TheLoop21.com

By: Felicia Pride (Add to your loop)
Fri, 07/02/2010 - 00:00

If a movie isn't made by Tyler Perry then what do we have left?

Recently, the Los Angeles Times, published a somewhat grim article suggesting that black-oriented films without Tyler Perry attached will struggle harder these days to find a studio home. 

Centered on the success (or lack thereof) of Fox Searchlight, an outlet known for "urban" films like Notorious and I Think I Love My Wife, the article reasons that the weak box office performance of these movies and the recently-released Just Wright is pushing the studio (with the implication that other studios have or will follow) to abandon black-themed films. 



Zietchik writes:

 And without international box office to carry the slack (urban movies are generally seen as poor travelers) it can be hard for executives to make the case for black-oriented movies.

Lionsgate continues to be the dominant player in the category -- in the last 15 months, the studio had three movies that have grossed at least $50 million domestically. Of course, all three films have a certain creator at the controls -- Tyler Perry. Without him, it can be a tough course to navigate.



One man charged to keep black film thriving? Scary.

 I try not to believe the hype, but it isn’t a new revelation that Hollywood frequently suffers from a paralytic fear to release films with primarily black casts (unfortunately also known as urban films) without some recognizable pacifying stereotype or historical success barometer. 

The result is confining. Black artists seem to be constantly caught between two paradigms of industry standards.

In literature, it’s Toni Morrison and Terry McMillan. In film, it’s Tyler Perry and Will Smith. Anyone in between who doesn't meet the expectations of these confines are so often left behind—unfunded and unsupported.

The option left for most black filmmakers is going around the beast and making their own films. With the advent of technology, this alternative can be attractive. Of course let’s not romanticize the feat. There’s funding, distribution, marketing.

 And that fickle, universal issue of audience support. Where are we when it counts? Opening weekend? At screenings? In lines for movies without Smith or Perry attached? At Best Buy purchasing the DVD versus copping it at the barbershop?



READ MORE:

• Angelina as Cleopatra: When in doubt, choose white
  
• Blind Sided by 'The Blind Side' and 'White-people-as-Savior' Films
• Tyler Perry: All that glitters ain't gold
• The Adverse Journey of Black Filmmakers

These were some of the questions and concerns circulating in the air at the 14th annual African American Film Festival which took place June 23-26 in Miami, FL. Black filmmakers and film gathered to learn from industry insiders, screen their projects, network, share their support for film, and beat the hype. The festival saw a 45 percent increase in film screening attendance. 

With the LA Times article fresh in my mind, I sought perspective. I asked black actors, producers, writers, and filmmakers one question: What do you think about the state of black film? 

Their thoughts:

Effie Brown, producer, The Inheritance  
“It’s very complicated, but I believe that things are getting better.