As you probably already know, it was announced yesterday that the influential filmmaker, Melvin Van Peebles, passed away. And as with the passing of any sort of filmmaking royalty, folks from the industry went to social media to share kind words. (In a sadly timely release, one of this month’s Criterion releases is a new box set of Van Peebles’ early films, including “The Story of A Three-Day Pass,” “Watermelon Man,” “Don’t Play Us Cheap,” and “Sweet Sweetback’s Baadasssss Song.”)
READ MORE: Criterion To Release ‘Melvin Van Peebles: Four Films’ Blu-Ray Collection This September
Ava DuVernay shared a quote by Van Peebles, a filmmaker she called “iconic.” The quote read, “You have to not let yourself believe you can’t. Do what you can do within the framework you have. And don’t look outside. Look inside.”
Another filmmaker that shared some kind words was Barry Jenkins, who tweeted, “He made the most of every second, of EVERY single damn frame and admittedly, while the last time I spent any time with him was MANY years ago, it was a night in which he absolutely danced his face off. The man just absolutely LIVED.”
Joining DuVernay and Jenkins in honoring Van Peebles were folks like “Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse” filmmaker Peter Ramsey, who called the filmmaker a “legend and revolutionary.” Legendary filmmaker Charles Burnett also remembered Van Peebles and tweeted, “A devastating loss…I’ve always admired Melvin’s work, and he has been & will remain an absolute inspiration for filmmakers.”
There were also remembrances from folks like David Alan Grier, Franklin Leonard, and Matthew A. Cherry. And of course, you can’t forget Mario Van Peebles, the son of the late filmmaker. The actor-filmmaker took the time to go to social media to post a three-minute video talking about the last moments of his father’s life and how peaceful it was. Mario Van Peebles also shared some lessons that his father gave him. Overall, it’s definitely a beautiful eulogy for one of the most influential American filmmakers to ever live.
You can see some of the remembrances below: