Anticipating the release of 12 Years a Slave, producer Harvey Weinstein has attributed the successful year in black cinema to an “Obama Effect, ” an erasure of racial lines triggered by the nation’s first black president.
Weinstein’s theory is premised upon the recurring notion of a “renaissance” year for black films, and appears up for debate nonetheless.
Movies like The Butler, Fruitvale Station, Mandela, 42, and Steve McQueen’s upcoming historical drama mark a fertile year for black stars and filmmakers, not to mention comedy releases such as Baggage Claim, The Best Man Holiday, and Tyler Perry’s A Madea Christmas.
Yet those in the industry are conflicted over what constitutes a renaissance, and whether or not Obama’s had much influence on the big screen status quo.
“A renaissance highlights a new self-defining sense of culture,” Lillian Ruiz, writer and Social Media Director for Flavorpill Media, tells theGrio. “I’d like to see a renaissance around a new black narrative that isn’t this narrative of constant struggle, violence and oppression, which seems to be the narrative that people are most comfortable telling.”
In her column for Flavorwire, Ruiz deconstructed the idea of African-American identity on film, reducing the idea of today’s renaissance to a “myth.”
She believes moviemakers primarily focus on placing black characters in cyclical tales of servitude and toil, overlooking modern, flourishing roles where black men and women are seen simply succeeding.
“You don’t often see films about black people getting to lead normal lives,” Ruiz explains.
What a true ‘Obama Effect’ would mean
Ruiz describes two general scenarios used as plotlines for black films: the first being the urban comedy, championed by a director like Perry and frequently “riddled with stereotypes”; the second, the historical saga of oppression.
Beyond those templates, few others exist.
“Could you imagine if mainstream Hollywood’s two stories were Adam Sandler’s That’s My Boy and the Holocaust?” She argues. “The whole idea that there are those two verticals, and nothing in between, when you put it in that context, is really ridiculous. Where are those middle stories? You can’t call it a renaissance until you’re touching all pockets of black life.”
And never mind the proposition of the Obamas having an impact. If that were the case, Ruiz would expect to see the Huxtables on screen.
She dismisses Weinstein’s statements as disingenuous.
“Saying that the Obama Effect makes people more comfortable watching a slave narrative doesn’t make any sense,” Ruiz says. “If anything a true Obama Effect would be the American public being open and ready to seeing a Cosby Show style family on their movie screen. Or seeing a film about a couple like the Obamas in some sort of interesting comedy in the style of Lynn Shelton or Nicole Holofcener.”
A time for black filmmakers to exploit
Perhaps Weinstein was overzealous with his words, but he also could be looking at the direction ahead.
While a full-blown rebirth of black cinema may not yet be realized, the breadth and range of talent this year seems impressive.
In his observations, Weinstein noted, “You have great black filmmakers like Lee Daniels, Ryan Coogler, Steve McQueen, and great actors like Idris (Elba) and Chiwetel (Ejiofor) and Naomie Harris. It’s a great moment.”
A moment to capitalize on, suggests New York-based independent filmmaker Coodie Simmons.
Simmons, along with his directing partner Chike Ozah, have directed music videos for artists like Kanye West, Erykah Badu, Common and Mos Def, and most recently made the ESPN Films 30 for 30 documentary Benji.
Now focused on features, Simmons takes Weinstein’s statements as a chance.
“The subject matter is kind of stereotypical, but those films right there are going to open up the door for me to tell my stories,” he explains.
Like Ruiz, Simmons wouldn’t go so far as to call it a renaissance, but he appreciates the growing roster of black filmmakers.
He sees it as an opportunity and gateway for his own work.
“The renaissance was really in the 70’s when you had those great films like Cooley High, Claudine, Bill Cosby, Sidney Poitier, original black stories,” Simmons points out. “Now it’s more biopic, based on a true story. It’s like 42, now they’re going to be looking for the next 42. Or they had so much success with The Help so they’re looking for the next The Help…but hey. I’m about to dig up my next film and get in to tell my story.”
Accepting black culture on screen
Changing public outlook makes a difference in where the industry will go, says Simmons, and for that he credits the Weinsteins and apparent Obama Effect.
If more people accept black culture, which he believes results from Obama’s presidency, the scope of African-American stories will inevitably expand.
Along those lines, if producers of Weinstein’s caliber begin to see these tales as profitable, more films will be greenlit.
Simmons also feels Oscar accreditation for movies like The Help, Precious, and Django Unchained have contributed to the fact so many black movies are finding distribution.
“I appreciate the Weinsteins, period, because they opened up the door for a lot of black films when they did Paid in Full,” Simmons comments. “For Harvey to even think that way, it means I could possibly make the films that me and Chike want to get done.”
Advent of a new day
A great awakening or all-out renaissance, Simmons believes in the longevity of today’s market, and Ruiz admits that the public could be ready for a fresh face of blackness.
In their study of the Commander-in-Chief’s sociopolitical effects, scholars Dr. Colita Fairfax and Dr. Cassandra Cheney researched the first family’s influence on the institution of marriage in the African-American community, looking at how the Obamas superseded the Huxtables’ legacy.
They believe the film business has been lagging behind the television industry when it comes to portrayal of African-Americans.
“If you take for example the advent of the Cosby Show or A Different World, you’re seeing what those of us who are born and raised in the black community see all the time,” says Fairfax. “What is so annoying is that with the movie industry, it tends to only unravel and expose one complexity and one dimension of the lived black experience with this notion that all black people experience ghetto poverty everyday. All black people come from fragile families.”
She continues, “I’m African-American. I grew up with both of my parents, who were educated people and raised my sisters and my brothers. I went to school, went to graduate school. I’m married to a man who comes from that same experience, yet it’s once in a blue moon do you really see that experience played out in the movie industry.”
Both agree with Ruiz that seeing a range of black composites in film is rare, which makes a difference in public awareness.
The strength and solidarity of a couple like the Obamas seldom finds screen time.
“I can’t relate to ghetto culture glorified on films,” Chaney comments. “More black people than society realizes can’t really relate to that experience.”
The once and future renaissance
Until that day comes, the renaissance remains more of a proclivity, says Ruiz.
Where are the committed black families? Where are the ambitious black teens on the rise to professional prosperity? Where are the strong black women?
“All of these films are about black men – the righteous black man,” Ruiz observes. “Black women aren’t there yet, and that doesn’t make any sense. On television, you’ve got Scandal – tons of people watch Scandal, black and white – the story of a black female just simply living life and not necessarily making the cornerstone of her story her struggle. That is successful. That has been successful for over a year now. The model is there.”
Even though 12 Years a Slave signifies a turn for Hollywood in documenting slavery’s horrendous legacy, from Ruiz’s perspective, it’s time to move on.
The story of Solomon Northup, on whom the movie is based, was meant to be an exceptional tale in the 1800s, raising the moral and stature of black people.
Still culturally important, it now serves a different purpose.
“Hollywood’s responsibility shouldn’t be getting people caught up to the idea that black people are people too,” she says. “When you read the critiques and reviews of 12 Years a Slave, everyone is saying Solomon Northup is different, so it’s easy to get in his shoes and see what’s so bad about slavery. That’s a bizarre concept.”
In a different way, Simmons also sees a gap when it comes to cinematic focus on African-American narratives.
He feels current conflicts in America rarely get screen time.
“As far as the state of black America, it’s at the lowest to me because we’re killing each other – blacks are killing blacks,” he notes. “You see the movies that’s being done like The Butler and 12 Years a Slave, all of that has nothing to do with what’s going on in the United States.”
Follow Courtney Garcia on Twitter at @CourtGarcia