Film

This classic Emmy-winning documentary offers a factual, complementary addendum to Lee’s incandescent imaginary vision in Bamboozled. Director Riggs (Tongues Untied) takes viewers on a disturbing tour through American history, tracing the deep-rooted, dehumanizing stereotypes that have fueled anti-black prejudice. Loyal Toms, carefree Sambos, faithful Mammies, grinning Coons, savage Brutes, and wide-eyed Pickaninnies all roll across the screen in a tumbling visual index, the horror of which is counterbalanced by Riggs’ calm, sober style.

This haunting, deeply moving film, set in Hollywood during World War II, tells the story of Mignon Duprée (McKee), a studio executive passing for white, and Ester Jeeter (Katon), an African-American singer hired to dub the voice of a white movie star. Director Julie Dash (Daughters of the Dust) offers a gripping critique of Hollywood’s power to shape perceptions—and the illusion of racial identity itself.