A Message from the CEO

Message 1:
Published Online (November 2002)
Don't Complain...Compete!!

     There has been a great deal of controversy about the death of minority participation in the television and film media.  The NAACP's Kweisi Mfume, Jesse Jackson and other have weighed in on this battle at various times, taking the studios to task for their failure to diversify programming and staffing.  There have been boycott discussions.  Some may remember the late 60's, early 70's "blaxploitation" era.  Gordon Parks broke ground in 1969 with "The Learning Tree", then Melvin Van Peebles, with "Sweet Sweetback".  Gordon Parks followed up with Shaft in 1971.  In the ensuing five years we were deluged with "Black" films, written by non-Black writers who knew nothing of the subject matter of their films other than what they had seen on television and in other bad films.  The resulting "film cartoons" gave work to many Black actors, but effectively killed Black film for over a decade, until Spike Lee and Robert Townsend's films created a brief revival in the 80's.

     We are into the next millennium, still complaining that "Hollywood" won't tell our stories the way we want them told.  Here's a newsflash!  "Hollywood", i.e., Paramount, Warner Brothers, Disney, Sony Columbia, Fox, etc., owes us nothing!  Even our collective annual $2 billion box office clout does not give us the juice to dictate what projects the studios release.  If we somehow manage to organize a successful boycott of all studio films, the studios will hurt for a minute, then they will regroup to make a few Black-faced film "cartoons" until the heat is off, then they will revert to making even fewer films of relevance to African Americans.  the situation will remain unchanged.  The bottom line is that the studios answer to nobody other than their shareholders and until one of us becomes a majority shareholder, we have no juice!

     Instead of complaining about what "Hollywood" won't do for us, why are we not doing for ourselves?  Instead of complaining that someone else is not telling our stories, we should be supporting those who can and will.  Oscar Micheaux was America's first independent filmmaker, the first African American to write, direct, and produce a feature film in 1919.  He portrayed African Americans in a human, and even a heroic light during a time when mainstream films portrayed us as savages, mammies and buffoons.  He did this during a time before we were able to travel freely and vote as American citizens.  He did this with the support of African Americans who financed, exhibited and patronized his films.  The African American community now has the collective annual buying power of over $533 billion that exceeds the GNP of all developing nations in the world.  We patronize studio films to the tune of about $2 billion of the approximately $7 billion annual industry box office proceeds.  For example, "Big Momma's House" earned over $117 million domestic theatrical.  Of the 400 theatrical releases in 2000, it was one of only 171 to earn over $1 million in that year.

     Who do you think patronized that film in the majority?  The African American community loves Martin Lawrence!  What if an equivalent number of us decided to spend $8 a piece to support independent filmmakers who tell our stories?  How about this approach.  what is only twenty percent of African Americans, approximately 6 million of the 33 million of us, were to spend the equivalent of one $8 theater admission to create a fund to finance, produce, distribute and exhibit independent feature and short films by African Americans and other ethnic filmmakers?  A quality feature film can be completed, distributed, and exhibited for under $2 million, while providing employment opportunities for over 100 film technicians, actors, and support personnel in the process.  Imagine this impact times twenty.  That's right, $48 million to do twenty four $2 million budget feature films with multicultural casts, about us by us and for all!  Imagine this happening annually.  What impact do you think that this could have on our young people, who would, for the first time, realize that it doesn't have to be the "other people" who make these films?  Film careers would be launched in our communities.  Writers, producers, and technicians would be trained and would be employed by this burgeoning independent, i.e., separate and soon to be equal, industry.  I've heard many say, "I'd support Black independent films if only I knew where to go to see them."  How about an investment in theaters?  how about two hundred Black-owned theaters in cities around the country and around the world that are devoted to independent films by people of color?  Short films by independent filmmakers could be shown during the intermissions.

     Desegregation may have been the most damaging event in our history.  Prior to desegregation, we supported our own out of necessity.  It's time for us to, once again, support our own, rather than whining about "Hollywood" will not do for us.  Let's end this reliance on others to tell our stories.

Don't Complain...Compete!!  Support your independent filmmakers.

-Cliff Pulliam, The Micheaux Foundation CEO

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