Black Panther Reseach

CAST

Black Panther - Chadwick Boseman

Erik Killmonger - Micheal B. Jordan

Shuri - Letitia Wright

Okoye - Danai Gurira

Nakia - Lupita Nyong'o

W'Kabi - Daniel Kaluuya

The film was directed by Ryan Coogler. The production team were inspired by Ta-Nehisi Coates' run on Black Panther, who was writing the comic at the same time as they were working on the film. It was also inspired by the comic runs of Jack Kirby.

Intro task:

How does Black Panther fit into the Marvel franchise and universe? 

Black Panther is a based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. It was produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the 18th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

What makes it different from other films in the Marvel cinematic universe? Consider  the narrative of the film, characters, critical response, range of audiences

The film is based around the black community. It highlighted the majesty of Africa due to the character being noble and the opposite of African stereotypes.

What  made it successful ? Consider the film itself, the star, the existing fanbase , the cultural contexts of its release e.g  BLM , oscars so white , the range of audiences. 

The film is about that it means to be black in both America and Africa. The film goes head on with the issues affecting modern day black life. This relates a lot to the Black Lives Matter movement. 

Harlem Renaissance

The Harlem Renaissance was an intellectual, social and artistic explosion in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City, spanning the 1920s. At the time it was known as New Negro Movement. The movement also included the new African-American cultural expressions across the urban areas in the Northeast and Midwest United States affected by the Great Migration of which Harlem was the largest. It lasted roughly from the 1910s through the mid-1930s. This period is considered as a golden age in African American culture.

The Black Panthers

The Black Panther Party was founded in 1966, Oakland, California. Huey Newton and Bobby Seale were disappointed in the failure of the civil rights movement to improve the condition of blacks outside the south. Kathleen Neal Cleaver, inspired by women of the civil rights movement, Cleaver joined other women as influential members of the Black Panther leadership. Local chapters of the Panthers, often lead by women, focused their attention on community "survival programs". For 20,000 children each day, they organised a free breakfast program and also a free food program for families and the elderly. They sponsored schools, legal aid offices, clothing distribution, local transportation and health clinics and sickle-cell testing centres ins reveal cities. 

This links back to Black Panther because the name of the movie and main character is Black Panther. It inspires everyone including black youth, who deserve to see superheroes like them, to show them that truly anyone can be a superhero. Chadwick's role signals a black renaissance.

Afrofuturism

Afrofuturism is a cultultural aesthetic, philosophy of science and philosophy of history that explores the developing intersection of African diaspora culture with technology. It was coined by Mark Dery in 1993and explored in the late 1990s through conversations led by Alondra Nelson.

Black Panther 

Oscarssowhite

OcscarsSoWhite is a hashtag used to call out the lack of diversity - especially people of colour but also women and the LGBTQ community - in nominations for the Academy Awards or Oscars. It has expanded as a call for greater inclusion of marginalised groups in all aspects of the film industry.