This collection includes photographs documenting the activities of the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame as well as images used to publicize film screenings and during presentations at its various events. The Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame (BFHFI) was founded in 1974 as part of a series dedicated to Black pioneers and hosted by the Oakland Museum of California’s Culture and Ethnic Affairs Guild. The celebration of pioneering films stars proved immensely popular and became an annual collaboration between the guild and the University of California Berkley. Events included a month-long film and lecture series followed by an annual Black History Month Celebration weekend that included a film competition, film symposium, and the Oscar Micheaux Awards Ceremony (1974-1993). By 1978, the BFHFI’s activities outgrew the resources and energy of the staff at the museum and so it became incorporated as a separate, non-profit organization in 1978. In addition to the celebration events in January and February, the BFHFI also sponsored and hosted master classes, workshops, film screenings, and other educational events throughout the year. 1990 marked the start of Black Filmworks (last held 2003), a film festival designed to showcase the winning submissions to the annual film competition. Inductees and awardees included celebrities and notable filmmakers such as Paul Robeson, Stepin Fetchit, Gordon Parks, Sammy Davis Jr., Diahann Carroll, Dizzy Gillespie, Sidney Poitier, Harry Belafonte, Julie Dash, Spike Lee, Brock Peters, Maya Angelou, Tempestt Bledsoe, Jim Brown, Madame Sul-Te-Wan, Richard Pryor, and many others. Additional items from and information about the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame is available in the finding aids for the collections donated by Mary Perry Smith and Belva Davis and William Moore.
