Best known for his groundbreaking photojournalism, Gordon Parks' landmark debut feature film THE LEARNING TREE became the first major Hollywood movie directed by an African-American. Directed, produced, written and scored by Parks, the film is a coming-of-age drama based on his semi-autobiographical novel. Recognized by the US National Film Registry for its "historical, cultural and aesthetic contributions", THE LEARNING TREE is part of our Landmark series, curated by Nya Lewis. Final screening

Gordon Parks produced, wrote, scored, and directed THE LEARNING TREE (’69) — a coming-of-age drama based on his semi-autobiographical novel. His work on the Warner Brothers film helped pave the way for Black filmmakers working with major Hollywood studios. | Turner Classic Movies: TCM

The World of Piri Thomas | a Film by Gordon Parks (1968) a Throwback Thursday Boricuas Distinguidos presentation 1968 documentary portrait directed by GORDON PARKS (Shaft, The Learning Tree) inspired by the work of Nuyorican poet PIRI THOMAS [1928-2011] (Down These Mean Streets) for Public TV. "Of the almost 900,000 Puerto Ricans in United States more than 600,000 live in New York City in the ghetto called "el barrio." Spanish Harlem. This film is an evocation of one man survival in and triumph