“You have to have a very strong cash flow for a film to really stay in theaters. You have to have the advertising capacity to sustain and follow the kind of press coverage.” KindFilmStrongCapacityFlowTheaterPressesAdvertisingCashVery StrongCoverageCash Flow Author:Haile Gerima
“I think once you have films in certain festivals you begin to have name recognition, and there are possibilities.” ThinkingFilmCertainNamesPossibilityRecognitionFestivals Author:Haile Gerima
“It's not always expected of filmmakers to do stereotyped stories. But one has to be willing to travel to festivals and hook up with people, engage people intellectually about your passion and the kinds of films that interest you, and sooner or later you find people that have the same affinity that you have.” PeopleKindStoriesFilmPassionInterestWillingExpectedFilmmakerSooner Or LaterHookFestivalsAffinityHook Up Author:Haile Gerima
“You have to be willing to put everything you've got towards the project. That to me is very important. And it may not be part of the fad, being the clichéd kind of film that's going to be successful.” KindMayImportantFilmSuccessfulWillingProjectsBeing SuccessfulFads Author:Haile Gerima
“I'm organizing documentary films, and whenever scriptwriting gets too tedious I go to my editing room and start to edit the documentary, even if I don't have the full funding yet. So you have to keep yourself busy, you have to like the subject matter.” IfsMatterFilmRoomsSubjectsBusyEditingDocumentariesFundingSubject MatterEditsTediousDocumentary Films Author:Haile Gerima
“There's no other way but struggling, forging ahead to do the film.” WayFilmStruggleForgingForging Ahead Author:Haile Gerima
“A lot of young black people in America, and even in Africa and Brazil, would say that they are telling their story, but most of the films are like application forms with the formulaic ideas of Hollywood.” PeopleIdeasStoriesAmericaFilmFormYoungBlackHollywoodApplicationBlack PeopleBrazil Author:Haile Gerima
“Most young people make films to be accepted, to be discovered, when in fact that was the last idea with the group I went to film school with. To be discovered was not our intention. Our intention was to tell our story our way, and make our own mistakes and learn from film to film.” PeopleWayIdeasFactsStoriesSchoolLastsFilmYoungMistakeGroupsIntentionAcceptedFilm School Author:Haile Gerima
“There has to be consistent emergence of two or three films - narratively, stylistically, consistently demonstrating you are here to go on. And on that kind of basis, I'm not seeing much. I'm just waiting to see.” KindTwoFilmThreeWaitingSeeingGoes OnBasesConsistentConsistentlyEmergenceDemonstrating Author:Haile Gerima
“When my film went to the Venice Film Festival and won the best script writing, the jury [prize], it didn't go to my head. I know how many black filmmakers that I am operating with whose name will never be mentioned. But I'm part of them in that silent existence.” KnowsWritingFilmNamesBlackExistenceKnow HowSilentScriptsFilmmakerPrizeFestivalsJuryVeniceFilm Festivals Author:Haile Gerima
“Most young people now are very vulnerable as to what the American film aficionados are going to say. They care too much about a system that has no room for them. It's really a serious issue for me, because to me it's, how do I survive beyond a film that was disgraced or praised?” PeopleCareFilmYoungRoomsIssuesToo MuchSeriousVulnerableAmerican FilmCaring Too MuchSerious Issues Author:Haile Gerima
“The true story is that black people need to tell their history. Very few films are made by black people about slavery. That itself is a crime because slavery is a very important historical event that has held our people hostage. Forget white people's role in it. In the end what's important is black people remain and live with the scars and psychological issues.” PeopleNeedsMadeImportantEndsStoriesFilmBlackWhiteForgetRolesIssuesEventsCrimeSlaveryHistoricalPsychologicalBlack PeopleScarWhat's ImportantTrue StoryHostageHistorical Events Author:Haile Gerima
“I think once you have films in certain festivals you begin to have name recognition, and there are possibilities. Especially for independent filmmakers, it's always good to try the international market because it doesn't have the same kind of baggage.” ThinkingTryingKindFilmCertainNamesPossibilityIndependentInternationalRecognitionFilmmakerFestivalsBaggage Author:Haile Gerima
“You have to keep yourself busy, you have to like the subject matter. If you do it for other causes, other reasons, it doesn't hold you for a long time. There's no other way but struggling, forging ahead to do the film.” IfsWayLongMatterReasonFilmCausesStruggleSubjectsLong TimeBusySubject MatterForgingForging Ahead Author:Haile Gerima
