Photo Credit: David Shankbone
Melvin Van Peebles was known for being the Godfather of Black Cinema and a pioneer in the blaxploitation genre. His breakthrough project was 1971’s Sweetback about a black man trying to escape white police officers that went on to become the highest grossing independent film in history at the time. He was also known for the 1970 comedy Watermelon Man where a 60s era white racist woke up to discover he was black.
His death was announced in a joint statement by his family, The Criterion Collection of prestige movies and art house distributor Janus Films. “In an unparalleled career distinguished by relentless innovation, boundless curiosity and spiritual empathy, Melvin Van Peebles made an indelible mark on the international cultural landscape through his films, novels, plays and music,” the statement read.
His son, Mario said, “Dad knew that Black images matter. If a picture is worth a thousand words, what was a movie worth? We want to be the success we see, thus we need to see ourselves being free. True liberation did not mean imitating the colonizer’s mentality. It meant appreciating the power, beauty and interconnectivity of all people.”
Peebles has been getting mourned by Hollywood since the time of his death’s announcement with Ava DuVernay tweeting, “You have to not let yourself believe you can’t. Do what you can do within the framework you have. And don’t look outside. Look inside.” ― the iconic artist, filmmaker, actor, playwright, novelist, composer and sage Melvin Van Peebles, who has gone home at the age of 89.” David Alan Grier tweeted, “We’ve lost another lion, the true revolutionary, an artistic gangsta, cultural disrupter who forever changed the game Rest n Peace Melvin Van Peebles” and Tariq Nasheed said that he helped him with some business deals in the past and called him a “real stand up dude.”
