Love is at the Center: In Praise of Black Feminist Film Criticism

In 2022, New Negress Film Society’s Third Annual Conference highlighted the collective’s commitment to Black women and non-binary film cultures and community. The New York Public Library’s Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture served as gathering space for Black feminist film culture, consciousness-raising, and shared purpose and conviviality. During the conference, Melissa Lyde, founder of Alfreda’s Cinema, moderated the conversation, “Love is at the Center: Remedying Cinema Linguistics,” which included scholars and critics Terri Francis, Samantha N. Sheppard, and Salamishah Tillet. Over the course of an hour, the panelists offered a rich and expansive discussion of Black feminist film criticism. This is an edited transcript of that conversation.