Melvin Van Peebles
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Melvin Van Peebles was an American actor, filmmaker, writer, and composer. His feature film debut, The Story of a Three-Day Pass, was based on his own French-language novel La Permission and was shot
Van Peebles c. 1970
Van Peebles with some of his home cooking, a "hobo stew"
Van Peebles in front of his artwork, A Ghetto Mother's Prayer, in 2017
Peebles' 1971 film Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song received acclaim from black rights groups for its political resonance with the black struggle and grossed $10 million.
Watermelon Man (film)
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Watermelon Man is a 1970 American satirical comedy film directed by Melvin Van Peebles and starring Godfrey Cambridge, Estelle Parsons, Howard Caine, D'Urville Martin, Kay Kimberley, Mantan Moreland,
Melvin Van Peebles
…won an award at the San Francisco International Film Festival which gained him the interest of Hollywood studios, leading to his American feature debut Watermelon Man, in 1970. Eschewing further overtures from Hollywood, he used the successes he had so far to bankroll his work as an independent filmmaker. In 1971…
Theatrical release poster