This mock commercial for a Black Moses Barbie toy is the 3rd & final in a series of 3 celebrating the legacy of Harriet Tubman. It is part of Pierre Bennu’s larger series of paintings and films deconstructing and re-envisioning images of people of color in commercial & pop culture.

This interview was taped before a Live! Studio! Audience! immediately prior to a screening of a selection of Exittheapple short films. It was part of a monthly series of interviews with Baltimore/Maryland filmmakers called Screen Test. Learn more at the link!

I Will Not Be Defeated from pierre bennu on Vimeo.

Have you ever been eating with somebody & then they taste something disgusting and immediately offer it to you to share in the experience? “YUK! Here, taste this!” I have never understood that exchange.

I also have never understood why so many folks claim to despise negative stereotypical images fed to us, but continue to support them.

I believe Melvin Van Peebles was the one that once said Hollywood has an Achilles wallet: if it makes money no matter what it is they will make it. So it could be said that Hollywood and televison are artistically/politically/morally neutral – they couldn’t care less if it’s a movie about Madea or Mumia as long as it makes money. Examples range from corporate support and wide distribution of Michael Moore’s antiestablishment documentaries, to the Kwanzaa cups at McDonald’s. It could be further said that the responsibility lies with the audience then, to make quality decisions that in turn effect the quality and content of the material. But it seems to me that every time there is an award show on BET or a racist misogynistic reality show or a poorly written melodramatic farce celebrating contemporary coonery, folks FLOCK to it in unprecedented numbers.

Some claim intellectual curiousity, some say they can’t comment unless they see it, some just love it as a guilty pleasure – all of which are fine. My issue comes with the fact that if you put money into supporting these projects then they will continue to make them – even bigger and more frequently. My greater issue comes with the fact that we collectively as audience members don’t find and support the alternatives with the same amount of enthusiasm. We don’t search out and support and vote with our dollars for the films, shows, movies and art that enhance and cleberate our mythology.

Boycotting beef for its unhealthy practices has forced supermakets to carry healthier grades of meat; it is because of people’s knowledge of pesticides and their action against buying those things that we have the word organic plastered on everything. Our money is our vote. Enough people did not buy the crappy stuff and voted with their dollars for the more expensive, more difficult to find, healthier alternatives – and the market changed to adapt for that. Healthier options are now more accessible, less expensive, and companies are falling all over themselves to offer them.

The current talk of the town is the new Tyler Perry adaptation of Ntozake Shange’s “For Colored Girls…” There is a lot of dissenting opinion over whether he should have been the one to handle such sensitive and culturally important material, and critics are already panning the result. But even among those who claim to not like the idea are many who are willing to contribute toward the success of its opening night. I can’t count how many folk – most of whom could never stand a Tyler Perry flick – are organizing viewing parties and screening trips.

To sum up the questions this calls to mind for me:

Why do we support things that we proclaim not to like? Do we just like to hate? Are we a hater nation? A group folks who rather than taking the time to find the things that serve our soul, would rather eat what’s offered to us no matter how bad because the temporary moment of collective hate gives us a sense of unity, inclusion and power?

I use the term ‘hate’ with some trepidation b/c i feel like the term has its own issues. Too often we claim ‘hate’ for honest, constructive criticism — or hold back criticism for fear of being labeled a hater. But if we stigmatize all criticism as hate, what does that do to our ability to hold our cultural output to a higher standard? Are we doomed instead to accept without feedback whatever drivel is produced in our name?

Do we not realize that these films, songs, and images travel around the world, and are projected forward in time? They serve as our representation in places we may never go personally.

I feel like we are commenting on how sad the fire burning down our house is instead of trying to put the flames out.

We have the advantage of coming from a technological time of incredible diversity. Between TV, movies, cable, and the internet we have more choice in entertainment than previous generations could have imagined. Today’s adults also have the advantage of spanning eras – we may look at violent video games in a different way, for example, because we were rasied on pin ball machines and Pac Man. What we fail to realize is that right now is the oldschool for someone else. What kind of impact are we having on the future if we dont make diversity available to the future tastemakers of society?

The history of race in hollywood is far beyond the scope of what i want to talk about here, but i’ll just say that race has been wound up in the growth of the genre since its invention. Film has not made a growth spurt or technological innovation without a significant statement on its perception of people of color.

1st feature length movie: the birth of a nation
first ‘talkie’: the jazz singer
first color film: gone with the wind
one of the first films shot digitally: starwars phantom menace (need i remind you of jar jar binks, the ridiculous ‘asian’ stereotype characters which opened the movie, or the ‘jewish’ mosquito character?)
honorable mention as a large advance in special effects: king kong (a movie i feel like they remake every 5 minutes)

but no longer can we completely point the finger at a Hollywood system that won’t let us in, if we are the ones behind the camera and more importantly the ones supporting the exact type of product we wish to change. one of the most important parts of any performance is the audience. if we are an audience that does not seek out and celebrate the best, we can’t expect the best.

I will not belittle Tyler Perry as i feel he is NOT the problem. The problem as I see it is diversity/choice. The problem is distribution and access. The problem is that there never seem to be any more than 4 actors of color in theatres at any one time – usually in a comedy and usually not the lead. The problem is that despite the technology available to us, we do not have as much choice and variety as we may think. The problem is, i have a new favorite film I’m going to recommend at the end of this piece, and could only find one possible place for you to see it.

Name 2 asian american leads in a film this year or in the past 5 that wasnt a comedy
Name 1 lead actress of african decnst in a dramatic film in the past ten
Name a “Quirky” indie film that stars an majority Latino cast
Name a film with a Middle Eastern character who is not the villain.
Name a film with a gay lead character where their sexuality was not the central issue of the story.
Name a special effects movie or science fiction movie with major cast members of color.
Name a movie where the lead black male had power that he doesn’t give away to a white character.

I don’t claim to have the answers. I’m trying my best, with my humble store and film company but i’m only one person with one vote and one voice. We all have to work at this if we want change. Entertainment has never been JUST entertainment for us. Throughout our history, entertainment has been a tool/instrument of revolution, and a barometer of change. Don’t negate the power of social media and the internet as one of these tools. Our ancestors in this country did a lot more with a lot less.

Seek the alternative. Find it, support it, spread the word about it. I just watched a Brazilian film from 2009 called Besouro – about a legendary capoiera player in 1920s Bahia, Brazil. I cannot express what a life-changing film this was for me, but i intend to try in a future post. In the meantime, here is the link the the trailer. You can purchase the DVD on amazon.com – PLEASE do so, then hold a screening party.

Support good film.

This week we cap off the season with a selection of short film and avant-garde music videos. The program will include many of Pierre Bennu’s award-winning shorts. Including the clip of the soon to re-released “Red Bone Guerillas” & and very special NEVER seen before episode of the series “story” that was too crazy to post.

Snacks will be provided!
come yell at the screen with your friends one last time

for more info call: 410 962 1475

Red Clay: High and Low from Shawn Peters on Vimeo.

“A new performance art project that we have been working on with RED CLAY called High and Low, the name is based on the Kurosawa film with the same title. We take High art to common places and see what reactions we get.” – Shawn Peters

Come join us for a movie night featuring offbeat 2007 indie flick Great World of Sound: directed by Craig Zobel. As always: FREE movie, light snack, loose and comfortable mood.

“Great World of Sound” follows Martin (Pat Healy), as he applies for a job at a company training prospective “music producers”. During training he pairs up with another new employee, Clarence (Kene Holliday), a middle aged man trying to change his career path. As record producers, the two travel to towns where the company has placed newspaper ads to find undiscovered musicians. They are seeking talent for the record label- signing new artists and giving them a chance to let their music be heard… for a small fee. It’s going great at first, but soon Martin and Clarence begin to question whether the company is as virtuous as it promises to be in its promise to give people their dream.This film evokes the image of the traveling salesman- a talent salesman- to address the increasing trend of people looking for a shortcut to fame. The film also examines the people who promise such an easy path- commenting that a “scam artist” rarely believes they are one, and that often the scam artist is being scammed himself.

This event is brought to you by exittheapple in conjunction with Westnorth Studio and is sponsored by Station North Arts Inc.

The Black Box: Baltimore’s African-American indie filmmakers search for an audience | Baltimore City Paper.

‘Born Free’ song by M.I.A
Directed by Romain Gavras
Director of photography André Chemetoff

M.I.A, Born Free from ROMAIN-GAVRAS on Vimeo.