William Greaves

During his long and immensely productive filmmaking career, William Greaves remained focused on educating audiences about African and African American contributions to culture and history, and about the ways in which this long and productive history has been ignored and distorted. His many and varied films, beginning in the late 1950s and continuing into the 2000s, are a major achievement by an American master, an engagement with cinema long past ready for rediscovery. -- Henry Louis Gates Jr., Alphonse Fletcher University Professor, Harvard University
Scott MacDonald and Jacqueline Najuma Stewart have broken new ground on a whole new field of film study with William Greaves: Filmmaking as Mission. A rewarding adventure in itself, this is the first study of this scope on Greaves, an absolutely essential and kaleidoscopic figure of filmmaking and film thinking but one who until now has been hidden within his immense productivity. -- Terri Simone Francis, director of the Black Cinema Center/Archive, Indiana University
Some artists are so far ahead of their time that the uniqueness of their vision goes unrecognized. So it was with William Greaves, a man of many talents, who created innovative forms to represent crucial issues. Here, finally, is the appreciation he has long deserved. -- Bill Nichols, author of Introduction to Documentary, third edition
Through a thoughtfully curated selection of essays and other materials, the editors provide readers with a thorough understanding of the cultural context, aesthetic influences, and influence of William Greaves's work. Following the director's understanding of film as constantly in flux, the editors' approach offers a beginning, or "take one," to what they hope is a longer discussion of the director's oeuvre. The result is the first detailed study of an important twentieth-century filmmaker that promises to engage scholars and students alike. -- Paula J. Massood, author of Making a Promised Land: Harlem in Twentieth-Century Photography and Film
This book proves...Greaves has never been more alive. * Film Matters *