Contemporary Black Cinema offers a fresh collection of essays on African American film, media and visual culture in the era of global multiculturalism. Integrating theory, history and criticism, the contributing authors deftly connect interdisciplinary perspectives from American studies, cinema studies, cultural studies, political science, media studies, and Queer theory. This multidisciplinary methodology expands the discursive and interpretive registers of film analysis. From Paul Robeson’s and Sidney Poitier’s star vehicles to Lee Daniels’ directorial forays, these essays include but surpass discussions of urban realism in New Black Cinema. These entries address the career legacies of film stars, examine various iterations of Blaxploitation-animation, question the comedic politics of "fat suit" films, and celebrate the innovation of avant-garde and experimental cinema.

Mia Mask is Assistant Professor of Film at Vassar College. She is author of Divas of the Silver Screen: Black Women in American Film, 1950-Present.