Garrett Bradley’s film, America, emphasizes the importance of Black joy within the context of Black history. This renowned short film, now streaming on Field of Vision, revives lost scenes from African-American cinema in black and white, presenting new interpretations of a transformative past.
Drawing inspiration from Bert Williams’s Lime Kiln Club Field Day, the earliest known feature-length film with an all-black cast, Bradley crafts a collection of vignettes set in New Orleans. These segments delve into themes of joy, domestic life, and success, challenging the notion of Black cinema as merely a “wave” or “movement in time,” and instead highlighting a continuous legacy of achievement. Trevor Mathison, a founding member of the Black Audio Film Collective, provides the film’s score.
America marks Bradley’s third collaboration with Field of Vision, following her work on Like and The Earth is Humming, and her role as a Field of Vision fellow. Having premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival, the film earned a nomination for the International Documentary Association Award for Best Short and claimed the Sheffield/Doc Fest Short Award. It was also the highlight of a notable screening series at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.
Functioning as both a standalone film and a multi-channel video installation, America has been showcased at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), the New Orleans Museum of Art, and the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston. The film is accessible for viewing on Field of Vision, Vimeo, and YouTube.
Field of Vision is an organization that empowers filmmakers by commissioning and supporting original nonfiction films and episodic series, focusing on current and developing stories worldwide.
