The Washington University Libraries Film and Media Archive has received a grant from the National Film Preservation Foundation to preserve Code Blue, a 1972 recruitment film aimed at bringing minorities into the medical profession. Code Blue is one of the earliest existing films created by Henry Hampton’s Boston-based documentary company Blackside Inc., which produced the Emmy Award-winning civil rights series Eyes on the Prize. Blackside became the largest African American-owned film production company of its time and was home to many filmmakers from diverse backgrounds, including African Americans, immigrants, and women. The 27-minute documentary includes footage from an emergency room in Harlem, a tour through areas of Nashville with a doctor who did outreach to poor families, and discussions with young men and women from different backgrounds who could explain the value of medical education. Code Blue helped to bring new talent into the medical field and was used in hundreds of high schools and medical training curricula nationwide for more than 20 years. The film won a CINE Golden Eagle Award and was seen around the world, including at film festivals as far away as Venice’s Festival dei Popoli.
Grants and Acquisitions