There's a reason Tyler Perry and Lee Daniels are the ones we see making movies about the lives of African-American women.
Black Women and the Hollywood Shuffle
by Nsenga Burton | The Root.com
"Now I am an illusion, just like the films. They see me but they can't recognize me." --Mignon Duprée (played by Lonette McKee), Illusions, directed by Julie Dash, 1982
Director Julie Dash's critically acclaimed short film Illusions examines the precarious role that black women play in the Hollywood film industry. In it, black women exist along the periphery of the industry, even though their talents are central to the success of the studio. Although Illusions was made almost 30 years ago, the challenges that black women face in the film industry have changed very little.
Why? Because patriarchy pretty much rules. Hollywood is thought to be this liberal, diverse space that welcomes creativity and difference. The reality, of course, is that the film industry remains overwhelmingly white and male. Just this year, Kathryn Bigelow became the first woman to win an Academy Award for directing -- even though women have been making movies for more than 100 years. Dorothy Arzner, a white lesbian, and Eloise Gist, a black woman, were both prolific presences directing films during the 1920s. But despite this history, women filmmakers of any race have yet to experience the same levels of success as men. Today only 6 percent of films in Hollywood are directed by women.
Why? Two words: money and trust. Observes filmmaker and publicist Ava DuVernay, "Hollywood is a patriarchal structure that values men. Even in the independent film industry, you have to be able to convince someone, usually a man, to trust you with his money and that he will actually make it back."
Veteran actress Lonette McKee agrees. Hollywood, she says, is no different from corporate America, where women routinely bump their heads against a financial glass ceiling. Filmmaking is a reflection on society. "We live in a racist and sexist society. Why expect Hollywood to be any different?" She adds, "Hollywood is a good ol' boys' club, and black women are not privy to entrance, and that's a fact."
Read the Full Essay @ The Root.com
***
Nsenga K. Burton is editor-at-large and a regular contributor to The Root. She recently completed the film Four Acts, a documentary on the 2007 public servants' strike in South Africa. Black Women and the Hollywood Shuffle
by Nsenga Burton | The Root.com
"Now I am an illusion, just like the films. They see me but they can't recognize me." --Mignon Duprée (played by Lonette McKee), Illusions, directed by Julie Dash, 1982
Director Julie Dash's critically acclaimed short film Illusions examines the precarious role that black women play in the Hollywood film industry. In it, black women exist along the periphery of the industry, even though their talents are central to the success of the studio. Although Illusions was made almost 30 years ago, the challenges that black women face in the film industry have changed very little.
Why? Because patriarchy pretty much rules. Hollywood is thought to be this liberal, diverse space that welcomes creativity and difference. The reality, of course, is that the film industry remains overwhelmingly white and male. Just this year, Kathryn Bigelow became the first woman to win an Academy Award for directing -- even though women have been making movies for more than 100 years. Dorothy Arzner, a white lesbian, and Eloise Gist, a black woman, were both prolific presences directing films during the 1920s. But despite this history, women filmmakers of any race have yet to experience the same levels of success as men. Today only 6 percent of films in Hollywood are directed by women.
Why? Two words: money and trust. Observes filmmaker and publicist Ava DuVernay, "Hollywood is a patriarchal structure that values men. Even in the independent film industry, you have to be able to convince someone, usually a man, to trust you with his money and that he will actually make it back."
Veteran actress Lonette McKee agrees. Hollywood, she says, is no different from corporate America, where women routinely bump their heads against a financial glass ceiling. Filmmaking is a reflection on society. "We live in a racist and sexist society. Why expect Hollywood to be any different?" She adds, "Hollywood is a good ol' boys' club, and black women are not privy to entrance, and that's a fact."
Read the Full Essay @ The Root.com
***
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