Tribute to Director Stan Lathan: Go Tell It on the Mountain (1985)
Sat 12/12 • 7:30PM PST
Billy Wilder Theater
Part of: Archive Television Treasures
In person: writer-director Reginald Hudlin, producer-director Stan Lathan, NYU Associate Professor Josslyn Luckett
Presented by the UCLA Film & Television Archive and the Directors Guild of America. Made possible by the John H. Mitchell Television Programming Endowment.
In a trailblazing entertainment industry career spanning over half a century, producer-director Stan Lathan continues to leave an indelible creative mark. His groundbreaking work in television began with directing the PBS public affairs and documentary series Say Brother and Black Journal, which were produced to give voice to Black communities following the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Later summoned by Redd Foxx to work on Sanford and Son as one of the few Black directors in primetime television, Lathan went on to helm episodes for a wide range of hit series, from Hill Street Blues to Roc. A formidable talent, he also directed numerous pilots that launched highly successful series, including Amen and Moesha.
In a career of milestones, following his theatrical feature Beat Street (1984), Lathan partnered with Russell Simmons to create Def Comedy Jam and Def Poetry Jam for HBO, the latter garnering the duo a Peabody Award. Among multiple Emmy, Grammy and Tony Awards and too many other major awards to mention, Lathan was recognized with a CINE Golden Eagle and an American Film Festival Blue Ribbon for directing the American Playhouse telefilm Go Tell It on the Mountain (1985). In perhaps the highest accolade possible, cultural titan James Baldwin publicly pronounced his love of the TV adaptation of his seminal work.
Join us as we celebrate Stan Lathan with a screening of Go Tell It on the Mountain, introduced by NYU Associate Professor Josslyn Luckett.
Programmed and notes written by John H. Mitchell Television Curator Mark Quigley.