This is cool! I’m glad, and appreciate the fact that someone did the work it took to put all this together.
It was created by Mizan Media Productions – aka M. Asli Dukan, whose name you should recognize, as we’ve profiled both her and her documentary-in-progress, Invisible Universe, which takes a look at the contributions of black people to the science fiction (and other fantastical) genres.
Courtesy of our friends at the Afrofuturist Affair tumblr page the detes follow:
In this case, significance is defined as “something that is conveyed as a meaning, often obscurely or indirectly”, I have set 5 basic criteria for picking characters (not the films!).
They are as follows below:
1. Character (is the character primary, secondary or extra)
2. Agency (does the character have the ability to make their own choices)
3. Survival (does the character live until the end of the film)
4. Boglesque (does the character appear as a stereotype)
5. Relevance (does character have historical, political or social relevance)
This is an informal, evolving survey of characters and is meant for educational and entertainment purposes only. It is also very specifically about the characters and not about the films, which may or may not hold high significance. It is also my own personal opinion. – M. Asli Dukan
And with that, watch parts one, two & three of the series below. I’m sure you all will have your own opinions as well, so feel free to share:
30 Significant Black Characters in SF Films (Part One) from Mizan Media on Vimeo.
30 Significant Black Characters in SF Films (Part Two) from Mizan Media on Vimeo.
30 Significant Black Characters in SF Films (Part Three) from Mizan Media on Vimeo.