ERNEST COLE: LOST AND FOUND

This new film from Raoul Peck (Lumumba, I Am Not Your Negro) chronicles the life and work of Ernest Cole, one of the first Black free-lance news photographers in South Africa, whose early pictures, shocking at the time of their first publication, revealed to the world Black life under apartheid. Cole fled South Africa in 1966 and lived in exile in the U.S., where he photographed extensively in New York City, as well as the American South, fascinated by the ways this country could be at times so vastly different, and at others eerily similar, to his homeland. During this period, he published his landmark book of photographs denouncing the apartheid, House of Bondage which, while banned in South Africa, cemented Cole’s place as one of the great photographers of his time at the age of 27. After his death, more than 60,000 of his 35mm film negatives were inexplicably discovered in a bank vault in Stockholm, Sweden. Most considered these forever lost, especially the thousands of pictures Cole shot in the U.S. Telling his own story through his writings, the recollections of those closest to him, and the lens of his uncompromising work, the film is a reintroduction of a pivotal Black artist to a new generation.

After the film, stay for a discussion with artist Bill Batson, filmmaker Ashley Dawson, and photographer Collette Fournier.

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“An elegantly wrought documentary that pulls off the trick of leaving viewers sated yet also craving more. … With its aching recognition of Cole’s creative triumphs and travails (he was, for a while, homeless), Peck’s film stands as a requisite biography, but also a personal homage: The response of one politically conscious artist to the call of another.” Critic’s Pick – The New York Times

“A commitment to the truth, a dream of freedom and a wily ability to circumvent the bureaucracy of apartheid administrators propelled Cole to take pictures in places few people had ever been before. … In an age of image inundation — when the violence of fascist regimes are on full display — revisiting Cole’s oeuvre serves as a reminder of the power of acknowledging what lays before you.” – Hollywood Reporter 

“Ernest Cole: Lost and Found stands as a powerful testament to Cole’s life and work. It is a reminder of the spirit required to confront and document injustice and the personal cost that often accompanies such commitment. Peck’s film is a necessary tribute that ensures Ernest’s contributions are recognized and remembered for generations. His book and photos challenges us to reflect on the enduring nature of white supremacy and the power of visual storytelling in the fight for justice. “ – Deadline