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A Guide to Her Holdings at the Indiana University Black Film Center/Archive

Finding aid prepared by BFC/A Staff

Summary Information

Repository
Indiana University Black Film Center/Archive
1320 East Tenth Street
Herman B Wells Library, Room 044
Bloomington, IN 47405-7000
Phone: 812-855-6041
Fax: 812-856-5832
Email: bfca@indiana.edu
http://www.libraries.iub.edu/~bfca

Creator
Smith, Mary Perry, 1926-2015
Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame, Inc.

Title
Mary Perry Smith Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame Archives Collection, Series 3. Film Lecture Series and Symposium, 1984-1994

Collection No.
COL 5

Extent
Approximately 0.5 linear feet

Language
Materials are in English

Abstract
This series contains administrative records documenting the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame’s annual Film and Lecture Series and Symposium.

Access Restrictions

This series is open for research.

Administrative History

The Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame, Inc. (BFHFI) was founded in Oakland, California in 1974. The BFHFI began as a collaboration among Roy Thomas from the Afro-American Studies Department at UC-Berkeley, Mary Perry Smith, who was the co-chairperson of the Cultural and Ethnic Affairs Guild and at the Oakland Museum, and Sonny Buxton of the San Francisco Bay Area station KGO-TV.

The BFHFI identified itself as an organization "dedicated to influencing Black images portrayed in film and television through education, the nurturing of current independent filmmakers and the preservation of contributions by Black artists" (BFHFI 20th Anniversary Celebration Program). Throughout its existence the BFHFI presented award ceremonies honoring contemporary and historic figures in black filmmaking. Notable programs established by the BFHFI include the Oscar Micheaux Awards Ceremony, the International Black Film, Video & Screenplay Competition, the Black Filmworks International Film Festival, and the Sidney Poitier Fellowship. Additionally, educational programs, various symposia, and lecture series on black film were conducted throughout the life of the organization.

The BFHFI initially operated in partnership with the Oakland Museum, later incorporating itself as an independent, non-profit organization in 1978. Attempts to establish a dedicated museum and permanent home for the BFHFI were ultimately unsuccessful, although the BFHFI did begin acquisition of collections for this proposed museum.

The final Oscar Micheaux Awards ceremony was held in 1993, the 20th anniversary of the founding of the event. The BFHFI continued to present the Black Filmworks International Film Festival and Black Independent Film, Video & Screenplay Competition through 2003.

For a more detailed administrative history, a biography for Mary Perry Smith, and a listing of other series, please see collection overview ( http://purl.dlib.indiana.edu/iudl/findingaids/bfca/VAD4347).

Arrangement

The collection is arranged into the following series and Series 3 has two subseries:

Collection overview

Series 1. Publicity materials

Series 2. Oscar Micheaux Awards Ceremony and Gala

Series 3. Film Lecture Series and Symposiums

-- Subseries 3.1. BFHFI Black History Month Celebration Film and Lecture Series, 1984-1994

-- Subseries 3.2. BFHFI Black History Month Celebration Symposium, 1984-1992

Series 4. Black Filmworks and Independent Film, Video & Screenplay Competition

Series 5. Sidney Poitier Fellowship Competition

Series 6. Miscellaneous BFHFI events files

Series 7. BFHFI event recordings

Series 8. Board and committee documents

Series 9. General correspondence

Series 10. HRMS, volunteer, and staff documents

Series 11. General financial, fundraising, and legal documents

Series 12. Memorabilia and artifacts

Series 13. Third party publications

Series 14. Research files

Series 15. Mary P. Smith's files

Series 16. Miscellaneous

Series 17. Phil Moore Collection (Inventoried as if separate collection due to size)

Series 18. Photographs

Series 19. Born-digital materials

Scope and Content Note

This series contains administrative records documenting the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame’s annual Film and Lecture Series and Symposium.

• Indexing Terms

• The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in IUCAT, the IU Libraries' online catalog. Materials about related topics, persons or places can be found by searching the catalog using these terms.

• • Topics
  • African American motion picture producers and directors
  • Blacks in the motion picture industry
  • Independent Films
  • Motion pictures--Congresses

Administrative Information

Collection Inventory

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