"He chose films that featured cultural exchange and international collaboration - American icons such as Josephine Baker and Paul Robeson working in Europe, for example. He restricted himself to one film by each director (which proved tricky when it came to Spike Lee - it pained him to leave out Do The Right Thing but Malcolm X fit the brief better) and predominantly focused on Black filmmakers, bar a few."
"The book is wrapped in a vivid lime green, its bold text complemented by a delicate but powerful cut-out still from Black Girl - a 1966 French-Senegalese drama directed by Ousmane Sembène. "We chose the still of Diouana (the lead character) for her optimistic upward gaze," Violetta tells us. "Her gaze suggests a forward-looking narrative: framing Black cinema as dynamic, expansive and visionary."
A chronological survey presents 100 must-watch films, beginning with 1913's Lime Kiln Club Field Day and ending with 2024's Blitz by Steve McQueen. Selections emphasize cultural exchange and international collaboration, featuring American icons like Josephine Baker and Paul Robeson working in Europe. The compilation restricts entries to one film per director and predominantly highlights Black filmmakers while including a few works by non-Black directors, such as Nothing But a Man by Michael Roemer, reportedly beloved by Malcolm X. Designer Violetta Boxill devised a vivid lime-green cover with a cut-out still from Black Girl showing Diouana's optimistic upward gaze, suggesting a forward-looking narrative. The book's end papers are red.
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