Thirty years after his last visit, filmmaker Michael Schultz will be visiting IU's campus once more for a celebration of his work. The IU Cinema is partnering with the Black Film Center/Archive in inviting Schultz to IU.
IU Cinema Director Jon Vickers said since Schultz’s 80th birthday is this week, it's a great time to celebrate his work.
“I’m excited for his visit," David Carter, IU Cinema blog contributor, said. "It’s fascinating and exciting to hear a director who came from a traditional theater background transition to a director who seemed so comfortable working within the black zeitgeist of the time speak about that process,. .
The first event with Schultz is a screening of “To Be Young, Gifted, and Black,” a five-part series of Schultz’s work. It will be shown at 6:30 p.m. Nov. 7 in the IU Moving Image Archive Screening Room. The Moving Image Archive is located on the ground floor of the Herman B Wells Library. Tickets are free for the screening but need to be reserved in advance.
The 1975 film “Cooley High” will be shown at 7 p.m. Thursday at the IU Cinema. The film was directed by Schultz and follows two friends as they explore Chicago and learn about life. According to the IU Cinema’s website, the film shows the embodiment of youth and the beginnings of hip-hop culture. Schultz and co-producer Gloria Schultz will be present during the screening. The event is free but ticketed.
Schultz will also be teaching a film workshop at 10:30 Friday morning in Radio-TV Building Studio 5. It is called “Why We Make Movies” and attendees will get to learn more about his firsthand experience in creating and directing films. The workshop is free to attend, but those interested must register through the Media School website.
“Mr. Schultz decided to call it ‘Why We Make Movies,’ and his hope is to engage students and all who attend in a discussion of the ethical dimensions of storytelling,” Terri Francis, Director of the Black Film Center/Archive, said. “It should be a fantastic, illuminating discussion of film craft and the broader implications of the technical decisions that directors and their collaborators make.”
An interview with Schultz will be conducted at 7 p.m. Friday in the IU Cinema. This is a part of the Jorgensen Guest Filmmaker Series that has hosted other filmmakers such as Tamer El Said and Boots Riley. The interview is also a part of the Media School Speaker Series that has occurred throughout this semester. The event is free to attend and no tickets are required.
“I look forward to hearing about his early career in the 1970s, as one of the early black film directors to make their way into the Hollywood/studio system,” Vickers said. “I also can’t wait to hear about how his films helped announce the arrival of hip hop, and what that was like to be out in the lead of such a phenomenon.”
Two other films that Schultz directed will be present for include “Kush Groove” and “Car Wash.” The 1985 comedy “Krush Groove” involves the growth of hip-hop music and will be shown at 10 p.m. Friday at the IU Cinema. “Car Wash,” from 1976, is a comedy that involves disco music, and it will be screened at 4 p.m. Saturday at the IU Cinema. Both of these films will be free but ticketed.
“I just love watching multiple films in a directors filmography in close succession,” Carter said. “You notice the threads and through lines between work. That's one bonus of having these filmmaker visits.”
A previous version of this story called Krush Groove by an incorrect title. The IDS regrets this error.
