West End Library Virtual Film Club

The West End Library Virtual Film Club is a biweekly discussion group in which we examine two films during each meeting!

Every one of the films we discuss will be available to view for free on the Kanopy streaming service (www.kanopy.com), accessible through your DC Public Library card. The aim of the group is to engage with a deep and diverse pool of film history—we will examine films both classic and contemporary, from a variety of artistic movements and regions.   

On March 10th we will be discussing two significant American independent films: The Exiles and Killer of Sheep, which can be accessed through the links below. 

The Exiles (1961)

Director Kent Mackenzie first conceived of The Exiles while filming a documentary short in the Bunker Hill neighborhood of Los Angeles during his time as a student the University of Southern California. The Exiles is a portrait of young Native Americans who emigrated from their reservations in the Southwest to the city and settled in Bunker Hill. Mackenzie developed The Exiles in close collaboration with the people who would go on to appear in the film as actors; he was committed to creating a realistic portrayal of this unique community and its ties to the broader youth culture of the era. Unfortunately, the film was largely impossible to see in the decades since its release in 1961. After it was featured in Thom Andersen's 2003 documentary Los Angeles Plays Itself, renewed interest in the film led to its restoration, a theatrical re-release, and distribution on home media.  

Killer of Sheep (1977) 

Killer of Sheep was made on a shoestring budget on weekends during Charles Burnett's time as a student at UCLA. He was a part of a group of black filmmakers and collaborators at the school whose work was later dubbed the “L.A. Rebellion” film movement. Burnett shot the film in his neighborhood of Watts, employing amateur actors and a style that combines lyricism and realism to great effect. The film attracted significant attention after Burnett submitted it as his thesis project in 1977, and it went on to win the Critics' Award at the Berlin International Film Festival in 1981. However, Killer of Sheep did not see wide release because of complications regarding the licensing of music rights (the expansive soundtrack includes Dinah Washington, Paul Robeson, and Louis Armstrong). Like The Exiles, Killer of Sheep was restored and re-released in the 2000s, allowing a wider audience to experience this sensitive and complex portrayal of working-class life.  

The group meets virtually via Google Meet. Please contact Cody at cody.walker@dc.gov for information on how to join. See you there! 

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