TCM to air ‘Black Experience on Film’ in September

Turner Classic Movies (TCM) has partnered with the African American Film Critics Association to bring “The Black Experience on Film” to the network for the month of September, reports Page Six. “Since the earliest days of film, the portrayal of Black characters has ranged from stereotypical and one-dimensional to more nuanced and complex. With this programming tent pole, we will explore this important part of film history specifically from an African-American perspective with insightful commentary from some of the nation’s most prominent film critics. Our partnership with the AAFCA is important and together we aim to tell a contextualized and curated story of ‘The Black Experience on Film,’” said TCM Sr. VP of programming and production, Charles Tabesh. AAFCA President Gil Robertson added, “The legacy of African Americans in cinema often goes untold, but it has been a long and arduous journey. Since the earliest beginnings of the art form, African Americans have had a presence in cinema. That is the point we hope these 32 films will drive home.” The programming begins Sept. 4 and will air every Tuesday and Thursday throughout the month. Classics such as “Carmen Jones,” starring Dorothy Dandridge and Harry Belafonte, and “A Raisin in the Sun,” starring Sidney Poitier and Ruby Dee, are on the schedule. “Our intent is that audiences be engaged, entertained and enlightened by the sheer diversity and breadth of this substantial arc of film programming,” Robertson said.