BUSHMAN (DVD)

In 1968, Peace Corps veteran David Schickele enlisted his friend Paul EyamNzie Okpokam to star in a light-hearted drama about the adventures of awell-educated Nigerian immigrant in San Francisco. Using a docu-fictionalstyle reminiscent of John Cassavetes Shadows (1959), Bushman observesthe foibles of late-1960s African-American culture with an outsiders incisiveeye. The film morphs into a documentary when the directors voice abruptlyintrudes to narrate its stars fate: Okpokam was accused of a crime he didnot commit and found himself at the mercy of the US justice system.Bushman has been restored by the University of California, Berkeley ArtMuseum and Pacific Film Archive and The Film Foundation. Funding providedby the Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation. Additional support provided by PeterConheim, Cinema Preservation Alliance.