Happy 83rd Birthday Melvin Van Peebles – Hear His Story In His Own Words

Melvin Van Peebles kicked off the blaxploitation film cycle with 1971’s SWEET SWEETBACK’S BAADASSSSS SONG, which he wrote, directed, edited, starred in, and wrote music for. In addition to this, he is a pioneer in independent film production and distribution going way back to his first efforts in the late ’50s. Here he talks, in his inimitable way, about how he got his start as a filmmaker.