Collinss next film, losing ground, followed in 1982 and starred seret scott, bill gunn, and duane jones. Kathleen collins was a pioneer african american playwright, filmmaker, civil rights activist, film editor, and educator. Marked as weak for his refusal to torture those charged with sorcery, heresy, devil worship or worse, hes given another task. Both contemporary and timeless, whatever happened to interracial love. A philosopherfilmmaker, kathleen collins decisively redefined the parameters of african american film with losing ground 1982. The writer and filmmakers subtle, harrowing unproduced plays deal with doubt, domestic confusion, and the persistent encroachments of color and of the. Her 1982 film, losing ground, was one of the first features directed by an africanamerican. Kathleen collins march 18, 1942 september 18, 1988 also known as kathleen conwell, kathleen conwell collins or kathleen collins prettyman was an africanamerican poet, playwright, writer, filmmaker, director, civil rights activist, and educator from jersey city, new jersey. Jan 30, 2015 the film that opens the series, kathleen collinss losing ground, from 1982, will play for a week, making up for the fact that it has never had a theatrical release. Although losing ground was denied largescale exhibition, it was among the first films created by a black woman deliberately designed to tell a story intended for popular consumption, with a featurelength. Kathleen collinss ecstatic selfdiscovery by yasmina price the. In losing ground, sara rogers played by the actor and theatre.
Go to the disambiguation page to edit author name combination and separation. Margo jefferson reads kathleen collins podcast granta. Scott of the new york times and richard brody of the new yorker. It tells the story of sara rogers, a brilliant and beautiful black philosophy professor played by collinss close friend seret. The official trailer for kathleen collins losing ground starring seret scott, bill gunn, duane jones and gary bolling. Artist bill gunn is married to philosophy professor seret scott.
Losing ground, a film by kathleen collins about facebook. Although losing ground was denied largescale exhibition, it was among the first films created by a black woman. Daughter of africanamerican filmmaker asks, what happened to. In the mood to read a collection of short stories rather than read a fulllength novel, book of essays or work of nonfiction, i chanced upon kathleen collins small volume of stories whatever happened to interracial love at my local library. If you enjoy kate collins and are all caught up with her mystery books. Visionary filmmaker kathleen collins featured at upcoming bam. Before the release of whatever happened to interracial love. Her film losing ground is one of the first features made by a black woman in america, and is an extremely rare narrative portrayal of a black female intellectual. Losing ground, along with collins first film, the cruz brothers and miss malloy, a 50minute fantastical comedy drama, are both part of brooklyn academy of musics upcoming film. The film that opens the series, kathleen collinss losing ground, from. Her two feature narrativesthe cruz brothers and miss malloy and losing ground furthered the range of black womens films. Kathleen collins made the feature film, losing ground, in 1982, and died a few years later at age 46 from breast cancer. Though she is now considered a pioneer, collins s work was overlooked and forgotten till 2015 when her film losing groundpremiered at the lincoln center as part of a series on africanamerican filmmakers, and was hailed as a masterpiece.
Her screenplay, which differs in some significant ways from the film, is included in screenplays of the africanamerican experience, 1991, edited by phyllis rauch klotman. Dec 01, 2016 collinss first and only feature, 1982s losing ground, was rediscovered last year. D uring her lifetime, kathleen collins saw one of her screenplays become a movie losing ground 1982, which she also directedand one story and one play published. Feb 07, 2017 collins was an awardwinning playwright and filmmaker who died in 1988 from breast cancer, at the age of 46. This book uses detailed analyses of collinss films to contextualise her work. The kathleen collins revival continues with notes from a black. Kathleen collins march 18, 1942 september 18, 1988 was an africanamerican poet.
In the 1970s collins wrote a series of short stories she called losing ground. Kathleen collins 5 kathleen collins 5 primary author only kathleen collins disambiguation author division kathleen collins is composed of at least 8 distinct authors, divided by their works. Although it never played outside the film festival circuit during her lifetime director kathleen collins died in 1988 at the age of 46 and was mostly overlooked when it was first released, losing ground was later rediscovered by critics such as a. Kathleen collins was a pioneer africanamerican playwright, filmmaker, civil rights activist and educator. This is one revelation of saidiya hartmans book wayward lives, beautiful. Suzanne collins has written a book set in panem 64 years before the original dystopian trilogy and lionsgate has confirmed interest in adapting it for the big screen. The film that opens the series, kathleen collinss losing ground, from 1982, will play for a week, making up for the fact that it has never had a theatrical release. Dec 03, 2016 kathleen collins was a writer and filmmaker who died in 1988 of breast cancer. The film had its first theatrical release in 2015 at film society of lincoln center, opening the series tell it like it is. Kathleen collins march 18 1942 september 18 1988 also known as kathleen conwell, kathleen conwell collins or kathleen collins prettyman was an africanamerican play.
And while her ability has drastically improved, her stories are still about fantasy worlds and the people who play in them. A comedic drama, losing ground was one of the very first fictional features by an africanamerican woman filmmaker. Her two feature narrativesthe cruz brothers and miss malloy 1980 and losing ground 1982furthered the. The story a little shorter than the other books in the series, still a good time killer. Kathleen collins was an africanamerican poet, playwright, writer, filmmaker, director, civil rights activist, and educator from jersey city, new jersey. Luckily, her previously unpublished stories are now seeing the light of day as well. The interior worlds of kathleen collinss fiction and film. Seret scott as sara in kathleen collinss losing ground, 1982. Published on feb 12, 2018 losing ground now streaming on filmstruck. Collins 1982 losing ground was restored and reissued in 2015. Her most known work is the film losing ground, followed perhaps by two plays, in the midnight hour, and the brothers. Margo jefferson, author of negroland, reads the uncle by kathleen collins, taken from the story collection, whatever happened to interracial love. Kathleen collinss ecstatic selfdiscovery by yasmina. Kathleen collins books list of books by author kathleen collins.
Losing ground by kathleen collins gary bolling, bill gunn. Kathleen collinss lost masterwork, losing ground the new. In an era when poetry is increasingly compressed to fit our iphone screens, nathaniel mackey has been writing two astonishing long poemsmu and song of the andoumboulouacross multiple books for the past thirtyfive years. Feb 05, 2017 it was the release of the film losing ground, written and directed by kathleen in 1982, at a film festival at the lincoln center in manhattan in 2015 that brought her triumphantly into focus the. Kathleen collins, a pioneering playwright, filmmaker and screenwriter, had kept her breast cancer diagnosis a secret for eight years. In collinss work, black womens quotidian struggles take on cosmic.
Kathleen collinss lost masterwork, losing ground the new yorker. Dec 01, 2016 kathleen collinss groundbreaking 1982 movie losing ground opens on a black female philosophy professor seret scott talking camus and sartre to a roomful of students. Just before she died in 1988, she had finished a novel, play, and film script entitled conversations with julie. The rare instances that she actually finds some spare time, she spends it playing with her two boys. It is the first featurelength drama directed by a black american woman since the 1920s and won first prize at the figueroa international film festival in portugal. Losing ground is a amusing but standard menage a trois, set in a small college town. Buy a cheap copy of losing ground book by catherine aird. Posts about kathleen collins written by bookishjen. Kathleen collins march 18, 1942 september 18, 1988 was an african american poet. An estranged mate, a mangled body and a powerful demon who calls her by name as a realm walker for the agency, juliana norris tracks deadly paranormal quarry using her unique ability to see magical signatures.
Kathleen collinss lost masterwork, losing ground the. Dec, 2016 stories by kathleen collins ecco published december 6, 2016. The film that opens the series, kathleen collins s losing ground, from 1982, will play for a week, making up for the fact that it has never had a theatrical release. Losing ground is a semiautobiographical 1982 film written and directed by kathleen collins starring seret scott, bill gunn, and duane jones. Losing ground opens for a week starting friday, february 6th at the film society of lincoln center in new york. It is a testament to kathleen collins incredible talent and a lasting treasure of. She was the first black woman to produce a feature length film. She excels at her job, but her friends worry about her mysterious habit of dying in the line of duty without staying dead. Nov 29, 2016 she was among the first black women to direct a featurelength film. See all books authored by kathleen collins, including watching what we eat. What happened to kathleen collins the village voice.
Losing ground 1982, by the filmmaker, playwright, and novelist kathleen collins. The writer and filmmaker kathleen collins died in 1988, at the age of 46. Kathleen collins michael daugustino is a priest in the time of the inquisition. Kathleen collins, who died in 1988 at age fortysix, was an africanamerican playwright, writer, filmmaker, director, and educator from jersey city. In 2015, her film losing ground, which had shown at festivals in 1982. They were never published but she loved the title and kept it for her first feature film. Browse author series lists, sequels, pseudonyms, synopses, book covers, ratings and awards. During her lifetime, kathleen collins saw one of her screenplays become a movielosing ground 1982, which she also directedand one story.
Bonus features commentary track by professors lamonda horton stallings and terri francis 2015 theatrical trailer the cruz brothers and miss malloy 1980, 50 mins, color kathleen collins and ronald gray s first film video interviews with ronald k. Kathleen collins has been writing since kindergarten. Kathleen collins losing ground, a classic africanamerican film about a black philosophy professor, sara and victor, her artist husband. Kathleen collinss otherworldly women the new yorker.
Losing ground has been added to your cart add to cart. Collinss work seamlessly integrates the africanamerican experience in her characters lives, creating rich, devastatingly familiar, fullbodied men, women, and children who transcend the symbolic, penetrating both the readers head and heart. Losing ground now looks and sounds as fresh, bracing and complex as it did when it was first filmed. Selected works of kathleen collins collins, kathleen, evans. Losing ground 1982, by the filmmaker, playwright, and novelist kathleen collins, is a particularly incandescent example of filmmaking as a process of defiant selfcreation. Kathleen collins kathleen collins biography poem hunter. Kathleen collinss short stories were almost lost to history. That movie, losing ground 1982, parsed black intellectual life in new york city. Twentyfive years after her mothers death, nina collins rescued the original negative and created a beautiful new digital master of her mothers film.
Kathleen conwell collins prettyman march 18, 1942 september 18, 1988 was born. Kathleen collinss whatever happened to interracial love. Kathleen collins author of whatever happened to interracial. I have found some other books that were wrote by kathleen collins other than the realm walkers series which i may purchase to see how i like them, and if they are anything like the realm series i know i wont be. Now a new book has arrived, notes from a black womans diary, a grab. That story collection, now titled whatever happened to interracial love. A groundbreaking film by director kathleen collins. Fans have waited two years for another of airds calleshire county police procedurals, and if you like golf, this wellcrafted whodunit was especially worth the. The principle difference between this and other such films is that all the characters are africanamerican. Prior to its release, it was listed as one of the most anticipated books of the fall of 2016 by the huffington post, new. Kathleen collins was a professor of film history, playwright, screenwriter, and director. Its a sexy, intellectual film about a black philosophy professor and her latino artist husband, and it was never released. Losing ground 1h 26min comedy, drama june 1982 usa sara, a cold college professor, and her husband, an ecstatic painter, spend a summer away from the city, straining their rocky relationship.
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