I love how Viola answers Michael Fassbender's question: "I think that African Americans represent 12.5 percent of the population and that is not the demographic that we are targeting in the movie and television industry."
I mean, it's just about the nicest way in the world to say that Hollywood just doesn't give a fuck about black people without actually saying that Hollywood just doesn't give a fuck about black people.
But, seriously, I'm so bored of this conversation centering around when white people are going to be less racist and notice that we are here. It is clear from this roundtable, The Hollywood Reporter's roundtable with director Steve McQueen, the conversation and debates around Red Tails and Pariah, and, shit, the entire history of Hollywood that Black people need to figure out how to make, market and distribute our own films. For us.
How do we get our movies made and into theaters in our own neighborhoods? I can't imagine that if you made a good movie for about $10-50 million and put it in theaters in every black neighborhood in America, that it wouldn't turn a profit. Not everything would, but not every white film turns a profit.
And I'm not talking about getting our own studios and then doing the same thing Hollywood does by targeting white men and hoping black folks will come out of solidarity. I'm talking about what Tyler Perry is doing in targeting black people first, everyone else second, but with a broader slate of films.
I wish someone would start thinking about doing this.
