Film Forum

Filmmaker, scholar, preservationist, and collector Pearl Bowser (1931–2023) was among the earliest proponents of reviving critical interest in the “race movies” of Oscar Micheaux and other early African American filmmakers, linking them to more contemporary work. This unique compilation inspired by Bowser’s collection (donated to the Smithsonian in 2012) includes short films by John W. Fletcher Jr. & Hortense “Tee” Beveridge (The Hands of Inge), Cheryl Dunye (She Don’t Fade, Untitled Portrait), Harry Gant (By Right of Birth (fragments), American Negro Theater (A People’s Playhouse), Charles Hobson (Soul Food for Christmas from Like It Is (outtakes), and Bowser herself (The Guest).

Explore the Pearl Bowser Collection at the Smithsonian.