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Description of the video:

Black Film Center/Archive logo appears.

The screen counts down: 6, 5, 4, 3, 2. In the upper righthand corner, text reads: Edit Bench #2.

Old, static-y footage of Phyllis Klotman sitting for an interview.

Interviewer: Our feature interview guest this week is Dr. Phyllis Klotman, a professor of Afro-American studies at Indiana University in Bloomington. Dr. Klotman is director of the Black Film Center.

Music begins.

Interviewer: She spearheaded the first Black film workshop and Festival to be held on the campus of Indiana University We will be talking to her today about the study of Black film. Dr. Klotman, thank you very much for joining us.

Video of Deonna Weatherley filming outdoors.

Klotman: The archive idea came out of

Black and white photo of Gloria Gibson, Francis Stubbs and Dr. Phyllis Klotman looking at reels of films. It’s dated 1986.

Klotman: our attempting to find these films.

Words appear: Losing Ground.

Klotman: And when we found them,

Footage from Kathleen Collins’ 1982 film, “Losing Ground.” A woman looks out over a balcony.

Klotman: I thought, "Wouldn't it be great

More footage from “Losing Ground.” A man waves at the woman from the ground.

Klotman: not to have to go through that problem again.

Footage from Diahann Carroll’s “Claudine.” Two women re riding a bus.

Klotman: Once we

Title screen from “Claudine.” A woman is running on a sidewalk. Text says: “Claudine.” Copyright MCMLXXIV by Third World Cinema Productions, Inc. All rights reserved.

Klotman: get them,

Closeup of a woman’s face. Text says: Claudine (1974) John Berry.

Klotman: we could become a center here."

Footage from “Hair Wolf.” A woman is on the screen. Words appear: Black women BEWARE. Text in lower lefthand corner says: Hair Wolf (2018) Cariama Diallo.

Klotman: We're right in the Middle West.

Another woman appears. Words appear: … of the HAIR WOLF. Text in lower lefthand corner says: Hair Wolf (2018) Cariama Diallo.

Klotman: We haven't touched the coasts.

Photo of women sitting in a theater. Text in lower lefthand corner says: Once Haunted Still: Films & Conversation (2019). Pictured Nikyatu Jusu

Klotman: You know, there are people who don't get east or west.

Movie footage. An astronaut is in space. Text in lower lefthand corner says: Afronauts (2014)-- Nuotama Bodomo

Klotman: And wouldn't it be wonderful if we had these films

Video of Deonna Weatherley filming outside.

Klotman: for research and study and also to share with the community.

Photo of Jessie Maple and Terri Francis giving a lecture. Text in lower lefthand corner says: Black Female Auteurs (2020) - Pictured Jessie Maple & Dr. Terri Francis

Klotman: And so I started writing these grant proposals

Photo of Kevin Everson and Terri Francis talking in front of a poster that says “Rough and Unequal.” Text in lower lefthand corner says: Rough & Unequal: Film Installation (2019). Pictured Kevin Everson & Dr. Terri Francis.

Klotman: and in the process,

Photo of students sitting in a classroom. Text in lower lefthand corner says: Once Haunted Still: Films & Conversations (2019).

Klotman: Tom Schwinn said,

Video of people in a classroom. Text in lower lefthand corner says: Black Film Festival Workshop (1983). Q&A with Kathleen Collins.

Klotman: “While you're doing that, why don't you also consider the possibility of bringing people to campus?"

Photo of a man holding up his fist to the camera. His rings spell out “LOVE.” Text in lower lefthand corner says: Do The Right Thing (1989) Spike Lee.

Klotman: And I said,

Photo of a man holding up his fist to the camera. His rings spell out “HATE.” Text in lower lefthand corner says: Do The Right Thing (1989) Spike Lee.

Klotman: ”But I don't know these people."

Video of a woman sitting in front of a microphone. Text in lower lefthand corner says: WIDC Panel on Black Women Filmmakers (1981/1990). Featured Camille Billops.

Klotman: And he said, "Well That's never stopped you in

Movie footage. A woman closes a car door. Text in lower lefthand corner says: Ganja & Hess (1973)- Bill Gunn.

Klotman: the past., you know, why not see what you can do?"

Photo of students sitting in a lecture hall. Text in lower lefthand corner says: Once Haunted Still: Films & Conversation (2019).

Video of Deonna Weatherley filming outside.

Klotman: This is to us

Photo of a man smiling. Text says: Rough & Unequal Symposium (2019). Pictured Dr. Ross Gay.

Klotman: as important to know about

Photo of people sitting in a lecture hall. Caption: Spike Lee’s Filmworks - Dr. Terri Francis (2019)

Klotman: a medium that has affected

Movie still. Photo of three people leaning on each other. Caption: Daughters of the Dust (1991) - Julie Dash.

Video of Deonna Weatherley filming outside.

Klotman: so many people.

Photo of a man watching a film in a theater. Caption: Once Haunted Still: Films & Conversation (2019)

Klotman: It's clear that visual

Movie still. A man watches a car on fire on a beach. Caption: The Burial of Kojo (2018) - Blitz the Ambassador.

Klotman: images have a tremendous impact.

A Channel 13 news reporter does a standup on IU’s campus. Caption: WTHR13 interview Rick Young & Dr. Phyllis Klotman (1980/1999).

Klotman: There is still the notion

Movie footage. Two men stare each other down.

Klotman: that Black experience

Movie still. Two women stand next to each other. Caption: Daughters of the Dust (1991) Julie Dash.

Klotman: is separate from,

Video footage of Gloria Gibson Hudson nodding and talking. Caption: Gloria Gibson Hudson IU Black Film Center Archives

Klotman: and not a part of the total American experience.

Video footage of a woman taking a drink of water. Caption: WIDC Panel on Black Women Filmmakers (1981/1990).

Klotman: That there is not that Black universality.

Video of Deonna Weatherley filming outside.

Klotman: As long as that barrier is there,

Photo of a woman watching a film in a theater. Caption: Once Haunted Still: Film & Conversation (2019)

Klotman: I think you're going to have this kind of ebb and flow.

Music ends.

Nina Collins appears. Caption: Nina Collins - Daughter of Kathleen Collins Interviews Dr. Terris Francis (2020)

Nina Collins: Hi everyone, I'm Nina Collins. I'm a writer and an entrepreneur. I run a large community for women over 40 called the Woolfer, and I've known Terry Francis, the director of the Black Film Center Archive forr I guess about ten years now, maybe almost, maybe a little more. I wanted to get a sense of what she knew about my mother, what she thought of my mother. And at the time, Terry had a really, really crappy copy of "Losing Ground" on VHS, which was also what I had. And she said to me, "We need a better version of this." She said, "When my students see this film, I mean, the thing that she said that I'll just never forget, s Terry said, when Black female film students see this film, this movie, they cry like they've never seen representations of themselves. in film.

Photo of Terri Francis. Caption: Dr. Terri Francis. Director of Black Film Center/Archive (2017-Present)

Nina Collins: So tell me a little bit about what you do, Terry. Like you are a professor of film right? at Indiana. And then you also run the archive. How do those two roles intersect? What's the difference?

Terri Francis appears on camera. Caption: Dr. Terri Francis. Director of Black Film Center/Archive (2017-Present)

Terri Francis: They're both teaching roles based in my research in Black film history. And similarly, the Black Film Center Archive has a dual role, as a center and an archive. As an archive, we collect and preserve Black film history, the artifacts and the posters, the manuscripts, the films themselves. And as a center we generate Black film history through the conversations and research that occur and that happen when we bring curators, archivists, filmmakers, artists, students, all together into conversation with each other. I'm like Phyllis in the sense that I think about archival work as feature- making work, as culture-building work. I think about the Black film that's out there now as the Black film of the Black film history of the future.

Music begins.

Movie footage. A man and a woman kiss and dance.

Credits roll:

Black Film/Center Archive

Founder
Dr. Phyllis Klotman

Director
Dr. Terri Francis

Executive Producers
Terri Francis
Bria McCarty
Rebecca C. Stanze
Deonna Weatherly

Directors
Bria McCarty
Deonna Weatherly

Editor
Bria McCarty

Writers
Yeeseon Chae
Audrey B. Hood

Featured Events
Rough & Unequal: Film Installation & Symposium by Kevin Everson (2019)
Curated by Dr. Terri Francis & Betsy Stirratt

Once Haunted Still: Films & Conversations (2019)
Curated by Dr. Terri Francis & Sarah Lasley

Filmmakers
Nikya Jusu
Cariama Diallo
Eva Hagaman
Nuotama Bodomo

Black Film Festival Workshop (1983) Q&A With Kathleen Collins
Curated by Dr. Phyllis Klotman

WIDC Panel on Black Women Filmmakers (1981/1990)
Moderated by Gloria Gibson
Panelists
Camille Billops
Michelle Crenshaw
Delle Chatman
Zeinabu Irene Davis
O. Funmilayo Makarah

IU Courses
Black Female Auteurs MSCH-F 375
Spike Lee’s Filmworks MSCH-F 326
Dr. Terri Francis

Interviews
4 Thought (1983/1984)
Phyllis Klotman

WTHR 13 (1980/1989)
Rick Young & Dr. Phyllis Klotman

Studio Six (1981/1990)
Gloria Gibson-Hudson & Jane Rhodes
Produced & Hosted by Diane Ward

Virtual Zoom (2020)
Nina Collins & Terri Francis
Produced by Bria McCarty

Kathleen Collins Memorial - IU TV (1988)
Dr. Phyllis Klotman & Kathleen Collins

Featured Films
Losing Ground (1982)- Kathleen Collins
Claudine (1974)- John Berry
Hair Wolf (2018)-Mariama Diallo
Afronauts (2014)- Nuotama Bodomo
Do The Right Thing (1989)- Spike Lee
Ganja & Hess (1973)- Bill Gunn
Daughters of the Dust (1991)- Julie Dash
The Burial of Kojo (2018)- Blitz the Ambassador
Something Good Negro Kiss (1898)

Photography
Alexander Kumar
Chris Meyers

Music
Creating a New Future
Composer David Panades Garcia

Restless Boogie
Composer Neville Dickie

Special Thanks
IU Cinema
IULMIA
IU Media Collections Online
Nina Collins

Website
https://bfca.sitehost.iu.edu/home/

Music ends.

Phyllis Klotman appears on screen. Caption: Dr. Phyllis Klotoman Interviews Kathleen Collins (1988)

Klotman: Yeah. Do you have one last piece of advice for, for students who want to be film makers?

Kathleen Collins appears.

Kathleen Collins: Be very organized. It's really a question of focusing so sharply that you can see from the class how many things you have to think about. Now multiply that growing on a set and then the cutting and music and all the additional things that come through the whole process. And you better like it.

Black Film Center/Archive logo appears.

Words appear: Website https://bfca.sitehost.iu.edu/home/