The Documenting African American Cinema Project has been developing in Franklin Cason’s head for a long time. Here is a resource for discovering the untold stories, groundbreaking films, and influential filmmakers that have shaped African American cinema. Whether you’re a student, researcher, filmmaker, or cinema enthusiast, our platform provides comprehensive documentation and historical context to transform how African American cinema is studied and understood.
Franklin Cason, Jr. is an Assistant Professor of the Practice at Duke University. A filmmaker and scholar, he earned a Ph.D. from the University of Florida and an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. His research explores aesthetics and pragmatism in African American cinema. His most recent essays include “Beyond Category: Black Souls on Screen” in Black Camera, “Ghosts and the Machine: When Documenting Past Black Life Haunts its Present,” in World Records, and “Symbiopsychotaxiplasticity: Some Takes on William Greaves,” co-authored with Tsitsi Jaji, in Cultural Studies.
