Top of the Heap
AfroFuturism
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1h 30m
“a genre-twisting tale that couches psychological and political furies in spectacularly bold imaginative flourishes”
—The New Yorker
Written, directed by, and starring Shaft actor Christopher St. John, Top of the Heap is a majestic melding of genre thrills, sociological rage, and psychedelic experimentation where Blaxploitation, Afrofuturism, and European avant-garde cinema collide. George is a cop in Washington, DC, and he’s proud to be one of the few Black officers on the force. But when George is overlooked for a promotion, he loses his hold on reality and launches a personal vendetta against street crime—when he’s not visiting alternate galaxies as an astronaut in his tripped-out dreams. As with many Black filmmakers, St. John was denied a long career behind the camera, making this fascinating, deeply personal film the only opportunity to experience his extraordinary vision.
– Brooklyn Academy of Music
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First Spaceship On Venus (1960)
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