His response to that was in the 1960s: 'Hollywood won't let me be a filmmaker. I think that Melvin Van Peebles recognized early on that the system is inherently broken. It's just it is immense generosity to people. And that's one of the things that's really come out, the more that people have been talking about him. We sat for two hours and he was just so incredibly generous with his time and with his knowledge and talked to me about making that film, but also his experiences in Hollywood and his thoughts on representation. I mean, he's in the phone book, which is sort of insane to me. And so, I jump on the subway and I go over his apartment.

And I said, 'I'd love to chat with you.' And he says, 'Well, if you can get here in 20 minutes, I'll chat with you for like 10 minutes' or something like that. So, I called and Melvin Van Peebles answers the phone. I was writing an academic article about 'Watermelon Man,' and I asked his contact, I'd love to chat with him, do you know how to get in touch with them? And this contact gave me a phone number, and I thought it was a secretary or something. Racquel Gates, a professor of film at Columbia University, and the consulting producer and editor for the Melvin Van Peebles Box Set - being released by The Criterion Collection next week - discussed his work, life and legacy with The World's host Marco Werman. Related: A new film explores the stories of 6 men from China who survived the Titanic sinking He later became a successful options trader on the stock market. The multitalented Van Peebles wrote numerous books and plays, and recorded several albums - playing multiple instruments and delivering rap-style lyrics. Van Peebles has left behind an immense legacy in American and world cinema. Related: 25 years later, the Buena Vista Social Club still connects the world through old-school mambo He was known as the godfather of modern Black cinema, and his movies burst with the sounds of soul and funk and resistance.

Melvin Van Peebles, the pioneering Black filmmaker, playwright and musician, died this week at the age of 89 at his home in New York.

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