Sweet Sweetback (Melvin Van Peebles) is a black orphan who, having grown up in a brothel, now works there as part of a sex show. When the police need a patsy for a murder in the black community, Sweetback’s employer gives him up to two white cops, whom Sweetback ends up killing. Suddenly the target of a massive manhunt, he decides to flee to Mexico. As he makes his way there, he is captured by, and escapes from, both the cops and a chapter of the Hell’s Angels.
What is blaxploitation? Blaxploitation refers to a genre, a film movement, and an important period of cinema history. In this post, we’ll define blaxploitation, explain the historical context, look at the most important blaxploitation films of the movement, and even take a look at the status of blaxploitation movies in our modern film industry. Continue reading What is Blaxploitation — An American Film Movement Explained
Most movies you watch are shot with film permits, in a studio, and with a full production crew that is doing everything “by the book.” But not every movie made has a chance to shoot in this way; even big films might have to do things on the downlow. We are, of course, talking about guerilla filmmaking, a style that has been around for quite some time. But what is guerilla filmmaking and how does one go about making a guerilla film yourself? Take a look at our guerilla filmmaking tips, definition, and examples to learn all about it. Continue…
Blaxploitation films comprise one of the many sub-genres that fall under the “Grindhouse” umbrella — exploitation films made throughout the late '60s and '70s. The term “blaxploitation film” itself is a portmanteau of the words “black” and “exploitation.” Black exploitation films were arguably the most important sub-genre to come out of the entire Grindhouse film movement. The films of the black exploitation movie era hold a special place in history. Join us in celebrating the best blaxploitation films ever made. Continue reading The Best Blaxploitation Movies That Defined The Genre
