How studios saying ‘no’ fueled ‘Beyond the Lights’ into production

VIDEO - Gina Prince-Bythewood, writer and director for 'Beyond the Light and Lena Waithe, producer of 'Dear White People' have a candid discussion about their upcoming projects...

Chris Witherspoon

Oct 25, 2014

The upcoming film Beyond the Lights almost didn’t happen.

The movie’s writer and director, Gina Prince-Bythewood, recently opened up about the struggles of getting Hollywood studios to believe in her project and the star power of actress Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Belle).

In this exclusive clip debuting on theGrio.com, Bythewood chronicles how she overcame doubt and financial obstacles and pushed for Nate Parker as a male lead despite studios wanting a white male.

Bythewood is joined by her former assistant Lena Waithe, producer of Dear White People, at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills in a discussion led by Awkward Black Girl creator Issa Rae.

Beyond the Lights hits theaters November 14 and tells the story of how a hot new pop artist primed for stardom is nearly driven to end her life because of the pressures of fame.

Dear White People, the breakout film from the Sundance Film Festival directed by Justin Simien, released to limited theaters last weekend and rolled out a nationwide release Friday.