“What does it mean to make Black film history accessible?” This is the question that film scholar, Maya Cade, asked herself and inspired her to create the Black Film Archive. The Black Film Archive includes films made from 1915 to 1979 that speak to the Black experience. In accordance with her vision of accessibility, all films featured are available to stream without a subscription or fee.
The idea for the Black Film Archive was born in June of 2020. Motivated by the Black Lives Matter movement, Cade reflected on the Black films that have sustained and inspired her. Utilizing resources from her personal library and Criterion, (where Cade works as Audience Development Strategist) Cade curated a list of historic Black films that can easily be viewed online. She recorded her findings onto a Twitter thread, which later evolved into the beautifully designed database of the Black Film Archive.
The films, which are elegantly organized by decade, include a range of different genres and themes. Many films in the archive are difficult to categorize into a single genre, like the 1946 film, Dirty Gertie from Harlem U.S.A. Directed by Spencer Williams, the film follows singer-dancer, Gertie, as she leaves Harlem after breaking up with her boyfriend. In an interview with NPR, Cade states, “If [Dirty Gertie from Harlem U.S.A] was made just a few years later, I’m certain it’d be a beloved classic. It has all the makings of a film that people gravitate towards.”
The archive also includes several documentary features, including the 1975 film, Welfare. Focusing on how the U.S. welfare system works, the documentary exposes ways these bureaucratic systems can dehumanize the people they are supposed to protect, exploring themes that continue to be relevant today.
These titles and over 250 others are waiting to be discovered on the Black Film Archive. This evolving collection showcases Black films that ask questions and inspire, on a platform that is accessible to all.