Charles Burnett
Charles Burnett (born 1944) is an American director and screenwriter, the foundational figure of what came to be called the L.A. Rebellion of African American student filmmakers at UCLA in the 1970s. He drew on Italian neorealism and the documentary tradition to produce work that focused with patience and dignity on Black working-class life in Watts and South Central Los Angeles. His thesis film Killer of Sheep, made for around ten thousand dollars, is now widely regarded as a classic of American independent cinema. His acclaimed films include Killer of Sheep, My Brother's Wedding, To Sleep with Anger, The Glass Shield, Nightjohn, and Warming by the Devil's Fire.