Council Biography

Charles Burnett

I was born in Vicksburg, Mississippi. I grew up in Los Angeles, California. After graduating from John C. Fremont High School, I attended Los Angeles City College, where I got a degree in Electronics. After getting an AA Degree, I got interested in creative writing and studied under Miss. Isabel Zigler. Writing led to film and I transferred to UCLA and got a BA in Theater Arts. I went on to graduate school to get a MFA in film production.

Lectures: Harvard, Princeton, Howard University, Michigan State, California State College at Los Angeles, Cal Arts, Xavier University of Louisiana

Awards and Honors:
Rockefeller Fellowship
National Endowment for the Arts
The Guggenheim
The MacArthur
Mover and Shaker Award (The Southern California Library for Social Studies and Research)
Getty Urban Scholar
Paul Robeson Award
The NAACP Image Award
Oscar Micheaux Award
UCLA Alumni Award
Freedom IN Film Award (First Amendment Center)
IFP Spirit Award (Director and Writer)

Films:
Several Friends
Killer of Sheep
The Horse
To Sleep with Anger
The Glass Shield
When It Rains
Nighjohn
The Wedding
Selma, Lord, Selma
Olivia's Story
Final Insult
Finding Buck McHenry
Annihilation of Fish