Netflix has released the trailer for their upcoming documentary for Elvis Mitchell’s IS THAT BLACK ENOUGH FOR YOU?!? which will discuss Black icons contributions in cinema in the landmark era of the 70s. The doc will also feature commentary from Zendaya, Samuel L. Jackson, Laurence Fishburne, and more.
Mitchell who wrote, directed, and narrated the film explores year-by-year Black-led films from 1968 to 1978. The film is subtitled “How one decade changed the movies (and me)” and what the rise of Black cinema meant to him.
The official Netflix description for the film reads: “From celebrated writer and film historian Elvis Mitchell, IS THAT BLACK ENOUGH FOR YOU?!? is both a documentary and a deeply personal essay. The film examines the craft and power of cinema from a perspective often overlooked: the African American contribution to films released from the landmark era of the ’70s. It is a deep dive into the impact that point of view had on movies, as well as popular culture, and serves as a love letter to film, posing questions that have never been asked, let alone answered. Crucial artistic voices, including director Charles Burnett, Samuel L. Jackson, Whoopi Goldberg, Laurence Fishburne, Zendaya and others, offer their distinctive prism on the creators and films that dazzled and inspired. The film provides insight into the history of Black representation going back to the earliest days of cinema, and the cultural impact of witnessing unapologetic Blackness.”
The film made its world premiere at the New York Film Festival on Sunday (Oct. 9). The documentary will be released in select theaters on October 28 and globally on Netflix on November 11.
Michell spoke to Variety on why he decided to make IS THAT BLACK ENOUGH FOR YOU?!?: “As a Black viewer, I found myself confronted with what wasn’t being voiced about my people, and wondered why the movies were so slow to respond to Black audiences — who were paying good money to see movies — and even social shifts brought about by the civil rights movement.”
The documentary is produced by Seven Soderbergh, David Fincher, Angus Wall, and Ciara Lacy.
Take a look at the trailer and some notable background on the commentators featured in the documentary below:
