Justin Simien’s four-part documentary series “Hollywood Black” spotlights the impacts, challenges and triumphs of Black pioneers in Hollywood. And the doc’s first episode tackles the industry’s earliest portrayals of Black people in media, including minstrels and stereotypical characters — but also the Black leaders who set out to change the narrative.
“Cinema is not really possible without Blackness. For starters, Black is literally the thing that all cinema fades in from and fades out to,” Simien narrates in the series. “From its very beginnings, Hollywood has been fascinated with Blackness. Not only are we the first subjects in early motion pictures, but we are also the subject of the first blockbusters, early animation and of course, the first talkie.”