关注Euzhan Palcy # women wednesday

Euzhan Palcy is one of the most significant and pioneering Black female filmmakers in history, but her name isn’t known as widely as you’d expect. For this week’s instalment of #WomenWednesdays throughout #BlackHistoryMonth, celebrating the impact of Black female filmmakers across history, we’re spotlighting this unsung hero and her unique contribution to the film industry. 

图片来源©Caribbean Beat 

帕西出生在马提尼克岛, 在法属西印度群岛, and grew up studying the classic films of Fritz Lang, 阿尔弗雷德希区柯克和奥逊威尔斯. It was when she moved to Paris to attend university in the 1970s that she first began making films, eventually helming her debut feature ‘Sugar Cane Alley’ in 1985. 它的拍摄成本不到100万美元, and was made with the support and encouragement of legendary French director, 弗朗索瓦·特吕弗, who had been Palcy’s mentor during her time in Paris. The film went on to win the prestigious César Award – the French equivalent of the Oscars – and put Palcy on the map as a fierce filmmaker to watch on the global scene.   

I图片来源©Home Manchester 

这是她的第二部长片, “干燥的白色季节”, that Palcy would make her way into the history books. 通过这部bwin体育苹果下载iOS, Palcy became the first Black woman to direct a film for a major Hollywood studio (MGM), as well as the first Black filmmaker to direct a film that was nominated for an Academy Award. Palcy was originally reluctant to enter the Hollywood system, as she was wary about the possible limitations on her creative expression: 

“干燥的白色季节” was originally rejected by Warner Brothers, who were afraid to release another Apartheid film after Universal’s ‘Cry Freedom’ in 1987. Luckily the story was picked up by MGM, and went on to make history. The film is set in South Africa in the 1970s, 在种族隔离的高峰时期, and tells the story of an ignorant school teacher (Donald Sutherland), who finds himself at the centre of a fierce legal trial which challenges his core beliefs.  

图片来源©Vulture 

“干燥的白色季节” is a bold investigation into the atrocities of racial injustice in South Africa, at a time when Apartheid was still being fiercely upheld in the country. The courageous film enraged the oppressive South African regime and was banned there upon its release. It also made Palcy the first and only woman to direct Marlon Brando in a film; his performance as lawyer Ian McKenzie earned him a nomination for Best Supporting Actor at the Academy Awards. 

As one of the only Black females working in the upper echelons of Hollywood during the 80s, Palcy has spoken about her sense of isolation and her mistreatment by the traditional system: 

图片来源©Outre-mer 

在她开创性的突破之后, Palcy stepped away from the bright lights of Hollywood, as she was finding it difficult to receive green lights from the big studios. Films with Black-leads were regularly rejected in Hollywood, and Palcy was unable to push through the stories she wanted to tell. 不愿妥协, she decided it was best to step away from the mainstream industry, and leave behind her incredible legacy which paved the way for generations of Black female filmmakers who have followed in her footsteps, including the other women we have been spotlighting this month on #WomenWednesdays. Instead of conforming to the narrow expectations of the studio system, 或者根据大众需求调整她的愿景, Palcy decided to focus solely on writing screenplays and developing the talent of young filmmakers: 

图片来源©加勒比遗产杂志 

This determination and strength of mind is one of the many reasons why we admire Euzhan Palcy, and why we’ve chosen to shine a light on her incredible, pioneering career this week for #WomenWednesdays. Help us to keep this conversation going by sharing this post on social media, and join us next week for #WomenWednesdays throughout #BlackHistoryMonth.  

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