KARLA MURTHY, PBS NEWSHOUR WEEKEND:

In the early part of 20th century, with racial segregation still in place in much of the U.S., black filmmakers made movies for black audiences, outside the white hollywood mainstream. They produced around 500 so-called "race films," but most are lost to history.

To preserve America's first "independent" cinema, this year, the company Kino Lorber released a five disc collection combining 20 hours of these films called The Pioneers of African-American Cinema.

The collection of 16 feature films and shorts — mainly from the 1920s and 30s — includes comedies, dramas, and documentaries. They not only starred black actors, the films were often written, directed, and produced by african-americans.

Executive Producer Paul Miller, a musician also known as DJ Spooky, raised money for the project initially through a kickstarter campaign.