CHOICE OF WEAPONS

A Choice of Weapons: Inspired by Gordon Parks

Directed by John Maggio
U.S | 2021 | Documentary
89 minutes | English

“A Choice of Weapons: Inspired by Gordon Parks” explores the power of images in advancing racial, economic, and social equality as seen through the lens of Gordon Parks, one of America's most trailblazing artists, and the generation of young photographers, filmmakers, and activists he inspired. Especially celebrated for his work in Life magazine, Parks’ career as a photographer would have been more than enough to establish his cultural importance, but he was equally accomplished as a filmmaker, writer, composer, and painter. The first Black director to helm a major studio film, Parks adapted his own semi-autobiographical novel “The Learning Tree” in 1969, and also contributed the film’s score. He then helped launch the blaxploitation genre with “Shaft” in 1970. Slant magazine writes: “‘A Choice of Weapons: Inspired by Gordon Parks’ is a portrait of an artist whose work was so varied, impactful, and boundary-leaping that it’s hard to imagine anyone like him coming around again.”

Shown with
Listen to a Stranger

Listen to a Stranger: An Interview with Gordon Parks

Directed by
Romas Slezas
U.S.
1973
20 minutes
English
Produced by Henry Hampton’s Blackside Inc., "Listen to Stranger" intercuts scenes of famed photographer/director Gordon Parks talking about his life and creative work with behind-the-scenes footage of him directing "Shaft’s Big Score." Preserved with funds from the National Film Preservation Foundation.