Film Series
Behind the Mask: Bamboozled in Focus
The year 2000 saw the release of Spike Lee's Bamboozled, a funny, ferocious, and frightening satire of race and the media, which was shunned by the paying public and mostly mauled by critics. However, viewed today, in a fraught climate where the mediation of the black image in American society is at a crucial juncture, Lee’s vision seems both vital and extraordinarily prescient.
This series celebrates Lee's much-misunderstood masterpiece on its 15th anniversary of release, and presents a diverse selection of films which inspired—and have been inspired by—Bamboozled, from cutting-edge comedies to groundbreaking documentaries and rare experimental gems.
Curated by Ashley Clark, author of Facing Blackness: Media and Minstrelsy in Spike Lee’s Bamboozled.
with Spike Lee and curator Ashley Clark on Oct 28
The opening night screening of Bamboozled on October 28 will be followed by a Q&A with director Spike Lee and curator Ashley Clark, author of Facing Blackness: Media and Minstrelsy in Spike Lee’s Bamboozled.
Spike Lee’s bold satire of contemporary minstrelsy celebrates its 15th anniversary.
Two gripping explorations of racial identity and stereotypes by Julie Dash and Marlon Riggs.
Ruby Dee narrates Marlon Riggs’ examination of race in network programming.
Faye Dunaway and Peter Finch star in Sidney Lumet’s Oscar-winning TV satire.
Elia Kazan’s scorchingly funny and prophetic media satire.
An aspiring black anchorman climbs the corporate ladder in this underrated comedy.
A pair of films that examine racism in educational institutions.