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Overlooked & Underrated Docs & Features
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Through a Lens Darkly: Black Photographers and the Emergence of a People Inspired by Deborah Willis's book "Reflections In Black: A History Of Black Photographers 1840 To The Present", “Through a Lens Darkly” tells the story of two American worlds, the African American and the Caucasian, as represented by photographers and photographs.
Writer/director/narrator Thomas Allen Harris refers to the ‘legacies’ of these two worlds when he comments, “How was, is, the photograph used in the battle between two legacies: Self-affirmation and negation. Our salvation – as a people, as a culture depends on salving the wounds of this war, a war of images within the American family album.”
In still and moving images, Harris covers close to two centuries of American history, the nation’s horrific treatment African Americans – a treatment that continues today unabated – and the role of images and their makers that reflect the two legacies.
In addition to Harris’ narration we hear from African American photographers and historians, and see a cornucopia of images. Harris weaves his personal story into the film’s ongoing narrative. The soundtrack perfectly reflects and enhances all.
The vast number of images in “Through a Lens Darkly” along with its abundance of information make multiple viewings desirable.
Note: The Digital Diaspora Family Reunion Roadshow is an interactive project that ties-in with the film. For more details, go to here.