Melvin von Peoples, icon of African American cinema, has died

Director and writer Melvin von Peebles, a prominent figure in African-American cinema and the lone director of the film “Black Exploitation”, died in New York on Tuesday at the age of 89.

“My father knew that black figures were important,” one of his sons, Mario von Peoples, said in a statement today.

“We want to be the victory we see, so we must see that we are free,” he added, adding that “true liberation is not about following the colonialist mentality.”

Director and writer The African-American community, including African-American filmmakers Spike Lee and John Singleton, was the protagonist of the films and was part of the black film boom in the United States in the 1970s.

Van Peebles is best known for directing productions such as the classic indie film “Sweet Sweetback’s Podoss Song” —s which will be screened at the New York Film Festival this week for its 50th anniversary-, “Three Day Story” Boss. “” Watermelon Man “and” Don’t play us cheap. “

“Sweet Sweetback” tells the story of an African-American man running away from white executives, filmed on a low budget of $ 500,000 in 19 days, but amassed more than $ 10 million at the box office, making Independence the biggest economic success to date.

“Watermelon Man” became a blockbuster, after which he awarded the production contract for three films in Colombia to Van Peeble, who subsequently turned it down to make films independently.

“In an unparalleled life distinguished by relentless discovery, boundless curiosity and spiritual empathy, Melvin von Peeble has left an indelible mark on the international cultural scene through his films, novels, plays and music,” he said.