Collection ID: COL 5
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Collection context

Summary

Creator:
Smith, Mary Perry, 1926-2015 and Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame, Inc.
Abstract:
This series contains papers, application packets, and audiovisual materials related to the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame's 1993 Sidney Poitier Fellowship competition. Applications to the program include written film proposals, scripts, sample works on videocassette, and other materials submitted by film and video makers competing for fellowship awards.
Extent:
2 Boxes, 52 Videocassettes, and 2 Audiocassettes
Language:
Materials are in English
Preferred citation:

[item], Mary Perry Smith Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame Archives Collection, Special Collection COL 5, Black Film Center & Archive, Indiana University, Bloomington.

Background

Biographical / Historical:

The Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame, Inc. (BFHFI) was founded in Oakland, California in 1974. The BFHFI began as a collaboration among Roy Thomas from the Afro-American Studies Department at UC-Berkeley, Mary Perry Smith, who was the co-chairperson of the Cultural and Ethnic Affairs Guild and at the Oakland Museum, and Sonny Buxton of the San Francisco Bay Area station KGO-TV.

The BFHFI identified itself as an organization "dedicated to influencing Black images portrayed in film and television through education, the nurturing of current independent filmmakers and the preservation of contributions by Black artists" (BFHFI 20th Anniversary Celebration Program). Throughout its existence the BFHFI presented award ceremonies honoring contemporary and historic figures in black filmmaking. Notable programs established by the BFHFI include the Oscar Micheaux Awards Ceremony, the International Black Film, Video & Screenplay Competition, the Black Filmworks International Film Festival, and the Sidney Poitier Fellowship. Additionally, educational programs, various symposia, and lecture series on black film were conducted throughout the life of the organization.

The BFHFI initially operated in partnership with the Oakland Museum, later incorporating itself as an independent, non-profit organization in 1978. Attempts to establish a dedicated museum and permanent home for the BFHFI were ultimately unsuccessful, although the BFHFI did begin acquisition of collections for this proposed museum.

The final Oscar Micheaux Awards ceremony was held in 1993, the 20th anniversary of the founding of the event. The BFHFI continued to present the Black Filmworks International Film Festival and Black Independent Film, Video & Screenplay Competition through 2003.

For a more detailed administrative history, a biography for Mary Perry Smith, and a listing of other series, please see collection overview (http://purl.dlib.indiana.edu/iudl/findingaids/bfca/VAD4347).

Scope and Content:

This series consists of application materials submitted for consideration for the Sidney Poitier Fellowship (SPF) competition. The Sidney Poitier Fellowship for Emerging Black Filmmakers was announced by the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame, Inc. (BFHFI) in 1992 as a program to award up to ten fellowships to black film/video artists in the process of beginning or completing projects. The SPF program sought to "discover and provide support to talented persons who are pursuing careers as video and film makers" and to further the BFHFI's mission to provide resources to "those who are creating new and dynamic media images from our cultural perspective" (BFHFI planning document). The BFHFI announced the first Poitier Fellowship winners, who were selected from a pool of 102 applicants, at its 20th and final Oscar Micheaux Awards Ceremony in October 1993. The Awards Ceremony souvenir program includes a listing of the Poitier Fellowship awardees. Although the BFHFI intended to present ten awards bi-annually, the Sidney Poitier Fellowship program did not continue after its initial year.

SPF applicants were required to submit budgets, treatments, scripts, or project proposals, as well as a sample work on videocassette. The applications reflect a broad spectrum of independent film and video making from the early 1990s. Proposals include feature films, film school student projects, documentaries, community television, animation, experimental short films, and new media productions submitted by applicants ranging from first-time filmmakers to experienced mid-career veterans.

Videocassettes included with applications have been arranged in a separate series. Except when unavailable, each application has a corresponding sample work on videocassette found in the Videocassettes Series

Acquisition information:
The material in this series is part of a collection donated by Mary Perry Smith to the Indiana University Black Film Center Archive in January 2014.
Processing information:

Processed by Seth Mitter.

Completed in 2015.

Arrangement:

The collection is arranged in the follow series with Series 1 containing twelve subseries:

  1. Collection overview
  2. Series 1. Publicity Materials
  3. Series 2. Oscar Micheaux Awards Ceremony and Gala
  4. Series 3. Film Lecture Series and Symposiums
  5. Series 4. Black Filmworks and Independent Film, Video & Screenplay Competition
  6. Series 5. Sidney Poitier Fellowship Competition
  7. -- Subseries 5.1. Applications Packets
  8. -- Subseries 5.2. Videocassette Submissions
  9. -- Subseries 5.3. Sidney Poitier Fellowship Administrative Documents
  10. Series 6. Miscellaneous BFHFI events files
  11. Series 7. BFHFI event recordings
  12. Series 8. Board and committee documents
  13. Series 9. General correspondence
  14. Series 10. HRMS, volunteer, and staff documents
  15. Series 11. General financial, fundraising, and legal documents
  16. Series 12. Memorabilia and artifacts
  17. Series 13. Third party publications
  18. Series 14. Research files
  19. Series 15. Mary P. Smith's files
  20. Series 16. Miscellaneous
  21. Series 17. Phil Moore Collection (Inventoried as if separate collection due to size)
  22. Series 18. Photographs (undergoing processing)
  23. Series 19. Born-digital materials (undergoing processing)
General note:

In 2022, the Black Film Center/Archive (BFC/A) transitioned to its current name, the Black Film Center & Archive (BFCA). This finding aid was created under the organizational name Black Film Center/Archive. Upon this organizational name change, all previous references to the BFC/A were updated in this finding aid to match the current name, Black Film Center & Archive.

Access

RESTRICTIONS:

This series is open for research. The bulk of the video recordings in this series will be digitized as part of Indiana University's Media Digitization and Preservation Initiative (MDPI) between summer 2015 and winter 2018 and access will be extremely limited until that time. If you wish to preview an item in this series, please contact the BFCA staff well in advance of your visit.

TERMS OF ACCESS:

Materials may be used in-house at the BFCA; duplication permitted only with permission of the Archivist.

PREFERRED CITATION:

[item], Mary Perry Smith Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame Archives Collection, Special Collection COL 5, Black Film Center & Archive, Indiana University, Bloomington.

CAMPUS:
Indiana University Bloomington
LOCATION OF THIS COLLECTION:
1320 East Tenth Street
Herman B Wells Library, Room 044
Bloomington, Indiana 47405-7000, United States
CAMPUS:
Indiana University Bloomington
CONTACT:
812-855-6041
bfca@indiana.edu