'Black Panther' treasures will be enshrined at the Smithsonian
Everyone knows by now that Black Panther is something special, and one of the most prestigious museums in the world has decided to recognize that.
A handful of artifacts from February's Wakandan adventure will be featured at the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture this fall. As of now they'll be there for only a limited time -- Oct. 24-27 -- as part of the museum's first-ever African American Film Festival.
Visiting Marvel fans will get to see a number of familiar items, including the Black Panther suit that T'Challa wore during Captain America: Civil War and the early portions of Black Panther. The exhibit will also feature a signed shooting script and an assortment of behind the scenes photos.
Perhaps most interesting of all: Several pages of a "spec" script will be featured. This early version of the Black Panther script could offer new insights into how the story came together, assuming they're visible enough to visitors to read.
While the Black Panther portion of the exhibit is currently limited to that brief window in October, the Smithsonian's website notes that the museum is "currently finalizing plans to exhibit the Black Panther costume on a permanent basis."
In the same article, museum curator Rhea Combs explained the thought process behind including Black Panther in the exhibit. "I think the film presented notions of African regality, dignity, modernity and respect for culture and tradition that many people felt proud to see represented onscreen," she said.
"The film festival is as much about celebrating and honoring the past as it is about recognizing and representing the promise of tomorrow, which is precisely what Black Panther represented as well."
The Smithsonian's four-day African American Film Festival will include screenings, classes, panels, and other special events. It looks like many of the specifics are yet to be revealed since the festival's submission process only concluded last week, on June 22.
You can keep up with festival announcements and scheduling updates on the official website.
Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.
