Volume 10, Issue 2 / February 2006

African American Experiences

More than by chance than design, this February issue of Offscreen coincides nicely with Black History Month, by presenting three pieces which, to varying degree, look at various aspects of African American popular culture. Ryan Diduck sets his sights on the phenomena of the movie trailer, specifically the Black Cinema trailers that are featured in the Jenni Olson curated touring program, “Black American Cinema Trailers, 1946 – 1976.” Along with insight into how Black Cinema was marketed and promoted to both black and white audiences, Diduck is interested in broader issues of representation, spectatorship, and agency. Daniel Garrett’s two-part “Iconography,” while not exclusively ‘about’ African American cinema or popular art, draws from a wealth of African American experiences which have particularly touched and moved the writer. Garrett’s alphabetically-ordered “Iconography” is a sprawling and idiosyncratic assessment of filmmakers, films, artists, writers, musicians, and thinkers who have left an indelible impression (both good and bad) on contemporary popular art and society. Given its formidable length, the “Iconography” diptych is something which can be dipped into over time, skipping between entries as your mood dictates. Up next is Peter Rist’s second of a planned three part study on Cuban Cinema. “Cuban Classics, part 2” (Part 1 appeared in Volume 9, Issue 4, April 2005), features the short films of Humberto Solas. Appropriately, a few of the shorts discussed feature Afro-Cuban or black characters. Rounding up the issue is a review essay of Lajos Koltai’s formally demanding, and emotionally touching Holocaust film, Fateless.