Historic Savannah Foundation will explore the history of African American movie theaters and filmmaking on Savannah’s former West Broad Street during a Nov. 19 lecture.
Cinema studies professor Chad Newsom will present “Making Film History on West Broad Street” as part of the foundation’s lecture series, according to a community announcement. The presentation begins at 6 p.m. at the Murray C. Perlman and Wayne C. Spear Preservation Center in the Historic Kennedy Pharmacy, 323 E. Broughton St., following a wine reception at 5:30 p.m.
The lecture is open to the public. Admission is free for Historic Savannah Foundation members and $15 for non-members. Registration is required because space is limited.
West Broad Street's movie theater history
From the 1910s through the 1960s, West Broad
Street, now Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, had a movie theater district serving Savannah’s African American community during the Jim Crow era, according to the announcement.
The district included theaters that supported early African American filmmakers and presented films as well as blues and jazz performers, according to the announcement.
Newsom plans to examine the theaters, entrepreneurs, films and movie stars associated with West Broad Street and how their stories fit into the broader history of American cinema.
Newsom is a professor of cinema studies at the Savannah College of Art and Design whose research focuses on the intersection of Savannah and cinema history. Newsom's forthcoming book, “Movietime Down South,” is scheduled to be published by University of Georgia Press in 2027.
Walking tour will follow lecture
Newsom will also lead “Savannah’s African American Movie Theaters: A Walking Tour of Historic West Broad Street” on Nov. 21.
The tour will explore African American cinema history along the former West Broad Street and introduce participants to significant theater sites and other aspects of local Black and Savannah history.
The tour costs $30 for Historic Savannah Foundation members and $40 for non-members. Participants will meet outside Origin Coffee, 356 MLK Jr. Blvd.
Historic Savannah Foundation’s lecture series, “The People, Places and Stories that Define Savannah,” will pause in December and resume in January.
Registration and additional information about the lecture series are available at myhsf.org/events/lecture-series. Questions can be directed to Kendall Graham at kgraham@myhsf.org.
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This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Savannah lecture explores West Broad Street film history
