Black women film and video makers have been producing shorts, documentaries and films since the early part of this century. Unfortunately, not only has their work been overlooked by distributors, but critical reviews have been few and far between. Conceived to redress that omission, Black Women Film and Video Artists is the first comprehensive history and analysis of this genre. Gathered here are noted scholars and critics, as well as the film/video makers themselves who offer insight into the work of underexplored artists. The discussions range from pioneering to contemporary film makers and include artists such as Madeline Anderson, Monica Freeman, Jacqueline Shearer, Kathleen Collins, Julie Dash, Camille Billops, Zeinabu irene Davis, and Michelle Parkerson, among others. Contributors include: Jacqueline Bobo, Carmen Coustaut, Gloria J. Gibson, C.A. Griffith, Monique Guillory, Carol Munday Lawrence, O. Funmilayo Makarah, Ntongela Maselila, Jacqueline Shearer, P. Jane Splawn.

Jacqueline Bobo is Associate Professor in the Women's Studies Program at the University of California, Santa Barbara. She is the author of Black Women as Cultural Readers (1995).

Part One Part One Critical Perspectives; Chapter one One Black Women's Films, Jacqueline Bobo; Chapter two Two Women Directors of the Los Angeles School, Ntongela Masilela; Chapter three Three The Ties That Bind, Gloria J. Gibson-Hudson; Chapter four Four The Functional Family of Camille Billops, Monique Guillory; Part two Part two Critical Practice; Chapter five Five Carol Munday Lawrence, Carol Munday Lawrence; Chapter six Six How Deep, How Wide?, Shearer Jacqueline; Chapter seven Seven Fired-Up!, O. Funmilayo Makarah; Chapter eight Eight Love on My Eight Mind, Carmen Coustaut; Chapter nine nine Below the Line, C. A. Griffith; Part three Part three In Their Own Words; Chapter ten Ten Michelle Parkerson, Gloria J. Gibson; Chapter eleven Eleven An Intimate Talk with Ntozake Shange, P. Jane Splawn;