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The 75th Golden Globe Awards Proved That Hollywood Rarely Learns from Its Mistakes

It's strange to think that the 75th Golden Globe Awards were only a year ago. The image of filmmakers, actors, and guests, proudly clad in black and showcasing their support for the #metoo movement was so impactful, that it almost seems like no time has passed at all. And yet, watching this year's awards, I was left under the strong impression that all the protests, expressions of solidarity, and calls for change are but a hazy, distant dream, at least as far as Hollywood is concerned. While Sandra Oh and Andy Samberg were absolutely delightful as hosts and gave the ceremony their all, they couldn't compensate for a night marked by controversial choices.

In a twist of irony, and in jarring contrast to last year's overwhelming support for the #metoo movement, this year's award for best film (drama) was given to Bohemian Rhapsody - a movie, whose director was fired amid a flurry of sexual abuse allegations. The feature itself was also no stranger to criticism, most notably for "toning down" Freddie Mercury's sexuality. And yet, despite all of these troubling factors, and despite facing off against critically and commercially successful films like Black Panther,  A Star is Born, If Beale Street Could Talk, and BlacKkKlansman, Bohemian Rhapsody was crowned Winner.

Things didn't look any better in the comedy category, where the statuette was awarded to The Green Book, a film inspired by the life of African-American classical and jazz pianist Don Shirley (portrayed by Mahershala Ali). What makes the feature's win problematic, is the fact that its story is told largely through the eyes of Shirley's white bodyguard and friend Tony “Lip” Vallelonga (Viggo Mortensen).

To put things into context, Don Shirley was a musical prodigy who started playing piano at 2 and could play numerous classical pieces by the age of 10. He went on to become one of the most influential jazz musicians of all time. According to Igor Stravinsky, Shirley's "virtuosity is worthy of gods." And yet, The Green Book reduces him to a "Magical Negro" persona, whose sole purpose in the narrative is to enlighten his inexperienced white friend. Shirley's family condemned the film - his brother Maurice went as far as to express his distaste in a scalding letter:

As the only living brother of Dr. Donald W. Shirley, I, Maurice E. Shirley, Sr. am compelled to respond to this article. In agreement with Malcolm X who proffered that ‘every White man in America profits directly or indirectly from his position vis-a-vis Negroes, profits from racism even though he does not practice it or believe it.’ This movie, “The Green Book” is NOT about MY brother, but about money, white privilege, assumption, and Tony Lip!

And yet, once again, well-founded criticism fell on deaf ears and The Green Book was proclaimed victor, even though one can argue that several of the films among its competition (most notably The Favourite) were by far more deserving of the accolade. The film also snatched the awards for Best Screenplay (Musical/Comedy) and Best Actor in A Supporting Role for Mahershala Ali. Ali delivers a solid performance despite the film's questionable subject matter, but his win seems to merely reinstate the fact that The Golden Globes are happy to promote diversity only as long as it stays within the limits of secondary roles.

Not all was doom and gloom, however. Olivia Colman's brilliant portrayal of Queen Anne in The Favourite earned her a statuette in the Best Actress (Comedy/ Musical) category, while Regina King went home with the award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her performance in If Beale Street Could Talk. Furthermore, her role in Seven Seconds brought her a nomination in the Best Actress (Limited Series) division. Host Sandra Oh snatched the prize for Best Actress (TV Drama) for her performance in Killing Eve, and delivered a short but powerful speech, while Alfonso Cuarón's visually arresting Roma received accolades for both Best Director and Best Foreign Film. Elsewhere, the stylish and edgy Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse - which I am looking forward to discussing very soon - won the Best Animated Motion Picture award.

And yet, despite giving us some reasons to cheer, the 76th Globes will ultimately be remembered for openly celebrating the arguably mediocre work of a director accused of sexual abuse, and for awarding a film which reduces a legendary musician to a stereotype seeped in reverse racism.

I really wanted to believe that, like Sandra Oh put it, "this moment of change...is real," and things will start improving from now on, however slowly. Nevertheless, I couldn't shake the uneasy feeling that last year's passionate support for the #metoo movement has been all but forgotten. For Hollywood town, it seems, it's business as usual.

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LAEÏLA ADJOVI CREATES A MOVING VISUAL COMMENTARY ON AFRICAN IDENTITY IN HER PHOTOGRAPHIC SERIES “MALAIKA DOTOU SANKOFA”

Freedom, cultural identity, and rejection of age-old stereotypes and prejudice, are only a few of the topics explored in Laeïla Adjovi and Loic Hoquet’s beautiful and multilayered series of photographs, entitled Malaika Dotou Sankofa.

The thought-provoking images depict a black woman with a set of striking multicolored wings, who finds herself trapped in a dingy derelict building, complete with crumbling walls, blacked-out paintings, and barred doors.

Although her wings can be seen as the ultimate symbol of freedom, Malaika is initially unable to escape the confines of her prison. Clad in a drab and worn business suit, she is seen wearily observing stacks of old books, reading, and solemnly contemplating. One of the shots reveals an antique typewriter, surrounded by smashed watermelons and scattered books. The final images portray her as spreading her wings and presumably escaping through a broken wall.

The heroine’s name mirrors her struggles – “Malaika” is Swahili for “angel” while “Dotou” means “stay determined, strong” in the Fon language of Benin, Adjovi’s native tongue. “Sankofa” can be translated from Adinkra as “return and get it” – an allusion to the importance of learning from the past and preserving one’s cultural identity.

Malaika’s wings are also laden with symbolism – they were inspired by the multicolored patchwork garments of the Baye Fall Muslim religious community in Senegal.

“I wanted to give life to a creature that would express the idea that we are still struggling to bring about real change in our relations with the rest of the world,” explains Adjovi. “Malaïka tells us that when we Africans rise – and yes, we will – it needs to be on our own terms.”

Malaika Dotou Sankofa won the Leopold-Sédar-Senghor Grand Prix at the 13th Dakar Biennale of contemporary African art. Find out more about ths unique series of photographs, and explore the work of Adjovi and Hoquet by visiting their website and Vimeo page, respectively.

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“SANCHO: AN ACT OF REMEMBRANCE” – HONORING THE HISTORY OF BLACK BRITISH IDENTITY

Every now and then we hear about an extraordinary and inspirational historical figure, whose life story was hitherto unknown to us, and who completely changes our perception of the past. Ignatius Sancho, an 18th-century composer, writer and the first Black British citizen to vote in a British election was precisely such a figure. Yet, regrettably, despite Sancho’s historical significance and many accomplishments, he remains largely unknown today.

Fortunately, British actor Paterson Joseph has set out to rectify this by penning, directing and starring in a play devoted to Sancho’s fascinating life.

Born into slavery, Ignatius was orphaned at the age of two and sent to work as a servant in England. There, his exceptional intellect drew the attention of the 2nd Duke of Montagu, who lent him books and encouraged him to study. Although Sancho joined the Montagu household as a butler, he quickly outgrew the boundaries of his occupation, rising to become a famed composer who was welcomed in London art circles. In 1768, renowned portraitist Thomas Gainsborough immortalized Sancho’s charismatic presence through his art.

Yet Joseph’s play is not a simple retelling of Sancho’s life. Rather, it is an exploration and a celebration of Black British identity, which has been a part of British history for centuries, despite many history books’ silence on the matter. Joseph explains:

In the late Seventies my generation of young black peers grew up with the notion that we were the first manifestation of black British youth that had ever been seen on these islands. The majority of our parents, most of whom had arrived in the UK from Africa and the Caribbean islands in the Fifties and Sixties, knew no different it seemed. We were to a great extent a people without a British history.

Ignatius Sancho’s story came as a poignant reminder that Black Britons have been persevering and making their mark on society for over two and a half centuries:

He struck me as a true British model of survival without overt heroism, and indefatigability without bitterness. A true Afro-Brit some two hundred and twenty years before The Empire Windrush set sail for Britain.

The play Sancho: An Act of Remembrance completed its US tour to great critical acclaim last month, and will open at London’s Wilton’s Music Hall on 4th June, with performances until 17th June.

For more information visit the play’s official website. If you’d like to find out more about Ignatius Sancho, you can take a look at his comprehensive biography or read his extraordinary letters.

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Although we couldn’t be more excited about Black Panther‘s critical and box office success, it is important to remember that Afrofuturism goes far beyond the technical miracles of the utopian nation of Wakanda. Afrofuturist narratives possesses a long and rich history, and had been present in diasporan art long before T’Challa made his comic book debut in 1966.

In 1920 W.E.B Dubois’ tackled issues concerning race and identity in his dystopian sci-fi short story The Comet; three decades later, jazz composer Herman Poole Blount described his on-stage persona Sun Ra as a member of an Alien Angel race seeking to improve humanity’s existence, and lead them to a future among the stars. Many artists, writers, and musicians followed Dubois and Blount’s examples, combining historical facts, sci-fi elements, magic realism, fantasy, and Afrocentricity, reexamining past events and problematic historical periods, and reflecting on contemporary issues faced by members of the African diaspora. The mediums of expression were varied, but the aim was largely the same – to offer a positive representation of blackness, and explore a more optimistic future.

This goal is shared by In Their Own Form, a multimedia exhibition, featuring photographic and video works by 13 Afrofuturist artists. The Museum of Contemporary Photography in Chicago, which is hosting the event, describes it in the following terms:

In Their Own Form seeks to illuminate the myriad ways blackness might hope to exist without the imposition of oppression, racism and stereotypes ever-present in Western cultures,mediated through Afrofuturist themes including time-travel and escapism. Afrofuturism refers to a cross-disciplinary genre that combines science fiction, Afrocentrism, fantasy, technology, and non-Western mythologies as an intellectual and artistic strategy to reimagine and repurpose the fraught past, present, and future of the transnational black experience. Bringing together 13 artists and 33 photographic and video works that negotiate a range of Afro-Diasporic experiences, In Their Own Form prefaces personhood, both fantastical and actual, over perceived realities. In Their Own Form is curated by Sheridan Tucker Anderson, MoCP Curatorial Fellow for Diversity in the Arts.

Vistors can enjoy In Their Own Form until 8 July. You can find more information on the museum’s official website.

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Black Panther Beats Titanic at The Box Office

Black Panther has officially beaten Titanic, grossing over $660 million at the US box office, and a whopping 1,3 billion worldwide! This makes it the 3rd most financially successful movie in recent US film history, only behind Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) and Avatar (2009).

Some experts were quick to point out that when one considers inflation, Black Panther is in fact not the 3rd but the 34th most successful film ever in the US. It joins the ranks of classics such as Gone with the Wind (1939), The Sound of Music (1965) and Doctor Zhivago (1965), as well as cult blockbusters like Star Wars IV (1977) and Jaws (1975). However, it is worth noting that the majority of these films premiered when cinema was one of very few entertainment options. Today we are spoiled for choice and have easy access to many free media platforms. Meanwhile, cinema ticket prices have reached unprecedented heights and it is safe to assume that not everyone who wanted to see Black Panther had the financial means to do so.

In any case, no one can dispute the simple fact that T’Challa’s story is a smash hit. Not only does it keep breaking records (becoming the 10th highest earning film worldwide and being the first film to be shown in the new Saudi Arabian public cinemas, among others), but is also so incredibly popular, that toy retailers are finding it difficult to keep up with the demand for Black Panther toys! And, above all, we would like to believe that the film’s success has proven, once and for all, that narratives dealing almost entirely by people of colors can be a huge box office draw.

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"Life Doesn't Frigten Me at All!" - Celebrating the Fearless and Phenomenal Maya Angelou

A writer, an artist, a civil right activist, a poet, a visionary – so many words have been used to describe the phenomenal woman Maya Angelou. Yet they all fall short, unable to do justice to her monumental legacy.

Born to poverty and subjected to parental abandonment, sexual abuse, and numerous hardships, Angelou triumphed against all odds, rising to become one of the most inspirational figures of our age. Today, on what would have been her 90th birthday, we would like to share one of her less famous works, which nevertheless perfectly captures the essence of her teachings. An inspirational ode to courage, the poem Life Doesn’t Frighten Me is an essential work of art for children. It embodies Angelou’s firm belief that courage is the most important human virtue, a fundamental quality which must be nurtured in future generations.

Listen to the poem (recited by Angelou herself) in the video below, and share its inspirational message with your children, friends and loved ones.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=89dLNzEhIz4&t=10s

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United Through Love – Three Extraordinarily Courageous Interracial Couples Who Still Inspire Us Today

The historical role of interracial marriages has been the subject of much discussion in recent years. In 2016, Amma Asante’s beautiful film, A United Kingdom, introduced viewers to the romance between King Seretse Khama of Botswana and Ruth Williams, a white British woman, who met in the 1940s, fell in love and decided to get married, despite huge public outcry from their respective homelands. That very same year, we were also treated to Loving, Jeff Nichols’ take on the story of Richard and Mildred Loving, a US couple arrested for unlawful interracial marriage in the 1960s. The Lovings’ legal battle against the state of Virginia ultimately led to the invalidation of the laws prohibiting interracial nuptials.

Yet long before Khama and Williams’ royal romance and the Loving’s historic victory, there were other brave couples who dared to defy laws in their pursuit of love and happiness. While many such cases were recorded in the annals of history, it was not until the late 19th and early 20th centuries, that interracial marriages were visually documented. Frederic and Helen Pitts Douglas, Charles and Hester Meehan and Josephine Cogdell and George Schuyler were only but a few of the forward-thinking individuals who not only opted for a life together, despite society’s hostile attitudes but also left photographic evidence of their happy marital lives.

Frederick and Helen Pitts Douglas

Frederick Douglas escaped slavery and rose to become one of the leading abolitionists of his time. An excellent orator and writer, he was an intellectual luminary and years ahead of his time. In 1884 Douglas married Hellen Pitts, a white suffragist and human rights fighter. Together, the couple took a stand against slavery and campaigned for women’s rights.

Here, Douglas is pictured with Helen (right) and her sister Eva (centre).

Charles and Hester Meehan

According to a family historian, the Meehans were childhood sweethearts, who met in 1864 when they were both eight years old. Their connection was so strong that they spent their whole lives together. Charles was allegedly so in love with Hester, that he could not even imagine marrying another woman and “spoiled her to the point that neighbors were jealous.” The couple married in Canada where interracial marriages were allowed by law. Later, they relocated to the US with their three children.

Josephine Cogdell and George Schuyler

Josephine Cogdell was an heiress of a rich Texan family. Although her ancestors had made much of their wealth by exploiting slave labor, Codgell was a firm believer in equality. She began an active correspondence with George Schuyler, a black left-wing journalist. Eventually, the two met face to face and married in 1928. Codgell described herself as “colored” in their marriage certificate, in order to avoid legal persecution.

Here, the couple is pictured with their daughter Philippa, a child prodigy, who later became a prolific musician and journalist.

For more beautiful historical photographs, immortalizing the many interracial couples who bravely fought to have their love accepted by society, click here.

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About Society’s Contempt of Entertainment Aimed at Teenage Girls

Earlier this week video essayist Lindsay Ellis released a clip entitled “Dear Stephenie Meyer.” In it, Ellis revisits the Twilight hype and comments on the excessive hate which the series received. Most teenage girls (and occasionally their moms) loved the largely uneventful supernatural romance centered on Bella, a vampire-dating, werewolf befriending, high schooler. The rest of the world saw things differently. Twilight was publicly ridiculed for being a vapid, poorly written book, while its author, Meyer, was attacked in countless comments and videos. The vitriol flung against her was puzzlingly intense, considering she is but one of many commercially successful authors whose work is not exactly Booker Prize-worthy. Millions of awful books are written and published every day, yet no one starts crusades against their authors. So why did Meyer get singled out?

According to Ellis, the reason lies in the fact that Twilight was a craze among teenage girls, who are society’s least favourite demographic. A look at contemporary mainstream literature, films, and TV series confirms this idea. In general, teen girls are portrayed as judgmental, shallow and catty creatures, obsessed with clothes, fads, and selfies. A notable exception are the girls who have adopted traditionally male characteristics. Audiences tend to like young heroines like Katniss (Hunger Games) or Tris (Divergent) who are physically strong and prefer to fight than flirt with boys.

“Ordinary” teenage girls, however, are usually seen as a menace and, as a result, their interests and likes are portrayed as silly and unimportant. This is especially true when it comes to fantasy literature and films. While narratives featuring fantasy elements that traditionally tend to appeal to boys are tolerated by the general audience, those made specifically for girls are met with contempt. Twilight’s scriptwriter, Melissa Rosenberg, highlighted this issue in the following terms:

We’ve seen more than our fair share of bad action movies, bad movies geared toward men or 13-year-old boys. And you know, the reviews are like ‘OK that was crappy, but a fun ride.’ But no one says ‘Oh my god. If you go to see this movie you’re a complete (…) idiot.’ And that’s the tone. That is the tone with which people attack ‘Twilight’.

Rosenberg’s comment is mirrored by lecturer Erika Christakis:

Millions of females, like their male counterparts, enjoy their fantasy life straight-up weird, sexy, and implausible. The male species is allowed all manner of violent, creepy, ludicrous and degrading movie tropes, and while we may not embrace them as high art, no one questions them seriously as entertainment.

No vitriolic hate was hurled on films such as Transformers or The Fast and the Furious, and they are just as shallow and ridiculous as a vampire-human love story. Everyone is free to indulge in simple, light-hearted entertainment, be it a film that celebrates machinery and machismo, or a bland teenage book exploring an uninspiring teenage romance. So why is society so absolutely okay with the former but wants to burn the latter on the stake? Why is “girls stuff” so universally hated? Why did a woman who wrote a deeply flawed but ultimately harmless book series get treated like she single-handedly destroyed literature for all generations to come? These are questions we should all be asking ourselves.

A large portion of the people attacking Meyer and the Twilight fans were teenage girls who wanted to be taken seriously by society. For them, Bella, who is constantly in need of protection, and whose sole interest is her boyfriend represented weakness. By association, everyone who was a fan of the series was weak and anti-feminist. While the damsel in distress trope is definitely overused and perpetuates harmful stereotypes, there is ultimately nothing inherently wrong in admitting you need protection. Strong female characters are interesting and empowering but is it truly always necessary for a woman to adopt characteristically male qualities in order to be taken seriously?

Teenage years are notoriously difficult for most kids – they struggle to fit in and grapple with body-issues and bullying, in a social environment that is getting progressively more stressful every year. For girls, it is especially testing, as they often struggle to meet the impossible beauty standards constantly pushed by mainstream media. On top of this, they get judged and shamed for their interests – be it a book series or a boyband. Perhaps it is time to learn how to be more respectful of their choices.

You can watch Lindsay Ellis’s video essay here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8O06tMbIKh0

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Greta Gerwig and Jordan Peele Receive Oscar Nominations for Best Director

Jordan Peele and Greta Gerwig were largely ignored at this year’s Golden Globes. Although both Get Out and Ladybird were met with critical acclaim and did amazingly well at the box office, neither filmmaker was nominated in the Best Director category. Gerwig was one of the contenders for Best Screenplay but ultimately lost to Martin McDonagh (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri). Ladybird did receive an award for Best Musical or Comedy though – an accolade Get Out was bizarrely also competing for.

Nevertheless, things are starting to look up for Peele and Gerwig, as both have received Oscar nominations for Best Director. They will compete against Guillermo del Toro (The Shape of Water), Paul Thomas (Phantom Thread) and Christopher Nolan (Dunkirk).

Gerwig is only the fifth female director to ever receive the prestigious nomination, joining Lina Wertmüller (Seven Beauties), Jane Campion (The Piano), Sofia Coppola (Lost in Translation) and Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker). The only female filmmaker who has ever won the Oscar for best director remains Bigalow, who made history back in 2009.

Similarly, Jordan Peele is the fifth black director to ever receive an Oscar nomination. Although John Singleton (Boyz n the Hood), Lee Daniels (Precious),  Steve McQueen (12 Years a Slave) and Barry Jenkins (Moonlight) have all competed for the statuette in the past, no POC filmmaker has ever won the Best Director Award.

The 90th Academy Awards will be held on 4 March 2018. To see a full list of this year’s nominees, visit: https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2018

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Remembering Eartha Kitt

Eartha Kitt was a prolific and charismatic performer who is most often remembered for her timeless hit “Santa Baby,” and for portraying Catwoman in the late 1960s TV show Batman. However, her achievements go far beyond a stellar singing, dancing and acting career. Kitt was an outspoken political activist, who used her celebrity status to condemn racial discrimination and to make a public stand against the Vietnam War, while also encouraging female empowerment and sex positivity.

Born as Eartha Mae Kitt on 17 January 1927, she had a very traumatic childhood. Her mother was black and part Cherokee, while her father was a white man she never knew. In her memoirs, Kitt discloses that her birth was a product of rape and that her mother abandoned her to the care of a family, who needed an extra working hand. Although still very young, Eartha was forced to pick cotton, cook, work in the garden and do miscellaneous chores. Being bi-racial, she was subjected to harsh abuse and ridicule by her adoptive parents and siblings. At the age of eight, she was taken in by her maternal aunt and went to live with her in Harlem. Here, Kitt worked in a sewing machine factory throughout her teenage years, often running away from her emotionally-distant and overbearing aunt’s home.

Kitt’s big career break came in her early 20s when she was accepted into Katherine Dunham’s African-American dance company. Soon, she was dancing in London and Paris, and befriending celebrities and millionaires. Her first album cemented her position as one of the most exciting new stars and led to film roles, shows, and television appearances. Throughout them all, Kitt remained consistent in projecting her characteristically unapologetic, openly sexual and hedonistic persona. In a time when it was still considered distasteful for a woman to be portrayed as a sexual being (especially a non-white woman), Kitt remained resolute. Her seductive portrayal of Batman’s nemesis Catwoman was a revolutionary celebration of black female beauty.

In many ways, Eartha Kitt was decades ahead of her time, and this proved extremely dangerous in 1960s USA. Forward-thinking and fearless, she didn’t hesitate to voice her strong disapproval of the Vietnam war – on national television and during a lunch at the White House, no less! As a result, she was immediately blacklisted by the CIA who published defamatory and false information about her private life, thus rendering her unemployable. Following the incident, Kitt worked in Europe and Asia, before appearing in several Broadway musicals in the late 70s.

Upon returning to the USA, following years of public ostracization, Kitt reportedly said:

Even though I love this country—I’ve been in 104 countries in the world and I always want to come home—I want this country to fulfill its promises. Even going back to ’40 acres and a mule’, we never got that. We never got the freedom. They only took the chains off. But they never allowed my soul to exercise itself like a decent human being. And that’s what I’m fighting for—for all of us.

Today, on what would have been Eartha Kitt’s 91st birthday, we hope that her legacy will live on, and that future generations will remember her not only as a beautiful and talented artist but as an inspiring woman with a strong sense of justice, who possessed a truly unbreakable spirit.

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#MeToo Named Time Magazine’s Person of the Year

Earlier this week Time Magazine took a powerful stand against sexual harassment by choosing the #MeToo global movement for its Person of the Year edition.

The issue, titled “The Silence Breakers,” honors victims, both female and male, who found the strength to take a public stand against their abusers, shedding light on a social epidemic that has remained unchecked for far too long.

Depicted on the cover are five women who experienced sexual misconduct and used their painful experiences to inspire others to speak out against abuse. There is Adama Iwu, the San Francisco-based lobbyist who helped spark dialogs about sexual violence in the California Capitol, and Susan Fowler – a former Uber engineer who wrote an expose on sexism in the Silicone Valley. They are accompanied by musician Taylor Swift, who was mishandled by a former DJ earlier this year, and Ashley Judd – one of the first women to openly accuse Harvey Weinstein.

Representing the vast sea of abuse victims whose voices rarely get media coverage is a Mexican agricultural worker who was harassed and stalked by her boss and chose to go by the pseudonym Isabel Pascual due to safety concerns.

Also featured on the cover is the arm of a woman whose face remains concealed. Allegedly an unnamed hospital worker from Texas, she represents the millions of people who have experienced sexual misconduct but find themselves in a position where it is impossible to speak out or confront their abusers.

The announcement of Time Magazine’s selection for Person of the Year comes less than a fortnight after US President Donald Trump shared a Tweet claiming that he had turned down an offer to be on the cover of the same issue. His allegation was immediately refuted by Time. Furthermore, the authors of the Person of the Year story – Stephanie Zacharek, Eliana Dockterman, and Haley Sweetland Edwards – openly criticized Trump, explaining that it was his brazen language and actions that changed how people talk about bad sexual behavior in America:

Discussions of sexual harassment in polite company tend to rely on euphemisms: harassment becomes “inappropriate behavior,” assault becomes “misconduct,” rape becomes “abuse.” We’re accustomed to hearing those softened words, which downplay the pain of the experience. That’s one of the reasons why the Access Hollywood tape that surfaced in October 2016 was such a jolt. The language used by the man who would become America’s 45th President, captured on a 2005 recording, was, by any standard, vulgar.

Considering how bumpy 2017 has been so far, we are grateful for Time’s effort to end the year on a high, empowering note. Here’s to hoping that 2018 will bring us more justice, equality, and respect.

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Endearing Webcomic Gives Voice to Queer Tamil Minorities

Graphic novels have always been a progressive medium, especially when it comes to issues related to race and sexuality. Comic books created by black artists and starring black heroes began appearing as early as the 1940s, while the film industry is still struggling to overcome its problem with inclusion, over 70 years later. Black Panther is a great example of this point - his first comic book appearance was in 1966, and yet it took Hollywood over half a century to translate his story to the big screen.

Considering comic books' significant cultural impact, it is hardly surprising that one of them is currently leading a quiet revolution on Tumblr. The webcomic, entitled Puu ("flower in Tamil) is created by a twenty-year-old US-based artist born in Chennai, going by the pen name Akshay. Puu gives voices to queer minorities in India, taking a stand against Islamophobia in the process, and has attracted the attention of thousands of fans in just over a year.

The story revolves around two Muslim men - Jameel and Saboor -  who live in a shared accommodation in Chennai, and discover that they have feelings for each other. Complex and endearing, the characters draw the reader in and, more importantly, give LGBTQ Muslims protagonists they can identify with and relate to. Both Jameel and Saboor have difficult pasts which showcase the challenges queer minorities often face in Southeast Asia. Saboor, hailing from a strict Hindu Brahmin family, finds himself discriminated, both because of his sexual orientation and due to his decision to adopt the Muslim faith. As for Jameel, his childhood was marked by society's unacceptance of his gender and a tragic loss. Yet the two men find a safe place and happiness in each other's company and share a deep and profound love, described in tender and poetic terms.

We also meet the protagonists' neighbor Alamelu, a lesbian who enters a fictitious marriage to a male friend worried about her safety. Alamelu's girlfriend Noor is a Muslim lawyer who defends members of the Indian LGBTQ community but nevertheless feels reluctant to come out to the public.

All of Puu's characters are realistic and multilayered. There are no drop-dead gorgeous personages, nor overly-sexualized depictions. And herein lies the comics' greatest triumph - Saboor, Jameel, Alamelu, and Noor are ordinary people, trying to create a safe space where they can celebrate their love for each other. It is a tender depiction of a quiet pursuit of happiness everyone can relate to.

Puu updates with four pages once a week. You can find all of its released chapters here.

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YIFEI LIU TO PORTRAY MULAN IN UPCOMING DISNEY LIVE-ACTION REMAKE

Tensions were high back in 2015 when Disney first announced its plans to create a live-action Mulan remake. Fans of the 1998 cartoon were anxiously waiting to find out more about the production, and when a rumor started circulating around the internet, claiming that the remake will include a “30-something” white male love interest for the teenaged heroine, there was a huge outrage. The allusion to a possible romance between an underage girl and an older man would have been troubling enough on its own, but having a non-Chinese person play a leading role in a traditionally Chinese narrative just added insult to injury.

After all, Disney’s 1998 film was inspired by the Chinese legend of Hua Mulan – a strong female warrior who takes father’s place in the army and excels at defending her homeland against the invading Huns. The cartoon became a commercial and critical success precisely because it honored the source material. It was both an empowering tribute to women’s strength and a celebration Chinese culture, widely praised for offering an inspiring alternative to the tired “princess in need of a rescue” trope. Adding “a white savior” character to the narrative would have spelled doom for the production.

Needless to say, there was a collective sigh of relief a few days ago, when Disney announced that Mulan will be portrayed by Chinese actress Liu Yifei, also known as Crystal Liu. Furthermore, the studio assured audiences that the remake will stay true to the original narrative and that the rest of the cast (including the heroine’s potential romantic interest) will be portrayed by Chinese actors.

Liu Yifei is the perfect choice for the titular character – she has starred in several high profile films, including The Forbidden Kingdom (2008), where she had a speaking role opposite Jet Li and Jackie Chan. In addition, she will bring star presence to the production – she is hugely popular in China, where audiences amiably refer to her as “Fairy Sister.”

Let’s hope that Disney keeps their word and doesn’t disappoint with the remaining cast choices!

Mulan will be directed by Niki Caro (The Zookeeper’s Wife) and produced by Chris Bender, Jason Reed, and Jake Weiner. Disney is currently aiming for a 2019 release, as the project is still in pre-production. We will keep you updated on any developments!

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The 75th Golden Globe Awards and Hollywood’s Enduring Problem with Inclusion

Yesterday’s Golden Globes ceremony gave us plenty of reasons to cheer. It showcased an industry seemingly humbled by its past mistakes, and resolute to make a fresh, clean start. Female and male actors alike chose to wear black, thus displaying the strength of solidarity, and underlining their support for victims of sexual assault – within the film industry and beyond. Host Seth Meyers openly criticized Harvey Weinstein, joking that, in 20-years-time, the disgraced film mogul will be the only one whose name will be booed during the “In Memoriam” segment of the Globes.

The awards ceremony itself celebrated female skills and resilience. Martin McDonagh’s Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, a thriller focused on a strong female lead (played by Frances McDormand) won in the Best Motion Picture (Drama) category, while McDorman herself went home with the Best Actress (Drama) accolade. The victor in the Musical or Comedy section was Greta Gerwig’s coming of age tale Ladybird – a film both directed by a talented young female filmmaker and centered on a quirky yet relatable female protagonist. Its star, Saoirse Ronan, deservedly bagged the Best Actress (Comedy or Musical) award.  

The winners across all three TV categories were shows with female-driven narratives – The Handmaid’s Tale (Best Drama), The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (Best Comedy) and Big Little Lies (Best Limited Series).

And, of course, the crowning moment of the evening was Oprah Winfrey’s reception of the Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement award. In a moving and politically charged speech, Winfrey spoke in support of the #MeToo movement and expressed her hope that the days of sexism and abusive behavior will soon be in the industry’s past:

“…I want all the girls watching here, now, to know that a new day is on the horizon! And when that new day finally dawns, it will be because of a lot of magnificent women, many of whom are right here in this room tonight, and some pretty phenomenal men, fighting hard to make sure that they become the leaders who take us to the time when nobody ever has to say 'Me too' again."

The inspiring and powerful speech was met with a standing ovation and is already taking the internet by storm. The film industry finally seems to be on the verge of a long overdue reform.

And yet…

Under the glitzy surface and the giddiness brought on about by the awards, beneath the celebration and the solidarity, one could still see the industry’s many issues.

“Here are the all-male nominees,” Natalie Portman declared, as she arrived to announce the contenders in the Best Director category. Sadly, a look at the white men making up the pool of chosen filmmaker seemed sufficient to see the actual depth of Hollywood’s sincerity on the topic of inclusion. The situation was identical in the Best Original Score category, although things were slightly better when it came to the Best Screenplay nominees. These included Greta Gerwig, Vanessa Taylor (shared with Guillermo del Toro) and Liz Hannah (shared with Josh Singer), although none of them won.

Furthermore, there was not a single person of color among any of these nominees. In fact, the total number of people of color included across all nominations amounted to eight. Out of nearly ninety. Only two out of the fourteen total awards went to non-white actors and filmmakers.

The problematic topic of inclusion was further underlined by the Globes’ bizarre choice to classify Jordan Peele’s social thriller/horror Get Out as a “Comedy or Musical.” Peele’s film sent waves across the cinema world by openly – and masterfully – tackling the thorny issues of racism, cleverly subverting stereotypes and expectations in the process. Its message is chilling and somber – a far cry from Comedy or Musical. Choosing to nominate the film in that category is a sign of very poor judgment at best, and a trivialization of the African American experience at worst. It is up to debate whether the Globes’ choice was motivated by the idea that genre films are “unworthy” to be on par with dramas, or whether the reason is altogether more sinister. Whatever the case, the film industry seems to have a long way to go before it can truly embrace equality and inclusion.

To quote Washington Post’s Eugene Scott: “Ultimately, the question [is]: Can Hollywood commit to addressing more than one systemic injustice at once?”

[romancandle16-blog]

Season’s Greetings and Cinemafrica Film Festival News

Our team wishes you a fun-filled Holiday season and all the best for the New Year!

We are wrapping up 2017 on a positive note – after an exciting year of travels, our film Afro Punk Girl is off to Stockholm, Sweden to be screened at the Cinemafrica Film Festival.

The festival will take place from 26th of February to March 4th 2018. Here is a trailer of last year’s entries. http://cinemafrica.se/trailer-2017/  (Please note that the video has no sound.)

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Watch Kristen Stewart's Directorial Debut 'Come Swim'

Kristen Stewart made a name for herself in mainstream films such as Panic Room, Zathura: A Space Adventure and, most famously, the teenage romance blockbuster series Twilight. While she has doubled in independent cinema throughout her career, she only recently began attracting critics’ attention through the acting skills she displayed alongside Stars such as Juliette Binoche and Laura Dern in films like The Clouds of Sils Maria, Certain Women, and Personal Shopper.

Now, Stewart has delved into the indie world even deeper, by going behind the camera. Her directorial debut, the short film Come Swim, premiered at Cannes Film Festival in January and received favorable reviews.

Rejecting linear narrative in favor of avant-garde and surreal imagery, the featurette offers an abstract depiction of internal turmoil. It focuses on a young man who struggles to lead a normal life while unraveling under the pressure of anxiety and heartbreak.

Stewart described Come Swim as the "most satisfying" project of her career. “As an actor, you’re like a little thing that can help everyone feel this, but when it comes from you — it’s like validation in the most ultimate," she explained.

Come Swim is part of digital media and entertainment company Refinery29’s female filmmaker-focused Shatterbox Anthology series. It's produced by David Ethan Shapiro and features a score by St. Vincent.

You can watch it here:

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Jordan Peele to Produce CBS’ Reboot of the Twilight Zone Series

2017 has been nothing short of amazing for Jordan Peele. Earlier in the year, his horror smash hit Get Out became the first debut feature written and directed by an African American to earn over USD 175 million at the box office. Then, a few months later, he announced that he is working on intriguing TV series entitled The Hunt which will explore the life of a band of Nazi hunters.

In addition, he is involved in a number of awesome-sounding projects, including Spike Lee’s Black Klansman, and has also shared that Get Out is only the first installment in a planned series of movies exploring different “social demons.”

And if all of this weren’t impressive enough on its own, last week Peele announced that he will be producing CBS’ reboot of the iconic Twilight Zone series, which originally ran between 1959 and 1964, and has captivated several generations of TV audiences since.

“Too many times this year it’s felt like we were living in a twilight zone, and I can’t think of a better moment to reintroduce it to modern audiences,” Peele explained in a statement.

We couldn’t agree more, and we are eagerly awaiting to see his take on Rod Serling’s classic horror anthology!