Midnight Ramble: Story of the Black Film Industry

Between 1910 and World War II, this industry produced close to 500 movies for African-American audiences. In the early years these "race movies" were intended to counteract the negative stereotypes generated by such Hollywood films as "The Birth of a Nation" and were shown at after-hours segregated screenings called "midnight rambles". Also chronicled is the career of the most controversial and prolific of these pioneer filmmakers, Oscar Micheaux. Originally a novelist, Micheaux wrote and directed over 40 features that tackled some of the difficult social issues confronting black urban society.