Professor Akinwumi Adesokan has been appointed as the new editor-in-chief of Black Camera, an international film journal devoted to the study and documentation of the Black cinematic experience.

Adesokan, a professor at The Media School at Indiana University, Bloomington, succeeds founding editor-in-chief Dr. Michael T. Martin, who devoted 17 years to cultivating the intellectual community that centers around Black Camera.

The Black Camera team expressed profound gratitude to Dr. Martin and wished him well as he sets his sights on new horizons. “We are unable to express in words the gratitude we owe to Dr. Martin,” the Black Camera team stated.

Adesokan is currently working closely with the team to produce the upcoming Fall 2025 issue, which features close-ups on filmmakers Sarah Maldoror and Sara Gómez.

In the editor’s notes of the journal’s spring issue, Adesokan addressed his vision for the journal’s future: “It is an honor and a challenge to take up the editorial helms of Black Camera, a publication with which I have had a close relationship since its beginnings. The honor — being taken on trust to build on the outstanding work that Michael has put in for nearly two decades to make the journal what it is today — is heightened by the challenge of continuing that work while expanding the scope of its possibilities.”

Martin, who is a Herman B Wells Endowed Professor (Class of 1948) at The Media School, spoke highly of Adesokan and the direction he will take the journal when announcing his departure in the fall 2024 issue: “An internationally recognized and accomplished film and cultural studies scholar, Adesokan will set a new course for the next stage of the journal’s evolution, engaging his extensive and worldwide network of scholars and media professionals to advance Black Camera’s prominence as the premier journal of its kind in the world.”

Adesokan’s research interests include intersections of print and electronic media, cultural theory, globalization, and Black/postcolonial artistic and intellectual traditions. Established in 2008, Black Camera aims to engender and sustain formal academic discussion of Black film production.

Congratulations to Adesokan and the Black Camera team on a successful transition! With open arms, we look forward to this new chapter in the journal’s history.