During Black History Month, Robinson Film Center will celebrate black cinema by featuring the work of four contemporary directors. The Black History Month Film Series is presented by the Caddo Parish Commission and Centenary Film Society and coordinated in partnership with Shreveport Urban Film Festival, with a screening each week in February with a post-screening discussion led by members of the community.
“This series provides a great opportunity to come together to discuss not only the cultural impact of these filmmakers, but also the importance of these stories in building a community where every voice feels heard,” said Steven Jackson, Caddo Parish Commissioner for District 3.
The works of Ryan Coogler, Ava DuVernay, Barry Jenkins and Spike Lee will be featured during the series. The schedule includes:
- 6:30 p.m. Feb. 5: Barry Jenkins’ If Beale Street Could Talk
- 6:30 p.m. Feb. 12: Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing
- 6:30 p.m. Feb. 21: Ryan Coogler’s Creed
- 6:30 p.m. Feb. 28: Ava DuVernay’s Selma
Community panelists during the month will include Candice Battiste, Danni Bradford, Caitlin Douglas, Jada Durden, Cherie Grey, Steven Jackson, Ashley Johnson, Tanesha Morris, John Norris, Dother Sykes IV, Tim J. Smith, Dacovan Stone, Kim Stringer, Crystalyn Whitaker, Darien Willis and DJ Yoshi. “Highlighting black filmmakers in northwest Louisiana gives African-Americans and all minorities a platform to stand on. In an industry that lacks diversity, it is important to tell our stories through our point of view because there’s danger in the single story,” said Tanesha Morris, a local filmmaker and founder of Shreveport Urban Film Festival who has helped coordinate the series. “By celebrating these phenomenal storytellers, it gives us the opportunity to show the power that’s within us to create without asking for permission.”
MORE ON THE FILMS
If Beale Street Could Talk, 6:30 p.m. Feb. 5: Two years after his debut feature Moonlight won the Academy Award for Best Picture, director Barry Jenkins is headed back to the Oscars for If Beale Street Could Talk, an adaptation of the acclaimed novel by James Baldwin. This story of young love facing the world’s obstacles garnered three Oscar nominations, including Best Adapted Screenplay for Jenkins, Best Original Score and Best Supporting Actress for Regina King.
Do the Right Thing, 6:30 p.m. Feb. 12: Spike Lee garnered his first 
Best Director Academy Award nomination this year for BlacKkKlansman, which is nominated for Best Picture. The film series will take audiences back to the joint that propelled him into stardom. Do the Right Thing takes place on the hottest day of the year on a Brooklyn street where hate and bigotry smolder and build to a breaking point.
Creed, 6:30 p.m. Feb. 21: Director Ryan Coogler and actor Michael B. Jordan have a history together. In fact, Jordan stars in every feature film Coogler has made. Jordan’s turn as Adonis Creed in this Rocky reboot garnered honors in 2016, and they’re back on the awards circuit this year competing with a little Best Picture nominee called Black Panther.
Selma, 6:30 p.m. Feb. 28: When Ava DuVernay’s Selma debuted in 
2014, it garnered such nominations as Golden Globes Best Director (the first for a black female director), Best Picture and Academy Awards Best Picture. Her film chronicles Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s campaign to secure equal voting rights through an epic march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama, in 1965.
CRITICAL PRAISE
If Beale Street Could Talk: “This movie works as a timeless romance, a family drama, a legal thriller and a poignant social commentary. A great American novel has been turned into a great American film.” — Richard Roeper, The Chicago Sun-Times
Do the Right Thing: “A movie made by filmmaker working in sync with his times — an exciting, disturbing, provocative film.” — The Washington Post
Creed: “This revitalizing crowd-pleaser solidifies my belief that (Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan) have the potential to create really great art.” — Slate
Selma: “DuVernay has done a great service with Selma. Not only has she made one of the most powerful films of the year, she’s given us a necessary reminder of what Martin Luther King, Jr. did for this country … and how much is left to be done.” — Entertainment Weekly
General admission tickets are $10.50, $9.50 for seniors, students and military, and $8.50 for RFC members. Group tickets for 10 or more are $8.50. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.robinsonfilmcenter.org or call the RFC box office at (318) 459-4122.
Mission of the Robinson Film Center
Robinson Film Center’s mission is to educate, enrich and entertain through the power of film. RFC is a 501 (c) (3) not-for-profit arts organization located at 617 Texas Street in Shreveport, La.
