Remembering The Godfather of Black Cinema, Melvin Van Peebles
By: Omar Cook
Iconic Black filmmaker, Melvin Van Peebles, passed away Tuesday night at his home in Manhattan at 89. Known as The Godfather of Black cinema, Melvin Van Peebles helped to bring modern cinema to light in the 70s, paving the way for other Black filmmakers.
Melvin Van Peebles Passes Away at 89
Born in Chicago in 1932, Van Peebles was prominent during the Blaxpoitation era, with his most notable film being Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song (1971). Van Peebles financed and released the film independently, making way for a new system of independent films.
Melvin Van Peebles was more than a filmmaker, he was a playwright, novelist and composer. Van Peebles shot his first short film, Pickup Men for Herrick in 1957, and the rest is history. Van Peebles made sure to place Black protagonists front and center of his films and tell stories of hustlers and revolutionaries.
In a statement via social media, Melvin Van Peebles Jr. stated "Dad knew that Black images matter. If a picture is worth a thousand words, what was a movie worth? We want to be the success we see, thus we need to see ourselves being free," Mario Van Peebles said of his father's work in a statement. "True liberation did not mean imitating the colonizer's mentality. It meant appreciating the power, beauty and interconnectivity of all people."
Rest in Peace, Melvin Van Peebles.
— Franklin Leonard (@franklinleonard) September 22, 2021
Godfather of Black cinema, Godfather of (all) American independent cinema, and so much more. https://t.co/VYmLcinVbk
Sending condolences to the family of the late great #MelvinVanPeebles💔
— Holly Robinson Peete 💃🏾♍️ (@hollyrpeete) September 23, 2021
A true legend in his time and an old friend of my moms. Their kids would go on to work together when @MarioVanPeebles directed me on #21Jumpstreet and we starred together in #KillersInTheHouse
RIH MVP 🙏🏾🕊 pic.twitter.com/8Y6dOpfAvl
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