Directed by Charles Burnett
10 Episodes
A true trailblazer of independent cinema, Charles Burnett has brought images of Black American life to the screen with authenticity, empathy, and stirring poetry. Bringing together landmarks like KILLER OF SHEEP and TO SLEEP WITH ANGER, lesser-known gems such as THE GLASS SHIELD and THE ANNIHILATION OF FISH, thought-provoking documentaries like NAT TURNER: A TROUBLESOME PROPERTY, and rarely seen shorts, this collection highlights the versatility and singular lyrical sensibility of this essential artist, a master at conveying emotional interiority whose work overflows with deep compassion.
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01:11Episode 1Directed by Charles Burnett Teaser
Episode 1
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1:42:02Episode 2The Annihilation of Fish
Episode 2
Directed by Charles Burnett • 1999 • United States
Starring James Earl Jones, Lynn Redgrave, Margot KidderVirtually unseen for years only to reemerge as a lost gem of American independent cinema, this surprising, ineffably tender romantic comedy from master director Charles Burnett (KILLER OF S...
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1:21:54Episode 3Killer of Sheep
Episode 3
Directed by Charles Burnett • 1977 • United States
Starring Henry Gayle Sanders, Kaycee Moore, Charles BracyA quiet revelation of American independent filmmaking, Charles Burnett’s lyrical debut feature unfolds as a mosaic of Black life in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles, where Stan (Henr...
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57:19Episode 4Nat Turner: A Troublesome Property
Episode 4
Directed by Charles Burnett • 2003 • United States
Starring Carl Lumbly, Tommy Hicks, James OpherNat Turner’s slave rebellion is a watershed event in America’s long and troubled history of slavery and racial conflict. NAT TURNER: A TROUBLESOME PROPERTY tells the story of that violent confrontat...
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1:20:36Episode 5My Brother's Wedding
Episode 5
Directed by Charles Burnett • 1983 • United States
Starring Everett Silas, Jessie Holmes, Gaye Shannon-BurnettRecut and restored twenty-five years after its ill-fated premiere, Charles Burnett’s second feature is an eye-opening revelation—wise, funny, heartbreaking, and timeless. Pierce Mundy w...
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55:05Episode 6The Final Insult
Episode 6
Directed by Charles Burnett • 1997 • United States
Charles Burnett cannily blends documentary and dramatic action with this searing, savagely ironic tale of a bank employee reduced to living out of his car, in a character study that doubles as a compassionate portrait of Los Angeles’s homeless c...
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05:34Episode 7Quiet as Kept
Episode 7
Directed by Charles Burnett • 2007 • United States
A squabble reveals the anxieties and generational differences within a New Orleans family displaced by Hurricane Katrina in this alternately comedic and casually profound video work.
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13:25Episode 8When it Rains
Episode 8
Directed by Charles Burnett • 1995 • United States
Charles Burnett paints a jazz- and poetry-inflected portrait of African American community and resilience via the story of a mother who enlists a musician’s help when she is evicted on New Year’s Day.
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22:07Episode 10Several Friends
Episode 10
Directed by Charles Burnett • 1969 • United States
Charles Burnett’s first film already displays the director’s neorealist, poetry-of-the-everyday style as it follows a group of friends over the course of an aimless day in Los Angeles.
