Bushman

NEW 4K RESTORATION

“A glimpse at a San Francisco that has vanished, and filmmaker who observed it”
– G. Allen Johnson, SF Chronicle.

“Critic’s Pick” – NY Times.

In 1968, Peace Corps veteran David Schickele enlisted his friend Paul Eyam Nzie Okpokam (who portrays Gabriel in BUSHMAN) to film a light-hearted comedy about the adventures of a well-educated Nigerian immigrant in San Francisco. In a docu-fictional style, reminiscent of Cassavetes’ Shadows, Okpokam’s Gabriel observes the foibles of then contemporary African-American culture with an outsider’s incisive eye, yielding a vibrant snapshot the nation’s racial politics – through interracial romance, cross-cultural misunderstandings, and countercultural joy – before the directors’ voice abruptly intrudes to narrate star Okpokam’s enraging fate, and the film morphs into a documentary — as Okpokam was accused of a crime he did not commit and was thrown in prison before being expelled from the country.

“BAMPFA collaborated on the 4K restoration with the Film Foundation, with funding by the Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation and additional support provided by Peter Conheim, Cinema Preservation Alliance. The restoration and remastering was supervised by Ross Lipman in consultation with BAMPFA film collection supervisor Antonella Bonfanti and film archivist Jon Shibata.” – SF Chronicle.

Directed by David Schickele. Starring Paul Eyam Nzie Okpokam, Elaine Featherstone, Ann Scofield, Jack Nance, Mike Slye, Lothario Lotho & James Earl Garrison. 1971. Black & White. 73 min.