My Profile
My Favorites
Favorite Films The Graduate, Broadcast News, Life is Beautiful, central station
Favorite Actors my beautiful cast from "bees", Meryl Streep, Holly Hunter, alfre woodard
Favorite Directors Soderbergh, Scorcese
week three...
hey all, sorry it has been so long. such an incredible whirlwind and then the inevitable let down as it comes to an end. but first, THANK YOU to all of you who have supported the film. it has exceeded expectations, and continues to be in the top ten in its third week, despite being in the fewest number of theaters. and the response has been tremendous. i read every blog, every article, every comment, and to have people be so moved by the film...its all a filmmaker can hope for. i want to address two things, which i will address in a more public format soon. in the few negative reviews the film received, there has been this argument that the film is a "fantasy." i love the use of the word fantasy -- the exact word used to describe obama's early candidacy. but they argue that black women like the boatwrights did not exist. it points to a lack of research and just plain ignorance on the reviewer's part. one of the reasons i wanted to make this film was that it exploded so many sterotypes people have about black folks in the 60's. there absolutely were black folks who owned land, and had successful businesses. were they the majority? no. but they existed and they thrived. my husband's great grandfather owned 150 acres of land in south carolina during the 50's and 60's, and he was respected by white folks. it is his family i based much of my research on. secondly, some reviewers are offended that zach didn't shiver and shake when lily walked into the honey house door for the first time, or that june would wear an NAACP t-shirt out in the open. the reality is, black folks lived during a time of great struggle but their lives were not THE struggle. they did not spend their entire existence worrying about getting beat by white folks. they were living their lives just as we do today. 1964 was a time of struggle and pain, but was also a time of great hope and strength, and that is what i wanted to bring to light. and my second big point is that owen gleiberman of entertainment weekly is an ass. i was very suprised to hear, as i am sure my cast was, that we were portraying "magical negroes." what exactly is so "magical" about them? that they are educated? cultured? successful? warm? strong? able to see past color despite the times? sounds like most black women i know. guess we are all magical. in his attempts at armchair liberalism owen just showed his own prejudice, unable to see past his own stereotypes. unfortunately he is able to write his nonsense with no reprecussions no matter how offensive. thankfully a couple people responded to his review, expressing their offense, too. so with that all out of the way, it has been a fun ride and i look forward to continue hearing from y'all. i will write soon...
days after...
whew! just flew out this morning for NY. it was a great festival. such great audiences and such a great vibe. the opening night gala was beautiful. all the actors were there, except paul : ( who had a family emergency. they were so excited to be together again and to see the film. i had to intro the film which was freakin' frightening, but i just reminded myself moments like this don't happen often and i damn well better enjoy every minute of it. the place was packed. it was a shock to me when i first walked out. my cast all got great rounds of applause and then we went to our seats and settled in to watch. i can never relax until i get that first laugh, when rosaleen say, "good thing we ain't in mississippi then." it will make more sense when you see the film. but the film was so well-received, and the true highlight was being introduced to roger ebert who LOVED the movie. talk about a surreal moment. the next couple days were non-stop interviews, which gets a little tough, answering the same questions over and over and over, but it sure beats no none giving a crap. our second public screening went even better. a standing ovation! that blew me away. so much so that i forgot to acknowledge my brilliant editor teri shropshire who was sitting in the audience. the crowd was so giving. i have to say, it never gets old hearing that people appreciate your work. we close urbanworld on saturday here in NY. hoping it goes just as well...
Today is the day!
So today is the big, giant, humongous day…the worldwide premiere of the film at the Toronto film fest. I have been told the crowds here are amazing so I am keeping my fingers crossed that they feel the film. So many emotions -- relief, fear, excitement. I have been going non-stop for a year and a half on this puppy, living and breathing it, nurturing it, protecting it, and now I have to push it out into the world and let it fend for itself. I caught a cold and my voice is a little Marlena Dietrich. Probably the stress.
Sue Monk Kidd left me a message this morning. She and her husband saw the film wed. night and loved it! What an amazing feeling. It was so important to me that she be proud of the film. This all stemmed from her beautiful novel and I wanted her to feel fulfilled. I look forward to seeing her today, and introducing her tonight.
Only three of the actors have seen the unfinished film -- Alicia, Latifah and Jennifer, so I am excited for the others to take it in. Dakota wanted to wait to see it finished and with a crowd. But this is the first time they will all see it on beautiful film, and mixed, and with the final soundtrack and score, so it's almost like the first time. I am so proud of all of them, and hope they can recognize how great their work is.
One of the great themes of the film is that optimism is courageous, so I am going to be courageous and believe tonight will be a successful. Will let you know…
