“This
is not rocket science. The reason why films get made is that the filmmaker was
persistent in their vision. I’ve seen many people second-guess themselves into
nothingness. Your first impulse is usually your best impulse.”—American
filmmaker John Singleton (1968-2019), quoted in Dave McNary, “Singleton to Filmmakers: Believe in Your Movie,”
Variety, Oct. 20, 2012
COVID-19
will test Mr. Singleton’s notion of a filmmaker’s persistence as perhaps no other
trend or event in recent Hollywood history. Nobody knows what subject matter
will interest audiences once a vaccine is developed and the state lockdowns are
finally rolled back. Nobody even knows at this point to what extent audiences will
come back.
It
would be a shame if emerging filmmakers—not just African-Americans like the
late Mr. Singleton, but also other minorities and women—are unable to find traction in the
post-COVID Hollywood, just at the moment when some show signs of breaking
through—and at the moment when America needs to hear these new perspectives.
(Photo
of John Singleton taken during a USC football rally, Dec. 30, 2003, by Bobak
Ha'Eri.)
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