Filmmaker Charles Burnett to Introduce New Print of Killer of Sheep at Wexner Center in September

"An American masterpiece. Independent to the bone." —Manohla Dargis, New York Times

Filmmaker Charles Burnett comes to the Wexner Center Friday, September 28 at 7 pm to introduce a brand new 35mm print of Killer of Sheep, his widely acclaimed debut film. Finally receiving a traditional release after being tangled up in issues involving music rights, this release is one of the major cinematic events of the year. The film will also screen on Thursday, September 27 and Saturday, September 29 without Burnett’s introduction. Tickets are $7 for the general public and $5 for Wexner Center members and students and are available now. Tickets can be purchased at the Wexner Center ticket office (614 292-3535) or Ticketmaster (614 431-3600) or Ticketmaster.com.

Created as Burnett’s thesis film at UCLA, Killer of Sheep captures the realities of everyday life for a working class African American family in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles. Often compared to neorealist classics such as The Bicycle Thief or Paisan because of its gritty look, handheld camera, and portrayal of quotidian concerns, the film was selected by the Library of Congress as a national treasure and entered in the National Film Registry for its historical significance. The film’s release has been receiving abundant acclaim, with the Boston Globe calling it “a flat-out treasure, impervious to time” and Dave Kehr of the International Herald Tribune proclaiming it “one of the finest American films, period.”

Burnett, called “a one-man African American New Wave” by Senses of Cinema, has also directed such acclaimed films as To Sleep with Anger (1990) starring Danny Glover, The Glass Shield (1994), and Nightjohn (1996) to name just a few. Nightjohn screened at the Wexner Center as part of the first Columbus International Children’s Film Festival. More information on Killer of Sheep and Charles Burnett is available at www.killerofsheep.com.