There are some who think black films didn't start until the mid-1980s with the appearance of Spike Lee and his debut "She's Gotta Have It." Some others may think that black movies didn't exist until the advent of the blaxploitation films of the early to mid-1970s, while others may believe it started with the "L.A. Rebellion" group of black filmmakers from UCLA Film School of the '70s and early '80s, such as Julie Dash ("Daughters of the Dust") and Charles Burnett ("Killer of Sheep," "To Sleep with Anger").
The reality is that black films started with the popularization of cinema 100 years ago. In fact, some 500 or so black films, better known as "race" films, were made and released between 1915 and 1952.
These films were created by pioneering white and black filmmakers to provide entertainment and make a buck or two from the under-served audience of black filmgoers, most of whom saw these films in segregated theaters in the South. But, especially for early black filmmakers such as Oscar Micheaux and brothers Noble and George Johnson, these films represented something deeper.
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