Baadasssss!: Ethnic Visions Film Series

Baadasssss! (2003 / 108 min.) is a flawless fusion of sexy drama and poignant documentary as it tells the story behind the making of the 1971 film Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song. In the new film, writer and director Mario Van Peebles portrays his father Melvin, who wrote and directed the original film, which was one of the first independent productions by an African American director.

In 1971, Melvin van Peebles stunned the world with his groundbreaking and highly controversial feature, Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song. Making a film that was far too advanced for its time, van Peebles was forced to self-finance, risking everything he had to deliver the world's first Black Ghetto hero on the big screen. Despite it all—the creditors, the death threats, the health problems, and the Hollywood hypocrisy—van Peebles managed to come out on top with flying colors, producing the film using a multi-racial crew and subsequently giving birth to Independent Black Cinema.

Special Guest: Mario Van Peebles, director

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Free public screenings of the Ethnic Visions Film Series are offered in conjunction with an advanced Humanities course being taught by Dr. Robert Rosenstone, Caltech Professor of History. He hopes that the series will be "a way of understanding our multicultural society, as well as learning something about the similarities and differences in the processes of immigration, acculturation, and Americanization." Most screenings will include guests associated with the films shown. These visits are made possible with support from the President's Diversity Initiative Fund. All screening begin at 7:30 p.m. on Thursdays. The full series includes:

• The Jazz Singer (3/31/05)
• Badass (4/07/05)
• Zoot Suit (4/14/05)
• Green Dragon (4/21/05)
• Maryam (4/28/05)
• Better Luck Tomorrow (5/05/05)
• Real Women Have Curves (5/12/05)
• ABCD (5/19/05)
• TBA (5/26/05)