Reel Talks: The World of Black Film

Talks on movies, the culture of cinema, and filmmaking.

Author Ashley Clark's The World of Black Film is an entertaining, informed, and thought-provoking survey of important and influential Black films from around the globe. Starting with the unfinished silent comedy Lime Kiln Club Field Day (1913) and concluding with Steve McQueen's World War II epic Blitz (2024), this book takes readers on an exciting journey through an eclectic mix of classics and hidden gems spanning more than 100 years and 30 countries. Beautifully designed and bursting with eye-catching film imagery and poster art, this is essential reading for general film fans, enthusiasts of Black cinema, educators, and students alike.

Ashley Clark is the curatorial director at the Criterion Collection. Previously, he worked as director of film programming at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and he has curated film series at BFI Southbank, the Museum of Modern Art, and TIFF Bell Lightbox, among other venues. He has written for Film Comment, Reverse Shot, and Sight and Sound, and is the author of two books: Facing Blackness: Media and Minstrelsy in Spike Lee’s “Bamboozled” (2015), and The World of Black Film: A Journey Through Cinematic Blackness in 100 Films (2026).

Scott Adlerberg is the author of five novels, including Graveyard Love, Jack Waters, and The Screaming Child.  He has written many short stories and contributes pieces regularly to sites such as CrimeReads and Mystery Tribune.  He was born in New York City and lives in Brooklyn.