Melvin Van Peebles, trailblazing director and Black cinema champion, has died

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(CNN)Melvin Van Peebles, a trailblazing African-American manager who helped champion a caller question of modern Black cinema successful the 1970s, has died, his lad announced Wednesday. He was 89.

Van Peebles, begetter of histrion and manager Mario Van Peebles, died astatine his location connected Tuesday night, according to a connection shared connected societal media.

"Dad knew that Black images matter. If a representation is worthy a 1000 words, what was a movie worth? We privation to beryllium the occurrence we see, frankincense we request to spot ourselves being free," Mario Van Peebles said of his father's enactment successful a statement. "True liberation did not mean imitating the colonizer's mentality. It meant appreciating the power, quality and interconnectivity of each people."

    Melvin Van Peebles' galore movie credits see "Watermelon Man" and "Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song."

      He besides was an accomplished author, playwright and an advocator for autarkic filmmakers.

      His son, The Criterion Collection and Janus Films celebrated his contributions to the arts successful a statement.

      "In an unparalleled vocation distinguished by relentless innovation, boundless curiosity and spiritual empathy, Melvin Van Peebles made an indelible people connected the planetary taste scenery done his films, novels, plays and music," the connection read.

      "His enactment continues to beryllium indispensable and is being celebrated astatine the New York Film Festival this play with a 50th day screening of his landmark movie 'Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song'; a Criterion Collection container set, Melvin Van Peebles: Essential Films, adjacent week; and a revival of his play 'Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death,' slated for a instrumentality to Broadway adjacent year."

      Van Peebles was remembered successful tributes Wednesday.

        "Moonlight" manager Barry Jenkins shared a representation of the past clip the 2 filmmakers were together.

        "He made the astir of each second, of EVERY azygous damn framework and admittedly, portion the past clip I spent immoderate clip with him was MANY years ago, it was a nighttime successful which helium perfectly danced his look off," Jenkins wrote successful a tweet. "The antheral conscionable perfectly LIVED."

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