Kid Thomas Valentine

Allen Toussaint

Blue Lu Barker

Irma Thomas

Professor Longhair

A musical portrait of New Orleans' street celebrations and unique cultural gumbo in 1977: second-line parades, Mardi Gras, Jazz Fest. Features live music from Professor Longhair, the Wild Tchoupitoulas, the Neville Brothers and more. This glorious, soul-satisfying film is among Blank's special masterworks. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 1999.

An aging, decadent landlord’s passion for music becomes the undoing of his legacy as he sacrifices his wealth in order to compete with the opulent music room of his younger, richer neighbour.

Originally broadcast on ABC's True Stories in 1993, Feed Them to the Cannibals tells the story of Sydney's Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras. It was the first time cameras were allowed at Sleaze Ball and the Mardi Gras Party.

Primary is a documentary film about the primary elections between John F. Kennedy and Hubert Humphrey in 1960. Primary is the first documentary to use light equipment in order to follow their subjects in a more intimate filmmaking style. This unconventional way of filming created a new look for documentary films where the camera’s lens was right in the middle of what ever drama was occurring.  Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in partnership with The Film Foundation in 1998.

Documentary short explaining proper techniques for handling and disposal of incendiary bombs.  Preserved by the Academy Film Archive, from the Academy War Film Collection, in 2009.

It's 1974. Muhammad Ali is 32 and thought by many to be past his prime. George Foreman is ten years younger and the heavyweight champion of the world. Promoter Don King wants to make a name for himself and offers both fighters five million dollars apiece to fight one another, and when they accept, King has only to come up with the money. He finds a willing backer in Mobutu Sese Suko, the dictator of Zaire, and the "Rumble in the Jungle" is set, including a musical festival featuring some of America's top black performers, like James Brown and B.B. King.

Guynel and Diovany are two young queer men with radically different personalities but from the same island, Martinique. After three years away, Guynel returns to his homeland to reconnect with his roots, his loved ones, and to come out to his father. Diovany, meanwhile, is about to finish his studies and is preparing to compete in one of Martinique’s first “Balls.” It marks the beginning of a dream that will likely one day lead him to the Parisian drag scene. Two intertwined destinies that, through their search for identity, tell the story of queer youth in Martinique and their passage into adulthood.

Short film about the Manzanar Japanese American internment camp.  Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2011.

A film's art director is in charge of the set, from conception to construction to furnishing. This short film walks the viewer through art directors' responsibilities and the demands on their talents. They read a script carefully and design a set to capture the time and place, the social strata, and the mood. They must be scholars of the history of architecture, furnishings, and fashion. They choose the colors on a set in anticipation of the lighting and the mood. Their work also sets styles, from Art Deco in the 20's to 30s modernism. Then it's on to the next project.  Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2012.