Listen Live
Donate
 on air
    Schedule

    KCRW

    Read & Explore

    • News
    • Entertainment
    • Food
    • Culture
    • Events

    Listen

    • Live Radio
    • Music
    • Podcasts
    • Full Schedule

    Information

    • About
    • Careers
    • Help / FAQ
    • Newsletters
    • Contact

    Support

    • Become a Member
    • Become a VIP
    • Ways to Give
    • Shop
    • Member Perks

    Become a Member

    Donate to KCRW to support this cultural hub for music discovery, in-depth journalism, community storytelling, and free events. You'll become a KCRW Member and get a year of exclusive benefits.

    DonateGive Monthly

    Copyright 2026 KCRW. All rights reserved.

    Report a Bug|Privacy Policy|Terms of Service|
    Cookie Policy
    |FCC Public Files|

    Back to The Treatment

    The Treatment

    Charles Burnett

    He's one of America’s premier filmmakers and has devoted his career to bringing a nuanced portrayal of the African American experience to the screen. Writer-director Charles Burnett (Killer of Sheep, My Brother's Wedding, American Family) describes what got him into the movies and how stereotypes is still a battle worth fighting.

    • rss
    Download MP3
    • Share
    By Elvis Mitchell • Apr 9, 2008 • 30m Listen

    He's one of America’s premier filmmakers and has devoted his career to bringing a nuanced portrayal of the African American experience to the screen. Writer-director Charles Burnett (Killer of Sheep, My Brother's Wedding, American Family) describes what got him into the movies and how stereotypes is still a battle worth fighting.

    Burnett discusses early life and how it molded him as a filmmaker; the DVD release of Killer of Sheep twenty years after he made it as his thesis film at UCLA; how the work of Fellini, Renoir and De Sica inspired him; and what it is like to be told that his stories aren't "black enough" by the film studios.

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Elvis Mitchell

      host of KCRW’s The Treatment

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Gemma Dempsey

      Producer of Global Gig Guide, The Treatment

      Culture
    Back to The Treatment