British Film Institute

The first black person to win an Oscar, Hattie McDaniel struggled to escape the maid archetype that was the source of her success. A trailblazer, the Gone with the Wind star nevertheless became went on to perpetuate the black maid stereotype, even after her Oscar win. In the years since, black Oscar nominees have consistently been rewarded for playing abused, impoverished characters with ties to crime. We ask how much things have improved since Hattie's time. This is episode two of the BFI's Black Star podcast, a six-part series presented as part of the Black Star season, which celebrates the power and versatility of black actors. This episode of the Black Star podcast contains a clip of Hattie McDaniel accepting her Oscar in 1939, which is owned by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. It also contains short clips from: - Gone with the Wind. Directed by Victor Fleming, produced by Selznick International Pictures and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Released in 1939. - 12 Years a Slave. Directed by Steve McQueen; produced by Summit Entertainment, Regency Enterprises, River Road Entertainment, Plan B Entertainment, New Regency Productions and Film4 Productions. Released in 2013 - Precious. Directed by Lee Daniels; produced by Lee Daniels Entertainment, Smokewood Entertainment, Harpo Films, 34th Street Films. Released in 2009 - The Help, directed by Tate Taylor; produced by DreamWorks Pictures, Reliance Entertainment, Participant Media, Image Nation, 1492 Pictures and Harbinger Pictures. Released in 2011.

Welcome to the Black Star podcast, part of the BFI's Black Star season, a UK nationwide series of screenings and events celebrating the power, range and versatility of black performers. Over six weekly episodes we'll be looking at the black film-makers who helped define their era of cinema. This week it's the story of one of the first black film directors, the prototype movie mogul who vied with DW Griffith to control the conversation about race in America in the early 20th century. His name? Oscar Micheaux. This episode of Black Star includes a clip from Selma, directed by Ava DuVernay, produced by Pathé, Plan B Entertainment, Cloud Eight Films and released in 2014. It also includes a clip from the 2016 Oscars telecast. Directed by Glenn Weiss, produced by David Hill and Reginald Hudlin and broadcast in 2016. And it includes music from the BFI's centenary edition of The Birth of a Nation. Released in 2015.

Producer Ivana Mackinnon, writer Bola Agbaje and director Caroline Bartleet talk about the challenges and opportunities in the film industry.

In this episode Development Executive Angeli Mcfarlane asks some tough questions, including how to find a unique and different voice as a writer and how do you know if your script is any good?

In this episode Development Executive Angeli Mcfarlane tackles character development: what should you be asking your character and how do they relate to other people, places and problems.

Development Executive Angeli MacFarlane untangles storytelling with a group of filmmakers who had submitted to the Postroom.

Matthew Bates, Sayle Screen, talks about the ins and outs of being an agent, client/agent relationships, and what agents look for when signing new talent.

Jordan McGarry, Vimeo, talks about Vimeo's role in the ever evolving world of online content, having a strategy for uploading work, and that all important staff pick.

Will Massa, British Film Council, talks film festival strategy for emerging filmmakers and getting your film out there in the UK and international markets.

Rachael Prior, Big Talk Pictures, talks about how she finds new writers, what she's looking for and working with some of the biggest writers in UK comedy.

Ben Roberts, Director of the BFI Film Fund, discusses the current landscape for filmmakers trying to make their first feature and how the BFI can support them.