid ; director of photography, Martina Radwan.

Notes:

Inspired by Deborah Willis's book, Reflections in Black : a history of black photographers 1840 to the present.

Originally released as a documentary film in 2014.

Special features: 14 short videos ; biographies.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Class of 1924 Book Fund.

Related Work:

Willis, Deborah, 1948- Reflections in Black.

OCLC:

886652894

Publisher Number:

720229916387

FRF916387D First Run Features