![]() ![]() My first short films were on feminist themes, but I soon developed a passionate interest in untold stories of history. Following college in the U.S., I studied at the film academy in West Berlin, where people scoffed at the saying that “messages are for Western Union” and honored the work of politically committed artists like Berthold Brecht. Though my family was neither left-wing nor union, I’ve been drawn to the struggle for social justice ever since high school, when we engaged in sit-ins at Woolworth’s in my hometown, Denver, in protest against the firm’s segregationist policies in the South. How did you end up making an independent film about this important chapter in Chicago history? Tell me about your background as an artist and activist and the production company you founded that produced The Killing Floor. We spoke with Rassbach in advance of the screening. ![]() The screening will take place on July 27 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the beginning of the riot and will be followed by a panel discussion with the film’s producer and co-writer Elsa Rassbach as well as community and labor activists. Upon arrival, he becomes involved in labor struggles involving a controversial and newly formed union, and eventually witnesses the notorious Race Riot of 1919. It’s an important history lesson, a compelling drama and a lovingly recreated period piece all rolled into one. The locally made film, which originally aired on PBS in 1984 before screening at prestigious festivals like Sundance and Cannes, tells the true story of a poor black Southerner, Frank Custer (Damien Leake), who migrates from the rural south to Chicago in the early 20th century to work in a slaughterhouse. One of the most important cinematic events taking place in Chicago this year is the Logan Center’s preview screening of the 4K restoration of The Killing Floor. A number of directors emerged during this period and went on to enjoy long-lasting careers after the official end of the era.The following interview I conducted with producer/writer Elsa Rassbach appeared at Time Out Chicago today: Blaxploitation definition Empowering new voicesīlack exploitation might sound like black filmmakers and actors were being exploited, and there is some debate over the matter, but most agree that the movement was a powerful and important one in retrospect. These were some of the most important films of the Blaxploitation era. Films like Blacula and Ganja and Hessexplored the horror genre through the Blaxploitation lens while films like Dolemite infused over-the-top comedy into the crime/action storyline. The demand for Blaxploitation films was high, and a brief golden age was experienced before the rabid interest eventually waned.īlaxploitation films often explored similar themes of crime, fighting back against “the man,” and black American life and struggles of the time, but the films were not confined by style or genre. Dozens of Blaxploitation films were shot concurrently and released quickly one after another throughout the early 1970s. In the months and years following, there was explosive growth in the number of Blaxploitation movies being made. The genre burst onto the scene with the one-two punch of Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song and Shaft from directors Melvin Van Peebles and Gordon Parks respectively. ![]()
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