Movie Analysis : ' My Mom Was A Dreamer '

From the beginning of the film industry, individuals and communities—particularly those of racialized and gendered minority groups—have been either underrepresented, misrepresented, or both. Hollywood has been a massive suspect of misrepresentation and enabling/promoting socially constructed misconstructions through mainstream films since its creation. Despite obvious progress being made towards eliminating underrepresentation and misrepresentation and embracing true cultural depictions, films often still foster stereotypes and misrepresentation both directly and indirectly. One example of a film that does this is “The Pursuit of Happyness” starring Will Smith and directed by Gabriele Muccino.

“Early black cinema is an important part of American culture because it visually brought our stories to life. Without the black independent film movement, there would be very few black films today.” The 1970’s and the 1980’s marked a the entry of a new generation of Afro American directors like Haile Gerima, Charles Burnet, Larry Clark, Pamela Jones, Jamaa Fanaka, Julie Dash, Robert Townsend or Spike Lee. They want to stand out and always required more artistic and financial control. Furthermore the emergence of the Afro-American director can be interpreted as a will to break the glass ceiling. Spike Lee is one of the directors who want to break this glass ceiling. He is unmistakably the major Black filmmaker of the 80 and 90 decades. During

Throughout its existence, Hollywood has sought to draw audiences’ eyes with drama, beauty, and above all, exaggeration. Because of this, major films have frequently been subject to accusations of exoticism, and of perpetuating racial and regional stereotypes. Steve Rose of The Guardian writes, “…movies are teaching children the finer points of racial prejudice before they 've even learned to read” (Rose 2014). But is the situation truly so dire? A closer examination of Hollywood’s big hits is necessary. A comparison of two films in similar settings, one from 1958 and the other from 1995, provides a unique perspective: the

There are few arguments debating the impact the film industry has on society and its views. More specifically how the portrayal of certain minority groups, such as black women, can sometimes perpetuate stereotypes. Though in the past few years more black women have been given roles in mainstream films and have received critical acclaim for said roles, have we made any progress in the types of roles these women are given? From the Mammies, Jezebels and Sapphires of the early days, to “12 years a Slave”, has Hollywood made any progress in the roles it offers black women?

Racial stereotypes in films have typically reflected societies reality. How individuals are able to come to understand what it means to be a black in America is shaped by the social construct of cultural identity. As both reality and social construct shifts, so does Black representation in film. What has not shifted is the fact that we are still living in a white dominated society, where much of the narrative belongs to and is determined by Rich, White Males and where black stereotypes still exist and are continually reinforced in films. Hollywood has typically followed this trend through the use of white directors, discussions of diversity, or even in its selection of Oscar nominees (Donnelly 2016). As a result, many “mainstream” films look to target young males and females, for example, films like The Avengers or the Twilight vampire series. Taking all of this into account, Black film has transcended over time to change the way African Americans are viewed and take control of their own narrative. However as independent Black films seek to influence this change and look to challenge the dominate of White Hollywood, directors of Black films have may find themselves controlling the conversation by either doing the work of talking to a black audience or are looking to talk to general (mainly White) audience about black issues.

When the misrepresentation of POC in films becomes an indicator that we are not boldly confronting the issues needed to be confronted, a change must occur. As bell hooks and many other active progressive thinkers, emboldened by the current racial inequalities of our society, have asserted, pop culture has a significant impact on our perception of matter. In knowing the impact, it is imperative that in the concurring systematic oppressions we do not remain stagnant. Through a close examination of films: Pan, Braveheart, and Ghost in the Shell, we can vividly see how the overrepresentation of white expose the underlying oppression within our society. According to the statistics conducted by USC, there is an evident disproportion of minorities in both film and media. Yet, this disproportion is rarely challenged. The Oscars of 2016 became a visual catalyst in the need for proper representation. The prevalence of institutionalized racism in our current society can never truly be effaced if we fail to grasp its strong presence in popular culture. The existing racism in Hollywood explicitly displays a regression in racial equality in society. Hollywood is more than “sorority” racist; it is plagued by something far worse: It is plagued by institutionalized racism. The three movies and their whitewashed cast explore the racism within the system. In acknowledging the flaws, an effort should be made

“Man, I counted at least 15 black people on that monitor. I’m here at the academy awards, otherwise known as the White Peoples Choice Awards.” said Chris Rock to kick off the 2016 Oscars Academy Awards. The Awards were surrounded with controversy through and through. It was the second time in a row that absolutely no African Americans had been nominated. Considering that a lot of great movies came out in which African Americans either wrote, directed, or acted in, a few in the the Black community exclaimed that the racism in Hollywood needed to end. On the other hand, others felt that the reason that no black actors were nominated was because they were not good enough this year, or the one before that…, to earn a nomination. They feel as though

The lack of diversity in mainstream films and television shows have not changed much since the movie industry has begun. The ever-expanding entertainment industry seems to lack what Americans are searching for. My claim is that Hollywood does not reflect how diverse our society really is! There’s three reasons to support my claim, first, the film industry is dominated by a majority white figures. I have more evidence that suggest that Hollywood continuously reinforces negative stereotypes. Lastly, there is a lack of representation for African Americans entertainers and African American agents. Hollywood is also a city in California, annexed from Los Angeles also famously known as “The Creative City”. However, films we produce in Hollywood does not reflect how diverse our society has become since the beginning of the movie industry.

There has been an outcry, due to a noticeable lack of recognition of people of color, in Hollywood. Sparking the trending hashtag about this year's Oscars (#OscarsSoWhite). There are multiple films, productions, and TV shows that are wildly popular with the public, and not just in theaters and cable, through multiple internet streaming services. Titles such as Scandal, Fresh off the Boat, Empire, Master of None, Black-ish, show a revival for multi-cultural representation not seen since the 1970’s. Yet there is a noticeable pattern of systemic problems against recognition and commendation of someone black or brown, unless if so, in a subservient role, causing many a celebrity to boycott the award ceremony in protest. Both Spike Lee and Jada

As of recent intense debates in the media about the lack of black’s opportunity in the film industry. The Oscar Academy Awards recently caused a stir in the media as the ratio of white vs black people attending the ceremony were not equal or even close to being equal.

Those who study film surely know the names of brothers Auguste and Louis Lumiére. To many film historians, these men are credited with history’s first public film screening. It is worth noticing that the Lumiére brothers were responsible for every aspect of their films. This meant that they were in charge of creating the film and getting it to the audiences. However, as the film industry evolved throughout the years, these different steps became more complex and needed to be split into three separate stages: production, distribution, and exhibition.

Dr. Ruiz defines interpersonal discrimination to be “actions taken by individuals or small groups to deny something to members of an out-group” (Lecture, Ruiz, 02/25/2016). In Cox’s article, he mentions how other minority groups such as Latinos, Asian-Americans, or Hispanics have “secured nominations.” (Cox, 2). Cox also states that there is this universal appeal for using white actors in films (Cox, 2). The lack of diversity is astonishing and poorly reflects the diversity The Academy strives for. To further illustrate this discrimination, Keegan, Poindexter, and Whipp addressed the membership requirements for Academy voters. Their article states that changing the dominantly white, male voting population was “impossible to reach because of the academy’s stringent membership requirements and the underrepresentation of women and minorities in the entertainment industry” (Keegan, Poindexter, & Whipp, 2). This same article had a quote from New York critic Andrew Gruttadaro who said that “no black people deserved a nomination.” (Keegan, Poindexter & Whipp, 2). Gruttadaro openly excluded black actors because of their acting skills. Because the film industry is comprised of white males, it is not a surprise to see individuals of their same race dominating the nominations. Actors and actresses are not the only ones where this discrimination is

Story Outline – STIRLING BRYCE, a young and intelligent writer looking to make his big break in the film industry makes the descision to enter a short film into a local competition. Stirling has been meaning to enter one of his films in a competition but has always been to scared to fail. Although, upon learning that a major investor is willing to fund the winner for a future production he is convinced that this is his best oppurtunity at becoming a film writer/director.

Spike Lee, immediately recognize for his stylistic credits and dolly shots, more famously known for his controversial topics and stereotypes that he addresses in his films. Spike Lee pushes for the integration in the black community and urges toward unity. His films are a reflection of American society in two parts: “ separation & integration.”

The glamor of the film industry has been a large part of society for the past several decades. The film industry can set trends and influence people of all ages; creating new ideas, standards, and expectations. The influence of these new ideas could lead to a change in society, but the film industry has its issues just like the rest of the world that cause it to lag behind and one of these issues is gender inequality. Gender inequality has been an issue for quite some time and the film industry has its fair share of it. The Oscars, for example, has been around for nearly 88 years now, and it is supposed to award the most deserving of film directors, but in the