Directed by Avon Kirkland. PBS’ American Masters; Sundance Film Festival.

Film portraits of writers are tricky, as writing is not inherently visual. Avon Kirkland went through hell to be the first to produce scenes from Invisible Man, which, accompanied by Marcus Shelby’s score, allowed me to paint a picture of Ellison’s complex lens on race in America. I had read this book in college, and still feel that the “Battle Royal” scene is one of the most memorable in American literature.