Jesse Rhines

Filmmaker and Author

Author of Black Film/White Money, filmmaker Jesse Rhines discusses the portrayal of African Americans on and behind the silver screen as well as the historic and present-day contributions of African American men and women to the motion picture industry from 1915 to the present. Rhines reflects on independent filmmaking, the risks of both failure and success, and his hope for positive change if more African-American filmmakers can gain influence in the film industry. Many well known directors, including Spike Lee, Reginald Hudlin, and producer Grace Blake are interviewed in the book, allowing Rhines to give readers an inside look at how deal making does, or does not, work.

Rhines is also the author of another book, Black Utopia Monograph. This book is the first comprehensive, comparative look at the designs both Black and non-Black utopian creators have had for the future of a multi-cultural America. Covering 1885 through 2001, and including Russell Simmons' 2001 Hip Hop Summit voter registration drive, Rhines analyzes the political relevance of the way Black utopian works have imagined Blacks in America's future.