Established Fall 1988

“[African-Americans] have to get out of the ‘Huxtable’ mode of trying to be perfect…There’s so many elements of African-American culture and families that we choose not to examine.”–Lee Daniels, Oscar-Nominated Director of the Film Precious

This Sunday afternoon, I was scanning several news articles and came across a feature on Lee Daniels, first-time director of the Academy Award nominated film Precious. In the article, Daniels spoke about the negative reception he received from some Black film critics on the “stereotypical” portrayal of African-Americans in his award-winning film. Daniels is one of several African-American filmmakers to receive harsh criticism for their characterization of African-Americans on the big screen. In 2009 distinguished filmmaker Spike Lee offered some commentary on the state of filmmaking in the Black community:

“We’ve had this discussion back and forth. When John Singleton [made Boyz in the Hood], people came out to see it. But when he did Rosewood, nobody showed up. So a lot of this is on us! You vote with your pocketbook, your wallet. You vote with your time sitting in front of the idiot box, and [Tyler Perry] has a huge audience. We shouldn’t think that Tyler Perry is going to make the same film that I am going to make, or that John Singleton or my cousin Malcolm Lee [would make]. As African-Americans, we’re not one monolithic group so there is room for all of that. But at the same time, for me, the imaging is troubling and it harkens back to Amos n’ Andy.”– Spike Lee, Oscar-Nominated Director of Do the Right Thing

There is a general consensus: The African-American Community consist of a diverse group of people. As a community we desire to see our best image portrayed on the big screen; this is not a bad thing. However, we must acknowledge our experiences and perceptions of the world are different, and as a result so is our artistic expression. There are so many stories to be told and not enough opportunities for them to be heard. With our unique forms of expression we are able to reach a vast majority of our community. Spike Lee is able to cater to an audience that Tyler Perry may not necessarily appeal to, and vice vera. Therefore, we should keep an open mind to an artist’s work by considering their audience’s appreciation.