Official Trailer for 4K Restoration of Charles Burnett’s ‘Killer of Sheep’

Official Trailer for 4K Restoration of Charles Burnett’s ‘Killer of Sheep’

by Alex Billington
February 23, 2025
Source: YouTube

“Independent to the bone…” Kino Lorber has revealed a new trailer for the 4K restoration of the American indie cinema classic Killer of Sheep, made by filmmaker Charles Burnett as his feature debut in 1978. Filmed in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles during the 70s, Burnett wrote, directed, produced, shot, and edited Killer of Sheep as his UCLA thesis film. Since then, the film went on to receive the Critics’ Award at the Berlin Film Festival in 1981, the U.S. Library of Congress selected the film as one of the first fifty films on the National Film Registry in 1990, and the National Society of Film Critics selected it as one of the “100 Essential Films” of all time in 2002. It’s only now getting a proper release. The film depicts the culture of urban African-Americans in Los Angeles’ Watts district in a style often likened to Italian neorealism, with a series of vignettes. This brand new 4K restoration of Killer of Sheep restores the original soundtrack in its entirety, including the original closing song, Dinah Washington’s performance of “Unforgettable.” Starring Henry G. Sanders, Kaycee Moore, Charles Bracy, and Angela Burnett. The film was re-released in 2007 after an initial restoration and licensing of the music rights, but now it’s getting a proper restoration run this year for its 48th anniversary. This is a must see on the big screen if it’s playing near you anytime.

Here’s the new 4K restoration trailer (+ poster) for Charles Burnett’s film Killer of Sheep, from YouTube:

Charles Burnett’s “Killer of Sheep is a lyrical portrait of a community on the margins. The film doesn’t ask us to feel sorry for its characters, to pity them, but it does demand that we afford them dignity and respect. This demand comes as a whisper not a shout… Groundbreaking!” –Filmmaker Sean Baker

Stan (Henry G. Sanders) works long hours at a slaughterhouse in Watts, Los Angeles. The monotonous nature of his work begins to affect his home life with his unnamed wife and their two children, Stan Jr. and Angela. Through a series of episodic events—such as acquaintances attempting to involve Stan in a criminal scheme, a white woman propositioning him to work at her store, Stan & his friend Bracy trying to buy a car engine—a mosaic of a harsh working-class life emerges. Within this life, Stan feels powerless to change the course of his circumstances. Killer of Sheep is written and directed by American filmmaker Charles Burnett, his first feature film at the time before going on to make My Brother’s Wedding (1983) and To Sleep with Anger (1990). It’s also produced by Burnett. This film originally premiered in 1978 at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City, before getting a small theatrical release in 1979. It also played at the 1981 Berlin & Toronto Film Festivals. Kino Lorber will re-release Burnett’s Killer of Sheep 4K restoration in select US theaters starting April 18th, 2025 this spring. For more info, visit the official site.

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