Black filmmaker Oscar Micheaux contained multitudes: He was an artist of the first order, a businessman of rare ingenuity and a pioneer by any measure.
During an era in which Hollywood closed its doors to Black filmmakers — and often produced films that either reflected or propagated racist attitudes and ideas — Micheaux (1884-1951) found a way to finance, produce and distribute his films, which unflinchingly engaged with issues of race and prejudice.
Italian filmmaker Francesco Zippel, who made the documentary “Oscar Micheaux: The…
