In the Absence of Light: celebrating the history of black artists in America

In a compelling new HBO documentary, film-maker Sam Pollard speaks to prominent creatives to tell the struggle and success of African American art

I get up at 7.30 in the morning and then I'm at my computer working, thinking about new ideas, pushing along the projects that I'm involved in," 70-year-old Sam Pollard explains. The documentary film-maker, as an editor, frequently collaborated with Spike Lee on films such as Mo' Better Blues, 4 Little Girls and Bamboozled. His storied directing career features the seminal civil rights docuseries Eyes on the Prize, the electrifying blues documentary Two Trains Runnin', and the Academy Award-shortlisted MLK/FBI.

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