City Of Detroit:

Press release from The City of Detroit:

2021-12-24

The Office of Arts, Culture, and Entrepreneurship is proud to present Black Heritage Films for the Holidays. Screening at 7PM every night from Christmas until New Year's, the films reflect the excellence that Black filmmakers such as Oscar Micheaux were achieving in the 1930s. 

Oscar Devereaux Micheaux (January 2, 1884 – March 25, 1951) was an author, film director, and independent producer of more than 44 films. The short-lived Lincoln Motion Picture Company was the first movie company owned and controlled by black filmmakers, but Micheaux is regarded as the first major African-American feature filmmaker. He was a prominent producer of films featuring Black actors and has been described as "the most successful African-American filmmaker of the first half of the 20th century." This Black Heritage Film series was presented by Walker-Miller Energy Services. 

This film series "is one more example of the City providing quality arts, culture, and entertainment experiences for Detroit residents," said Rochelle Riley, the City's Director of Arts and Culture. "We are grateful to Carla Walker Miller for her generous donations to the Artist Relief Fund to help artists in the pandemic, thus placing the company name on the series.

Saturday

America's First Black Media Mogul 

Oscar Micheaux _ The Czar of Black Hollywood

Sunday

Murder in Harlem, a 1935 Oscar Micheaux Film 

Monday

Swing, a 12938 Oscar Micheaux Film

Tuesday

Underworld, a 1937 Oscar Micheaux Film 

Wednesday

Beware, a 1937 film starring Lewis Jordan 

Thursday

Boy, What a Girl! a 1946 film

Friday

Ten Minutes to Live, a 1932 Oscar Micheaux Film 

Murder in Harlem, a 1935 Oscar Michaeux Film

Saturday

Big Fella, a 1937 film 

Lying Lips, a 1939 Oscar Micheaux film

This press release was produced by the City of Detroit. The views expressed here are the author’s own.