BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Academy Award-winning filmmaker Kevin Willmott will visit Indiana University Bloomington this month to donate his collection to the Black Film Center & Archive, the only repository in the world solely dedicated to collecting and preserving Black films and making them accessible.
The occasion will be marked with an event series called “By Any Means Necessary!” that includes multiple film screenings and Q&As. A ribbon-cutting ceremony and reception will celebrate his donation, which includes films, signed movie posters, ephemera and more. The collection will be accessible to students, faculty and the public by calling the center and making an appointment.
Willmott directed the acclaimed historical drama “The 24th” and co-wrote the Spike Lee joints “Chi-Raq,” “Da 5 Bloods” and “BlacKkKlansman,” for which he won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay in 2018.
During his visit, Willmott will screen and discuss his work, which examines U.S. racial politics and highlights historically marginalized subjects often ignored by mainstream cinema. The Black Film Center & Archive, the Center for Documentary Research & Practice, IU Cinema, Indiana Memorial Union Board and the LGBTQ+ Culture Center are co-sponsoring this programming.
“We are so excited about Kevin Willmott’s visit,” said Novotny Lawrence, director of the Black Film Center & Archive and associate professor of cinema and media studies at The Media School. “Not only is he a BAFTA- and Oscar-winning screenwriter, he’s also a brilliant director and activist. Kevin’s generous donation and visit to campus demonstrate his respect and support for the center, his commitment to helping advance its mission, and his understanding of the important role Black cinema plays in the ongoing struggles for equity and justice.”
“By Any Means Necessary!” programming begins with a screening of Willmott’s historical drama “The 24th” at 7 p.m. Sept. 24 at IU Cinema. The event is free but ticketed. Willmott co-wrote and directed the film, dramatizing the true story of the 1917 Houston Riot, which began when members of the all-Black 24th Infantry Regiment rebelled against the intense racism they were enduring from the Houston Police Department.
The Black Film Center & Archive will host a ribbon-cutting and reception for the Kevin Willmott Collection at 1:30 p.m. Sept. 25. Students, faculty and community members are invited to enjoy refreshments, a tour featuring the newly acquired items and an opportunity to engage with Willmott. No RSVP is required.
“The Black Film Center & Archive is critical to Black cinema, and I am honored to work with my friend, Novotny Lawrence, to offer items from my career,” Willmott said.
A screening of “No Place Like Home: The Struggle Against Hate in Kansas” will take place at 5 p.m. Sept. 25 at the Indiana Memorial Union’s Whittenberger Auditorium. The documentary profiles several LGBTQ+ individuals battling for their rights in Salina, Topeka and rural Trego County, Kansas, and exemplifies Willmott’s long history of social activism in his home state. Willmott and “No Place Like Home” editor Mark von Schlemmer will participate in a Q&A immediately after the screening.
At 4 p.m. Sept. 26, Willmott will visit IU Cinema for a Jorgensen Lecture and screening of “BlacKkKlansman.” Based on the true story of Ron Stallworth, a Black police officer in Colorado Springs who successfully infiltrated a local branch of the Ku Klux Klan in the 1970s, the film is a bold satire about racism in the United States.
To learn more about the “By Any Means Necessary!” series and other activities the archive has planned for the 2024-25 academic year, visit the Black Film Center & Archive website and sign up for its monthly newsletter.
