The First Feature-Length Documentary to Explore the Black Panther Party
Stanley Nelson, Director, Writer and Producer, The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution
(San Francisco, CA, Monday, February 15, 2016) – Change was coming to America and the fault lines could no longer be ignored – cities were burning, Vietnam was exploding, and disputes raged over equality and civil rights. A new revolutionary culture was emerging and it sought to drastically transform the system. The Black Panther Party for Self-Defense would, for a short time, put itself at the vanguard of that change.
Directed, produced and written by Stanley Nelson, The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution premiers on Independent Lens Tuesday, February 16, 2016, 9:00-11:00 p.m. ET (check local listings) on PBS.
The Black Panthers: Vanguard of The Revolution is the first feature-length documentary to explore the Black Panther Party, its significance to the broader American culture, its cultural and political awakening for black people, and the painful lessons wrought when a movement derails.
Master documentarian Stanley Nelson goes straight to the source, weaving a treasure trove of rare archival footage with the voices of the people who were there: police, FBI informants, journalists, white supporters and detractors, and Black Panthers who remained loyal to the party and those who left it. Featuring Kathleen Cleaver, Jamal Joseph, and dozens of others, The Black Panthers: Vanguard of The Revolution is an essential history and vibrant chronicle of this pivotal movement that gave rise to a new revolutionary culture in America.
Stanley’s other films include Freedom Summer, Freedom Riders and The Murder of Emmett Till.