The documentary film, Through A Lens Darkly: Black Photographers and the Emergence of a People, is inspired by Deborah Willis’s book, Reflections in Black. There will be a screening a the Bardavon Opera House on Friday, February 20 at 7 pm. The film reflects upon self-affirmation and negation through photography. It considers ‘the difference between black photographers who use the camera to define themselves, their people, and their culture, and some white photographers who, historically, have demeaned African-Americans through racist imagery.’The screening will be followed by a discussion with the film makers, moderated by Vassar Professor Tyrone Simpson.
“Mr. Harris’s film is a family memoir, a tribute to unsung artists and a lyrical, at times, heartbroken, meditation on imagery and identity. The film is always absorbing to watch, but only once it’s over do you begin to grasp the extent of its ambitions, and just how much it has done within a packed, compact hour and half.” A.O. Scott, The New York Times
Click here for a preview. Free admission, reservations suggested. Transportation provided free by Vassar shuttle vans from Main Circle, starting at 5:30 pm. Email offutt@vassar.edu for reservations.