Melvin Van Peebles, influential director, actor and writer, dies at 89

MELVIN Van Peebles, the influential filmmaker behind “Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song,” and father of director and actor Mario Van Peebles, has died. He was 89.

“Dad knew that Black images matter,” Mario Van Peebles said in a statement from the Criterion Collection.

“If a picture is worth a thousand words, what was a movie worth? We want to be the success we see, thus we need to see ourselves being free. True liberation did not mean imitating the colonizer’s mentality. It meant appreciating the power, beauty and interconnectivity of all people.”

“Sweet Sweetback” will be screened at the New York Film Festival this week for a 50th anniversary tribute.

“In an unparalleled career distinguished by relentless innovation, boundless curiosity and spiritual empathy, Melvin Van Peebles made an indelible mark on the international cultural landscape through his films, novels, plays and music,” the Criterion Collection said.

Melvin and Mario Van Peebles