Happy Women’s History Month!! March is Women’s History Month! The BFCA’s reception area in Wells Library continues to showcase our ongoing poster exhibit celebrating Black women in film (entitled “A Woman’s Touch: Black Women and the Power of Solidarity”). If you are in Wells, stop by our reception space for a quiet space to hang out or study while being surrounded by beautiful historical examples of Black women promotional art! Wells Library, Ground Floor, shared study spaceThe second half of our Black History Month went a little something like this… Wow! We had an amazing Black Histor ..read more

Happy Black History Month!! Kickoff: Blaxploitation: Then and Now, by Dr. Novotny Lawrence & tour! BFCA Finance & Office Administrator Ja Quita Joy Roberts (far-right) with the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center Staff, dressed in their 1970s threads. We started our Black History Month celebrations a day early and have been rocking and rolling ever since! Can you dig it?! BFCA Director Dr. Novotny Lawrence gave a talk on the Blaxploitation Movement and its lasting influence on contemporary pop culture. We were dressed in our 1970s threads as an ode to the movement ..read more

Director’s Open House featuring Demetrius Witherspoon January 23rd, 2024 Happy New Year to you and your families! We’re excited about what this new year will bring and look forward to seeing you! Our first big event of the year will be our Director’s Open House Tuesday, January 23rd at 11:30am in the Phyllis Klotman Classroom, Wells Library 044B. Indianapolis-based filmmaker Demetrius Witherspoon will share his talk “How to Build a Sci-Fi Film Franchise on a Low Budget.” Please see the flyer for more information and join us for great conversation over great food. Make yourself ..read more

BFCA Welcomes New Interim Director Rachael Stoeltje On August 1, Rachael Stoeltje began a term as Interim Director of the BFCA for the 2022-2023 academic year. Rachael brings decades of experience in archiving and moving image preservation. She founded and also serves as Director of the Indiana University Libraries Moving Image Archive and is the President of AMIA (Association of Moving Image Archivists). She served on the FIAF (International Federation of Film Archives) Executive Committee (2013- 2019) and co-founded the FIAF Training and Outreach Program. Most recently, she concluded her r ..read more

  Director’s Open House featuring Demetrius Witherspoon January 23rd, 2024 Winter Break is approaching fast, and Spring 2024 is following close behind. After you settle into the semester, stop by the BFCA to see us again! We’re hosting a Director’s Open House Tuesday, January 23rd at 11:30am in the Phyllis Klotman Classroom. Indianapolis-based filmmaker Demetrius Witherspoon will share his talk “How to Build a Sci-Fi Film Franchise on a Low Budget.” Please see the flyer for more information and join us for great conversation over great food. Make yourself at home! Staff U ..read more

Association of Black Culture Centers Conference 2023, featuring Till Screening On Friday November 10, the BFCA had the honor of welcoming director, screenwriter, and Emmett Till advocate Keith Beauchamp, activist Elder Mmoja Ajabu, and Till’s cousin, Priscilla Sterling Till to the facility. They were on campus as a part of the Association of Black Culture Centers Conference, which our partner and frequent collaborator, the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center hosted. Till Screening Q&A with special guestsDr. Lawrence speaks at the Till screening reception We provided Beauchamp, El ..read more

IU Arts & Humanities First Thursday Festival  We are thrilled to share that the Black Film Center & Archive will be participating in our first ever “First Thursday Festival” on the Fine Arts Plaza, on October 5th, 5:00pm – 8:00pm. The First Thursdays Festival is a celebration of the breadth and diversity of arts and culture on the Bloomington campus. The Arts & Humanities Council created the festival to promote upcoming events on campus and in the community; highlight the creative and scholarly work of our faculty; and expose students, staff, faculty, and community members t ..read more

Thanks for joining us at the Welcome Events! Dr. Novotny Lawrence and BFCA staff During the last week of August, we celebrated the arrival of our new Director Dr. Novotny Lawrence with two lively welcome events. Special thanks to our caterer Chef Lee for the delicious food! The staff provided tours as visitors moved in, out, and around our office space. We also gave away Malcolm X hats and Black Filmmaker Hall of Fame sweaters, dated 1992, to those who wanted to take a little history home with them. Photo by McKenna Cardona, IU Media School student The BFCA team ..read more

The BFCA welcomes new Director Dr. Novotny Lawrence! On August 1, Dr. Novotny Lawrence joined us as Director of the Black Film Center & Archive! He also begins as an associate professor in The Media School’s Cinema and Media Studies program. Dr. Lawrence writes: I am thrilled to be the new Director of the beacon of global Black film archival materials, scholarly research, and programming, or to put it succinctly, all things Black cinema. I earned my doctorate from the Theatre and Film Department (now Film and Media Studies) at the University of Kansas. There, I ..read more

The Black Film Center & Archive announces new director: Dr. Novotny Lawrence Novotny Lawrence will serve as the director of the Black Film Center & Archive beginning August 1. He will also join the Cinema and Media Studies program as an associate professor in the Media School. “The BFCA is world-renowned for Black film, and having the chance to lead it is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” he said. The Black Film Center & Archive dedicates itself to collecting, preserving, and providing historically and culturally significant films by and about Black people. It serves a ..read more