Part of a group of 1970s UCLA film students who came to be known as the LA Rebellion for their refusal to adhere to the mainstream film industry’s storytelling rules, he recognized quickly that Hollywood studios weren’t interested in funding or backing his films, which tell stories about Black lives from the perspective of Black protagonists.

EXCLUSIVE PODCAST: Filmmaker Haile Gerima left Ethopia for the US where he studied acting and ultimately found a voice in film, becoming a leading member of the “LA Rebellion” film movement.

Array Releasing premieres Haile Gerima’s rarely-screened 1982 drama about a Vietnam war veteran struggling to come to terms with his role in the war and as a Black man in America.

The film “Ashes and Embers,” long respected and admired by many film buffs, never got a wide theatrical release, or was shown before a mass audience. That is, until now.

The 1982 film is part of Array Classics, a new film initiative whose goal is to connect rarely seen gems with a new audience.

Selma director Ava DuVernay’s next contribution to the film world may not include directing a Star Wars film but it will include the film collective she founded Array Releasing.

Array Releasing, the LA-based film collective founded by filmmaker Ava DuVernay, has acquired the never-before-released “Ashes and Embers,” one of the landmark films of Haile Gerima.