By Jess McCabe | 19 February 2010, 13:21

A Place of Rage - Trailer from Kali Films on Vimeo.

Pratibha Parmar’s documentary A Place of Rage is coming out on DVD:

A Place of Rage is an exuberant award-winning documentary film by filmmaker Pratibha Parmar. A celebration of the contributions and achievements of prominent African American women, the film features Angela Davis, June Jordan and Alice Walker. Within the context of civil rights, black power, lesbian and gay rights and the feminist movement, the trio reassesses how women like Rosa Parks and Fannie Lou Hamer revolutionized American society and the world generally.

A Place of Rage made its debut in 1991 yet its content is still one of the richest and most cherished, especially the powerful poetry from the late June Jordan.

This film is critical to people’s understanding that the historical struggle, which brought President Barack Obama to the White House is a long one. These women were instrumental in shaping the US civil rights movement and their contributions impacted on movements for self determination across the world. In his inauguration speech, President Obama made reference to his election in a country where 50 years earlier, his father could not get served in a shop because of the colour of his skin. There is a direct relationship between the contributions of those involved in the civil rights movement and the election of President Obama. A Place of Rage is a historical record of the role Black women played in securing the civil rights in the US that President Obama referred to.

As well as including a restored version of the film, Pratibha has recorded a new interview with Angela Davis, and the DVD is set to include footage filmed three years ago with Alice Walker in Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, among other things. She’s still looking for donations to help fund the project, more info on the Place of Rage website.