The last couple of weeks have been all a buzz about a few new films that are scheduled for release or have been slowly released in select cities in independent cinemas. The conversations are not entirely about the content or the plot of the film themselves, but more so on black filmmakers and non-black filmmakers telling and financing genuine stories that don’t show black characters in a stereotyped, one-dimensional way.
To start, my Twitter timeline has been flooded with compliments and kudos to the the cast and director of the movie Pariah. I admit I had no clue what everyone was talking about aside that it is a new movie featuring Kim Wayans. If you know anything about the Wayans clan in which Kim is a part of, you know that they are a rogue group of siblings with many television and movie credits and their insatiable talent of just being funny. Kim is no exception as I still laugh at her characters from their variety show, In Living Color, in which she did a parody of Grace Jones, Oprah and Tracy Chapman in addition to her own characters. However, the word is Kim has taken on a serious, dramatic role for the film.
The movie tells the coming of age story of Alike, a 17-year-old coming to terms with her own sexual identity as a lesbian. Kim Wayans plays Alike’s conservative mother who has a hard time dealing with and accepting her child’s sexual orientation. Based on some tweets I read, it gets real intense between mother and daughter.
Dee Rees is the film’s director and is known as Spike Lee’s protege’ as Lee is the executive producer of Pariah. As reported by the LA Times, Rees spent her early career years marketing panty liners and bunion pads before entering NYU’s film school, and is a new comer that’s on the come-up. She has already directed the 2008 Eventual Salvation, a documentary on her grandmother’s efforts to help rebuild war-torn community in Liberia, and she currently working on a project for HBO that will feature actress Viola Davis and a thriller flick called “Bolo.”
With Pariah, Rees is tapping into rarely chartered waters; a main or lead character who is a black gay female. Within the same LA Times article, she was asked about similarities between her reality and the character. Rees readily states that it’s not really autobiographical. Yet, she admits there are some thematic similarities.
“I very much related to the idea of sexual identity and how it doesn’t have to be black and white. When I first came out, there would be butch people in baseball caps, and that wasn’t me, and then there were girls in heels and dresses, and that didn’t feel like that was me either. But after a while I learned there’s a lot of ground in between.” – Dee Rees
She was also asked about what influenced the character of Alike, especially as the character type is so rarely seen on film.
“Growing up I was very aware that there weren’t many people like me on the screen. My only queer reference was from a few scenes in “The Color Purple” – and I had to leave the room for them. My role models came mainly from books, Toni Morrison and Alice Walker and a lot of others.” – Dee Rees
While Hollywood executives may not be eagerly knocking down Rees’ door for opportunities, Pariah certainly has not gone unnoticed at least by one of Hollywood’s elite. During her acceptance speech at the Golden Globes last night, actress Meryl Streep gave a special shout to the cast and director.
For many within the black and LGBT community this film may be the fresh water needed as I do hear a bit often that the black female queer voice is very invisible on film. Viewers are thirsty for this! In D.C. Pariah is currently playing at the E Street Cinema.
After viewing a lesbian teen navigating her way and becoming comfortable with who she is, movie goers can venture to another reality for a moment by seeing what it is like for a dark skinned girl. In case you missed it, a while back I briefly mentioned Dark Girls, a documentary produced and directed by Bill Duke. The documentary divulges on what it’s like to be a dark complexion female growing up and living in America. The trailer, released last summer over social media networks, caused quite a stir as the film brings to light issues that affect a great deal of black females; including the dark vs light skinned, an internal (and external) battle that has plagued black females for years; from slavery to present day.
Though Duke has been touring major cities with the film, having one or two day showings since early fall, the documentary is finally coming to D.C. on Jan. 20. at the Warner Theatre, for one showing only. Tickets are available via the box office or on the official website for the documentary. For updates on schedule cities and show times go to the Dark Girls Facebook page.
Also to be released on Jan. 20 is Red Tails. The movie, which is based on the true story and events of the Tuskegee Airmen. Director and producer George Lucas (of Star Wars fame) has been very vocal about the challenges he faced in bringing Red Tails to the masses. In an appearance on The Daily Show, Lucas made it known that Hollywood rejected the idea of funding the film because of its all black cast. Hollywood execs gave Lucas the excuse that they simply did not know how to market a movie with no major or leading white cast member(s).
Although there was an original production from 1942, Lucas began work on developing the film 23 years ago. After receiving Hollywood’s rejections, Lucas put up his own money to finance the project (including marketing), which stands at 58 billion. It’s the first big budget action film featuring an all black cast.
While there were writers and a director that was originally slated for the project, in the end Anthony Hemingway (known for directing two HBO series; The Wire and Treme’) was selected. John Ridley and Aaron MacGruder (creator of the popular and ever controversial comic Boondocks) were selected as writers. The film’s cast includes; Cuba Gooding Jr., Terrence Howard, Ne-Yo, Method Man, Marcus T. Paulk, Jazmine Sullivan and plenty others.
As Lucas is making his rounds promoting the movie and speaking on Hollywood’s rejection, the black community is talking. While he is most known for his syndicated morning show, Russ Parr is also a filmmaker, having produced and directed independent films The Last Stand, Love For Sale and 35 and Ticking. On Friday, Parr made an appeal to his listeners to take the time to see Red Tails. He mentioned how Lucas has been speaking up about Hollywood. Parr also mentioned his feelings and thoughts on why Hollywood doesn’t want to take the chance with Red Tails or any other films of its caliber.
“Sometimes we can be our own worse enemy,” stated Parr as he dug back to when the NAACP called for a boycott against the movie The Color Purple simply because Steven Spielberg was behind the project. Yet one has to wonder were there any black filmmakers around during that part of the 80s willing to step up and explore Alice Walker’s Pulitzer-Prize winning novel.
In a 1997 Essence Magazine interview with the author BeBe Moore Campbell, Whoopi Goldberg, who stared as the protagonist Celie in the movie The Color Purple, addressed the issue of facing “the color establishment”; namely the NAACP.
“When I run into individual Black folks–male and female–they don’t seem to have a problem with me,” Goldberg muses. “They tell me they appreciate me and my work. It’s only when I seem to bump heads against the Color Establishment…” Her voice trails off.
Until very recently our Black leaders have been virtually all male. In 1985 a segment of the Color Establishment deemed The Color Purpleanti-Black male (which, rightly or wrongly, often translates into anti-Black people in a way that being anti-Black female rarely does). Like Ntozake, Alice, Terry and the other Black female artists who have been attacked by the testosterone-fueled culture police for creating politically incorrect Black male characters, Whoopi was pinned with an anti-Black tag that continues to shape our perceptions of her.
About the Color Purple debacle she says forthrightly, “Mister didn’t represent every Black man. Still, we were attacked by the NAACP, who then attacked the Academy because we didn’t win any awards. That’s schizophrenic! To this day, I feel that there is a sour taste in the mouths of Academy members as far as Black projects are concerned because of the NAACP stance.” There is indignation in Goldberg’s tone, but there is also vulnerability.
“The NAACP hurt my feelings,” she says softly.
That same sour taste in The Academy’s mouth is something that Parr believes (as he told his listeners) is a savoring taste that Hollywood has yet to completely swallow and don’t want any parts of a protest by the NAACP or any establishment sof the like.
So could it be that as we allow establishments such as the NAACP speak to Hollywood on our behalf that we have successfully confused the major motion picture industry? We want to cry foul when there are no major budget films featuring a strong black actor lead and a soft “B” or “C” list white actor as the sidekick. We want to throw jabs at the industry for having a white male with clout, willing to put everything on the line to finance and bring forth our story that will feature everything we want in a black character.
Thankfully, so far no one seems to object to Lucas’ hard earn attempts to bring forth Red Tails; unlike some of the harshest critics of The Help, which was originally written by a white woman telling the story of black domestic workers in the segregated south. In fact, Lucas seems to be praised right now. Yet, I wonder why. Why are we praising Lucas today and “yesterday” we were ready to crucify Spielberg? Oh wait….is this a generational thing? I’m not sure. It’s something to think about.
Yet, could have actions of past outcry over such caused the initial financial road blocks for Lucas or any other filmmaker, black or white, a Dee Rees or Bill Duke telling “the black experience” in fictional or documentary form? Somehow, I don’t think that’s far from the truth.
As reported by the Huffington Post:
“ Lucas told USA Today that he was worried that if Red Tails was a failure, it could have negative repercussions for black filmmakers. “I realize that by accident I’ve now put the black film community at risk [with Red Tails, whose $58 million budget far exceeds typical all-black productions],” he said. “I’m saying, if this doesn’t work, there’s a good chance you’ll stay where you are for quite a while. It’ll be harder for you guys to break out of that [lower-budget] mold. But if I can break through with this movie, then hopefully there will be someone else out there saying let’s make a prequel and sequel, and soon you have more Tyler Perrys out there.” “
Hopefully we the viewers will do our part…to be open and explore with these filmmakers and no accept the mundane and stereotyped. So much so that we do become a visible voice in Hollywood. Then again, who needs Hollywood?
I implore you to check out these films in a city near you. I’m sure going to try my hardest – tight budget and all – to see these flicks. They all sound too good!
Mahoganie: Musings East of the Anacostia River 
Posted on January 16, 2012
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