During February 2021, Black History Month, we profile a potpourri of African-American women in the movie industry throughout its history.

Each tear since 1988, films have been inducted into the National Film Registry at the Library of Congress reflecting their cultural, historic and artistic importance.

Debbie Reynolds collected costumes from the film industry and advocated for preserving and exhibiting costumes from the Golden Age of Cinema for many decades.

Inventions – and, in many cases, associated patents – have been key to the maturation of the film industry. Women have contributed in this areas, just like they have contributed in every other area of the movie business.

The documentary Stuntwomen: The Untold Hollywood Story came out recently in 2020. It profiles the often invisible women who do daring and dangerous stunts in lieu of the actress they are standing in for – so-called stunt doubles.

The Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize was established in 1994 and is given annually to “a man or woman who has made an outstanding contribution to the beauty of the world and to mankind’s enjoyment and understanding of life.”