New Documentary Alert: “Invisible Universe: A History of Blackness in Speculative Fiction”

Utopian Fiction…What is, “Speculative Fiction?”…Who is part of the Science Fiction world?...What does it mean to be a “Second Class Citizen”?…A voyage into a fantastical world…

To answer some of those questions and expound on the above ideas, filmmaker and producer M. Asli Dukan’s has launched her documentary “Invisible Universe: A History of Blackness in Speculative Fiction” which investigates the relationships between the Black body, popular fantasy, horror, science fiction literature & film and the alternative perspectives produced by creators of color. According to Dukan:

From the origins of the genres, images of Black people in fantasy, horror and science fiction or speculative fiction (SF) have been inauthentic at best in the imaginations of white creators. From the “Fantastic Voyages” of the 1700s where Black pirates kidnapped white explorers to far off “alien” lands, to technologically advanced futures where Black people didn’t exist in any significant population, to post-nuclear holocaust America where modern Blacks took on aggressive pre-civilized behaviors, many of these ideas have created lasting impressions in the minds of their audiences and future creators. And though there were a few attempts by some white writers to use the genres for social commentary, for instance on race relations, these efforts were few and far in between.

There is however a significant output of work by Black creators, who used the techniques and themes of the genres to write alternative stories and to produce films that spoke closer to the realities of Black life. At the turn of the 20th century, Black writers wrote utopian and fantastical novels set during the days of slavery and Reconstruction. Independent Black filmmakers created low budget feature films exploring the effects of science and fantastical religious beliefs on the Black imagination. Harlem Renaissance writers jumped into the genre with “mad scientist” and “end of the world” scenarios commenting on the American race relations. In the 1960’s and 1970’s, two powerful and original voices emerged in the SF world writing tales with more inclusive pasts, presents and futures. Also in the 1970s, Black anti-heroes utilized science and the supernatural to secure Black justice. And later, there was the emergence of Black superheroes, who, though ready, willing and able to save the entire universe, first had to fight a homogenous industry.

This 10-year project brings these ideas to life through extensive footage, which features interviews with major writers, scholars, artists and filmmakers (i.e. Samuel R. Delaney, LA Banks, Tananarive Due, Nichelle Nichols, Wesley Snipes). The documentary also explores various mediums such as comics, literature, film, and television by deconstructing stereotypical and archetypal images of people of color (primarily Black) within these genres. Dukan has traveled across the country documenting key conferences, conventions, panels, performances and other events of Black SF at The Studio Museum in Harlem in New York, The East Coast Black Age of Comics Convention and The Afrofuturist Affair in Philadelphia, the AstroBlackness colloquium in Los Angeles, the Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture in Atlanta, The Central District Forum for Arts and Ideas in Seattle, and New York Comic Con and Comic-Con International in San Diego. Essentially, “Invisible Universe” ultimately uncovers how Black and other individuals of color have been minimized and even erased within “popular” Sci-Fi culture, thus as a result of this consciously creating their own universe.

Dukan explains much of her dedication and efforts for this highly anticipated documentary project with a few words from the late, great Black science fiction writer Octavia Butler, “ I was trying to write myself in.” And Dukan does just that with “The Invisible Universe” documentary.

So if you would like to learn more and support the campaign check out the link HERE .

Check out the trailer here:

Invisible Universe trailer (Documentary feature work-in-progress) from Mizan Media on Vimeo.

As posted in The Berkeley Graduate