Simply put, 2013 was a monumental year in Black cinema with hits like Lee Daniel’s The Butler and The Best Man Holiday and critical darlings such as Fruitvale Station and 12 Years A Slave. However, this is hardly the first time that we’ve seen a glut of diverse and accomplished Black filmmakers emerge, only for Hollywood studios to return to putting out the obligatory two to four films per year aimed at African-American audiences. As the filmmaker Ava DuVernay has stated, “The Hollywood machine has selective amnesia. It’s not like we haven’t gone through a season of robust black image makers before.” In the Black Inequality in Film infographic, the New York Film Academy has charted the history of Black film over the past century while analyzing more recent statistics to assess how Black filmmakers and performers have been represented on screen and behind the camera during the last six years. By classifying “Black Film,” we are referring to movies where the plot revolves around lead characters who are of African descent. The purpose of this infographic is to present some talking points to initiate a discussion on the role of African Americans in Hollywood.
Click on the image below to view the entire infographic.
