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Shannon Kelley, Head of Public Programs at UCLA Film & Television Archive was onto something this past Friday night when he said that the evening’s program of shorts was a particularly effective representation of many of the themes explored by the L.A. Rebellion films and filmmakers.

Signature image for L.A. Rebellion is a still from Ashes & Embers (1982)
October 26, 2011 - 3:03 pm

On Friday, October 14th, Jamaa Fanaka’s films Penitentiary and A Day in the Life of Willie Faust, or Death on the Installment Plan screened at the Billy Wilder Theater. Fanaka was in attendance and participated in a Q&A after the screening.

While most “director’s cuts” tend to feature added material, Charles Burnett’s director’s cut of My Brother’s Wedding is actually shorter than its theatrical cut. According to the UCLA archive, when Milestone acquired the rights to the film in 2007, Burnett cut 30 minutes from the theatrical version.

Signature image for L.A. Rebellion is a still from Ashes & Embers (1982)
October 17, 2011 - 1:42 pm

"Through brotherhood and family and togetherness we shall progress and succeed," explains Walter Gordon of his self-chosen Swahili name, Jamaa Fanaka.

Unable to find any previous reviews of A Day in the Life of Willie Faust, or Death on the Installment Plan (1972) by Jamaa Fanaka, I reached out to the filmmaker on Facebook and pleasantly, to my surprise, he responded. In the interview that resulted, I gained insight on the film, how it was made and the inspiration behind it.

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