The Politics of Race in American Film London School of Economics and Political Science

Contributor(s): Cheryl Bedford, Lanre Bakare, Sam Mejias | In this episode of The Politics of Race in American Film, Dr. Clive James Nwonka hosts a conversation with Cheryl Bedford (Women of Color Unite), Lanre Bakare (The Guardian), and Sam Mejias (The New School) which looks at films which engage with questions of blackness and race in America during the Obama and Trump eras. These films include Moonlight, Get Out, Us, Queen and Slim, Waves, Harriet, and more recently, Judas and the Black Messiah. What do these films tell us about the politics of race, both within the industry and more broadly in American society, and how we see African American films (or African Americans within film) shaping and influencing the racial politics of the US? What might be next for African American cinema in the era of Joe Biden?
 
Contributors: Cheryl Bedford, Women of Color Unite; Lanre Bakare, Arts and Culture Correspondent, The Guardian; Sam Mejias, The New School; Dr. Clive James Nwonka, Fellow International Inequalities Institute, LSE

Contributor(s): Melanie Hoyes, Dr. Luisa Heredia | In this episode of The Politics of Race in American Film, Dr. Clive James Nwonka hosts a conversation with Melanie Hoyes (British Film Institute), Dr. Luisa Heredia (Sarah Lawrence College), and Dr. Shelley Cobb (University of Southampton) about the films American Honey and The Florida Project. Each film examines the experiences of people on the fringes of American society: for Star, American Honey’s protagonist, joining a traveling group of magazine-selling teenagers offers her the freedom of the road. For Mooney and her mother Halley, freedom is harder to come by as they live in the shadow of one of America’s most potent cultural icons, Walt Disney World. This conversation explores the films’ themes of economic precarity, the absence and ineptitude of the state as a site of assistance, and the communities that form outside of that system. The discussion also explores depictions of Latinidad, biracial identity, gender and white femininity.
 
Contributors: Melanie Hoyes, Industry Inclusion Executive, British Film Institute (BFI); Dr. Luisa Heredia, Joanne Woodward Chair in Public Policy, Sarah Lawrence College; Dr. Shelley Cobb, Associate Professor of Film, University of Southampton; Dr. Clive James Nwonka, Fellow International Inequalities Institute, LSE

Contributor(s): Dr. Suzanne Hall, Dr. Austin Zeiderman | In this episode of The Politics of Race in American Film podcast, Dr. Clive James Nwonka discusses the films Paterson and The Last Black Man in San Francisco with Dr. Suzanne Hall (LSE Sociology) and Dr. Austin Zeiderman (LSE Geography and the Environment). Both films examine the relationships their main characters have with the cities in which they live, work, and create, but the protagonists of each film, Paterson and Jimmie, have radically different experiences of urban life. This conversation explores why some people’s belonging in a city is questioned or denied, the varying depictions of multicultural and multi-ethnic cities, and the resilience of Black creativity in the face of threats from the system.
Contributors: Dr. Suzanne Hall, Associate Professor in Sociology and Director of the Cities Programme, LSE; Dr. Austin Zeiderman, Associate Professor of Geography, LSE; Dr. Clive James Nwonka, Fellow International Inequalities Institute, LSE

Contributor(s): Dr. Clive James Nwonka | In this series, we’ll be exploring key questions around the impact, influence, and significance of film as a form of social analysis, engagement, and critique. We will examine how racial politics in America are represented by its films, Hollywood cinema’s role in how race is framed, and how this framing has contributed to broad, intersectional representations of racial inequality. We will examine recent films – including Moonlight, The Last Black Man in San Francisco, Black Panther, The Florida Project, Paterson, and more – intending to address, depict, and complicate our understanding of race in the United States.
 
The Politics of Race in American Film is a limited podcast series from the LSE US Centre, hosted by Dr. Clive James Nwonka.