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PORTSIDE CULTURE

WHAT IS A BLACK FILM? THIS AND OTHER TANTALIZING QUESTIONS ARE
TACKLED IN JUSTIN SIMIEN’S NEW DOCUMENTARY, ‘HOLLYWOOD BLACK’  
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Toure
August 7, 2024
The Grio
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_ OPINION: Simien, the director behind "Dear White People," takes a
deep dive into Black cinematic history on MGM+. _

Justin Simien attends the SAGindie Filmmakers Lunch At Sundance Film
Festival at Cafe Terigo on January 27, 2020 in Park City, Utah. ,
(Photo by Fred Hayes/Getty Images for SAGindie)

 

_EDITOR’S NOTE: THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE IS AN OP-ED, AND THE VIEWS
EXPRESSED ARE THE AUTHOR’S OWN._ _READ MORE __OPINIONS_
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What is a Black film? How do we know it’s a Black film? These are
slippery questions that defy Dr. Umar-ish simplicity about what is or
isn’t Black. Is it a Black film because it’s a story about Black
characters that stars Black actors? OK, but what if that story about
Black characters is directed by a white person? “The Wiz
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story that has a particularly African-American flair to it. But it’s
directed by the great Sidney Lumet, who was white. “The Color Purple
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Soldier’s Story [[link removed]]”
tell deeply African-American stories, but they, too, were directed by
white men — Steven Spielberg and Norman Jewison. What about Quentin
Tarantino’s “Jackie Brown
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released in 1997, it’s basically a Blaxploitation film. But, also,
what about the brilliant film “Shame
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Steve McQueen? There are no major Black characters but it’s directed
by a Black man. 

This question and more are part of a fascinating new docuseries about
the history of Black cinema on MGM+ called “Hollywood Black
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Justin Simien, best known for directing “Dear White People.” It
premieres on Sunday, Aug. 11. Simien walks us through an encyclopedic
vision of Black cinema from “The Birth of a Nation
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to the complex films of Jordan Peele. Simien argues that whoever
controls cinema controls history, and the power to make films is the
power to liberate. When we think of how moving images can shape the
way people perceive society, we know that there have been films that
have contributed to our oppression by highlighting anti-Black
stereotypes and there are films that have contributed to our
liberation by making us look amazing.

Simien interviews a who’s who of Black cinematic giants like Ava
DuVernay, Ryan Coogler, Reggie Hudlin, Forest Whitaker, Issa Rae,
Giancarlo Esposito, Lena Waithe and more. Together they work through
the genius of Hattie McDaniel, the brilliance of the 1968 documentary
“Symbiopsychotaxiplasm
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and the importance of the 1978 film “Killer of Sheep
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This is a deep dive into Black cinematic history.

People who know Hollywood’s relationship with Black creators often
discuss the essential question: Are we in right now or are we out? As
in, are we hot or cold? One of the central questions of “Hollywood
Black” is: Are we cyclical or part of the firmament? Hollywood tends
to love Black creators for a time and then forgets about them. Each
boom makes it look like, OK, this time we’re finally part of the
fabric of the place. And then the energy around Black films
evaporates. 

In the early to mid-’70s, the explosion of Blaxploitation led to
lots of Black films. By the end of the decade, the wave was over.
Black cinema took a leap forward in the mid- to late-’80s as Spike
Lee, John Singleton, the Hughes brothers and others made hot films.
That boom subsided, too. There was a moment in recent years when it
appeared like we had finally made it. From 2016 to 2018 we saw Academy
Award winner “Moonlight
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box office champion “Black Panther
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“Get Out [[link removed]]” by Jordan
Peele, “Sorry To Bother You
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the massive success of Ava DuVernay, Issa Rae, Lena Waithe and more.
It looked like this was more than another boom. We were in for good.
Right?

Simien says no. He says that moment has ended and it’s now nearly
impossible to get anything made unless it’s a sequel. We are back at
the drawing board. Anyone who hopes to join this industry one day and
make Black films should beware. Sometimes Hollywood loves us and
sometimes we are the forgotten stepchild. Your career will wax and
wane based on things that have nothing to do with the quality of your
work. But, as a way of understanding what’s going on, watch
“Hollywood Black,” an epic history of this epic thing called Black
cinema.

[Touré, theGrio.com]

_TOURE IS A HOST AND WRITER AT THEGRIO. HE HOSTS THE THEGRIO TV SHOW
“__MASTERS OF THE GAME_ [[link removed]]_,”
AND HE CREATED THE AWARD-WINNING PODCAST “__BEING BLACK: THE ’80S_
[[link removed]]_” AND
ITS UPCOMING SEQUEL “BEING BLACK: THE ’70S.” HE IS ALSO THE
CREATOR OF “__STAR STORIES_ [[link removed]]_” AND
THE AUTHOR OF EIGHT BOOKS, INCLUDING “__NOTHING COMPARES 2 U AN ORAL
HISTORY OF PRINCE_
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HE ALSO HOSTS A PODCAST CALLED “__TOURE SHOW_
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HE IS ALSO A HUSBAND AND A FATHER OF TWO._

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* Hollywood Black
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