‘pioneers of african american cinema’ collection comes to netflix

Kino Lorber’s viral crowdfunding campaign, ‘Pioneers of African-American Cinema’ featuring more than 20 feature-length films and shorts created by pioneering black American directors from 1915 to 1946 is now on Netflix. The revelatory cannon of black filmmaking showcases the under acknowledged works of directors such as Oscar Micheaux, Richard E. Norman, and Spencer Williams. The collection features a range of titles including, “The Blood of Jesus” (1941), “Hell-Bound Train” (circa 1930) and “Heaven-Bound Travelers” (circa 1935).

The entire Kickstarter project now includes a five-disc survey of this period in black filmmaking with contemporary interviews with film historians and preservationists, an 80-page booklet, and, of course, each of the films. ‘Pioneers of African-American Cinema’ was curated by Charles Musser and Jacqueline Najuma Stewart.

You can stream the first release of the collection (which includes 16 films) on Netflix now.