Inspiration
Many people ask what inspires me to become a filmmaker. Normally, my answers were abstract: I love storytelling, I want to create something that I can put myself or my sister in, I want to add more color to the screen, I want to leave my mark (my "twisted" vision) on the world, etc, etc, I could go on. But this past summer I got new inspiration; to make sure the travesty of movies like "The Last Airbender" can stop happening. Though I am a black woman, and wish to see more of my kind on the screen, I feel as though no movement that fights for the advancement of their own group and no one else, will be a success. I was so disappointed as an American seeing the blatant whitewashing of a film defended in huge numbers for the sake of having "the most talented actors" when clearly this was not the case. Seeing people argue that because this is an American film, based on an American cartoon that it made more sense to cast white, as though this was a country made up purely of white people, as though we weren't one of the most ethnically diverse countries in the world. Even worse to have it perpetuated by a minority, a director of Indian descent.
In the end, this argument for white characters fell flat, as the movie in every other aspect, sucked! It sucked so badly that it was probably better off that the reputation of young Asian actors and actresses weren't tarnished in droves by being a part of it. As a result, the fact that many people have been arguing, and I've been afraid of, for a few years now has become nearly fact. Shyamalan's lost it. Whatever he once had, or whatever people believed he once had, is gone. He is a joke, and it makes me upset as an ethnic minority who wants to see other minority filmmakers succeed. The problem is, he messed with one of my favorite shows ever, so the care I would have had, had this most recent blow been from any other movie, is lessened significantly. I keep my fingers crossed that Paramount gets its act together and buys out whatever contract Shyamalan has so that he can't mess up anymore of Avatar: The Last Airbender.
Airbender has become my new inspiration. I want to become a filmmaker so that I can make the change a more plausible reality. I want to make films that the "general moviegoing public" would enjoy with lead actors and actresses of all hues, so that one day the default white standard will be an outdated premise. Till then...
You had your chance Shyamalan, now move on before you make it even harder for yourself.... And us!
video by college humor, check them out!
written by Anept-het
I absolutely feel you on this one, baby sis. As you well know ... It's sad that it came to this, especially seeing as to how you and I both rooted for M.Night for so long, inspite of his ever worsening writing/directorial career.
ReplyDeleteAs minorities going into a field that is still dominated by white men, you want to see other PoC succeed. Unfortunately M.Night's insensitivity and ignorance to issues of race and the constant perpetuation of stereotypes in our media only proved to many of us that he is as out of touch on those issues as he is on what constitutes a good story.