Black Filmmaker Wins Big With ‘Undefeated’

By Lathleen Ade-Brown, The Root

With no film degree, director T.J. Martin wasn’t always confident that he would win an Academy Award. In fact, just the thought of being nominated for an Oscar came as a complete surprise. “I’m not used to people saying that; it doesn’t sound like they are talking about me,” he told The Root.

The Seattle native made history on Feb. 26 when he became the first African American to win an Oscar for a best documentary feature film, Undefeated. (Martin had a memorable moment during the ceremony when he dropped the f-bomb while accepting the award. He later apologized.) Martin co-directed the film with Dan Lindsay. The pair also shot and edited the film. Undefeated is a beautifully told story of underprivileged African-American football players from North Memphis, Tenn., and their white coach, Bill Courtney.

In a pre-Oscars interview with The Root, Martin describes the hardest part about being a director, what he has in common with the players in North Memphis and the lack of diversity in Hollywood.

Read the interview.

We highlight more Black Oscar winners in our breaking news section.