MAKING WAR IS A BITCH

Yesterday, as most days, I received an email from a filmmaker who asked me to review his work, which was a cool horror film. This one was a trailer, but I must admit, it really peaked my interest. The other day, it was a video about a young woman joining a strip club.

No matter what the theme, I know I am in for something new and different. This is why I made my film, “War Is A Bitch.” I have never seen an all -female war film come out of Hollywood and I wanted to be the first to bring this depiction to life. The concept caught my attention and I was determined to make this film. But I didn’t want to make another typical sexist Hollywood film that showed women in some type of shower scene. Nor did I want to present a female as a trophy of the main character, who only shows up as a peripheral storyline when that character has girlfriend issues or the writer feels he needs to show a more sensitive side.

In fact, all of this brings up the point of why I am writing. I was brought up on movies. When many of my friends were hanging in the street trying to be superstar thugs I was watching films like, “Raiders of the Lost Ark.” But as always, something profound struck me; Hollywood films were the biggest pieces of propaganda promoting overt racist and sexist themes without a second thought. Even at that young age, I was appalled at how women were treated onscreen. I couldn’t understand how it was okay for James Bond to go around sleeping with all these women and be socially accepted as cool. Why couldn’t we have a female agent Bond, one who used her intelligence and wit versus her feminine wiles to overcome the villain?

What you will also find interesting is the notion that Bond can sleep with any woman he wants, regardless of color. Yet, to portray an African American or Asian man in touch with his sexuality and sleeping with a group of white women would send Hollywood into the mad house. They would literally lose their minds. After all, Asian men are supposed to be doing our laundry or performing Kung Fu, right?

But what is even worse is that the heads of Hollywood studios claim they are not racist, yet each year they put out movies and television programming which marginalizes African Americans. Taking it a step further, they go out of their way to construct a media paradigm that eliminates intelligent and talented African Americans in order to push the buffoonish acts of black comedies and the stereotypical ghetto attitude.

Then, to cause division within black Americans, they construct a mindset that any light-skinned black who tries to educate him or herself is trying to be white. So, they set the stage to endorse the thug image, financing film after film that deals with street life, calling it a true depiction of black life. They hand multi-million dollar movie deals to certain black comedians who promote the idea of smoking weed, dressing up as fat black women or speak ill of becoming educated in lieu of street smarts. Often, when African Americans do grace the screen, it is as a side character, written one-dimensionally, and meant to appease the audience as if this is “inclusion” into the system. Through programs like American Idol and the other numerous reality shows, they purposely push the idea of migrating en masse from school to quickly becoming rich and famous. This was designed and implement by Hollywood with a clear agenda.

The year is 2010 and the world has changed. Yet, Hollywood has not. In fact, they have gotten worse. Take reality shows for example. They demonstrate some of the most racist and disgusting depictions of African Americans you’ll ever see. They almost always have one, maybe two, blacks on the show and rest assured they will never win the prize. Producers edit the footage to show them in the most negative light or as insufficient players in the story. They also purposely instigated fights in order to get the black contestants kicked off the show. This is widely practiced by the majority of these shows, so I am not talking about isolated incidences or certain racist producers.

But, if Hollywood is the mastermind behind theses schemes and are acting like the ruling puppet master, why then are these shows so popular and gain high ratings? Well, there are a number of factors that play into this. But, one important equation that must be addressed is that there is a certain segment of the African American population trying to hold ourselves back.

Yes, there are people within the ranks who are working against the best interests of the whole. Films like “Precious” and stations like BET are part of that movement. They are supported and financed by segments of blacks and some of the elite white power structure to portray African Americans in a negative and degrading light.

Thus, such support and financing for these projects or programs is easily acquired versus those storylines or concepts that break through that mold and offer an alternative or balanced perspective. A down and out young black woman who is victimized by her mother and low income environment is more conducive to the tastes of sympathetic liberal whites than a young black woman who stands up and leads a struggle against oppression exposing the white political and economic social structure as the supreme architect of inequality and the progenitors of her current plight.

The same holds true for women in the industry. When Sharon Stone crossed her legs in Basic Instinct and shot to stardom, not many questioned the fact that she didn’t make it on her performance but rather on her use of sexuality. When Julia Roberts became famous for making it as a prostitute in Pretty Woman, very few were willing to address that fact that it was somehow socially acceptable for her to play such an unrealistic depiction of a hooker or why she had to play a hooker in the first place.

When Halle Berry won the Oscar for Monster’s Ball why did it have to include a racy sex scene that seemed to come out of nowhere? Yes, Hollywood is fostering these types of depictions but there is still that segment of us who are supporters of these images. The fight goes beyond mere onscreen portrayals but is a battle of deconstructing a cultural perspective deeply seated on both sides.

Hollywood’s agenda is clear and unwavering. Depict African Americans and women in the most negative light and keep that depiction going for as long as we can. So, in order to address this we first have to address the divide within ourselves. In other words, identifying those among us who are either working with them, or are chief financial supporters of these views. That is one approach. But something has come along to challenge Hollywood and its views. It is a free, uninhibited venue that is neither restricted by economic nor geographic location.

It is the web. With it, filmmakers everywhere are creating their very own views of the world. It is not controlled by Wall Street power players but by anyone with a digital camera and a dream. It is indeed a great time to be a filmmaker, as millions can see your work, far more than the average Hollywood theatrical distribution outlets. And, unlike Hollywood, where a screenwriter’s work is rewritten and/or filtered out because it does not conform to the studio executive’s agenda, the web offers filmmakers the opportunity to produce almost anything they can dream of. There is no submission policy or studio green light needed.

But the most exciting and yet dangerous element that may pose a real threat to Hollywood is that these filmmakers are not conforming to the racist and sexist playbook that the old guard has dominated for so long. For the first time, we are seeing a revolutionary approach dominated by a diversity of films covering any and all topics. Nothing is taboo. More importantly, these filmmakers are producing film after film honing their craft and in some cases, becoming better and more creative filmmakers than your Hollywood directors.

As the web grows and audiences become more accustomed to viewing movies online, Hollywood faces a real problem. Even the modes and method of distribution are becoming freer with platforms like Amazon, iTunes and Netflix becoming accessible to indie filmmakers. Independent cinema will offer independent thought and expression free of the Hollywood template story structure. However, Hollywood does have one advantage: star power. But even now, many actors are crossing over to do web series with the understanding that the next pool of talented filmmakers are working online.

There is one downside to all of this. The danger still lurks that this venue will follow that of the film festivals. It was hoped that the festival circuit would be the answer to the Hollywood closed-door policy, offering filmmakers a venue to show their films free of the politics of distribution companies and studio development departments. Unfortunately, that has not been the case. Many festivals have followed suit and adapted the same narrow and limited perspective in selection of films to be seen and within themselves. Some festivals have become political, becoming more concerned with promoting their Hollywood film lineup than the independent films.

But, if filmmakers choose not to follow in the footsteps of the past and continue to produce new and visionary work, then a change is possible. However, there are already signs that it may not be the case, with many filmmakers trying to please Hollywood and the festivals by producing mainstream product that they believe will be accepted by these venues. In addition, the web is becoming more closed off and confined with the emergence of mini social networks within networks. Yes, filmmakers can build a following, fan club or tribe on sites like Facebook, Twitter or Ning but that same unique opportunity to rise to notoriety may limit the exposure a filmmaker receives. There are more mobile apps being developed, incorporating social media aspects and sites that generate a following that your audience may just be confined to one or two of the major platforms.

Unless there is some way to aggregate your audience onto one application, you may end up with a fractured and segment audience. One answer to this is a site called ibuzzfilms.com which addresses this issue by offering a space for filmmakers, actors, and writers to come together under one platform, which is sort of a launching pad to connect to other platforms. This unique approach will allow filmmakers to stay in one area yet connect with other venues while still under one roof.

No matter how you look at it, filmmakers have more opportunity now than ever before. But will filmmakers select to pave a way for themselves by exploring new subject matters and distribution platforms or support the old paradigm that has been in existence for years? Hollywood feeling this imminent threat may select to acquire any new platforms that emerge in order to keep the old model going.

However, if filmmakers can hold onto the idea of “independent” maybe Hollywood will follow suit and change in accordance with the time. As such, it is important that the indie’s remain true to themselves in order to pave the way for a better and brighter future. This could mean an explosion of an entirely new crop of industry power brokers with an eye on visionary work as opposed to the same old racist and demeaning propaganda that has long since dominated our awareness.