Talk: Billy Woodberry

Billy Woodberry (b. 1950) is well known for his close involvement with the Black independent film movement known as the L.A. Rebellion, which flourished from the late 1960s to the ‘90s. He studied filmmaking at UCLA among figures including Charles Burnett, Julie Dash and Haile Gerima. Before that, he was a Masters candidate in the Latin American Studies department, studying history and political science – but was inspired by the screenings of Cuban films to change his course.

His debut feature, Bless Their Little Hearts (1984), addressed specific social issues but also delved into “big problems – massive unemployment, the difficulty of male-female relationships, the maintenance of the family – which seem to me universal.” His subsequent work includes And When I Die I Won’t Stay Dead (IFFR 2016). His influences range from Soviet cinema of the 1920s to Godard, and the writings of Richard Wright.

Woodberry has lived in Lisbon since 2018. It is there that he made his latest film, the documentary Mário. In this Talk, moderated by Stoffel Debuysere, Woodberry will discuss his experiences, sharing ideas, questions and thoughts as a long-established filmmaker and teacher of cinema.