“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
“There are filmmakers like me in different parts of the world that have a story they want to tell, and it's a story that comes out of a certain historical reality within their own life. Then you get committed all the way and however long it takes, stay very committed.” WorldWayWantLongDifferentStoriesRealityCertainHistoricalCommittedLike MeFilmmaker Author:Haile Gerima
“I am not interested only in telling a story, but I want to tell it my way. I don't want my accent, my temperament, my narrative style to be compromised to fit into a mold of the Hollywood type.” WayWantStoriesStyleTypeFitHollywoodMy WayNarrativeNot InterestedAccentsTemperamentMold Author:Haile Gerima
“I think not many young people are willing to pay the price of telling their own story.” PeopleThinkingStoriesYoungPayWillingPay The Price 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
“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
“Success is really when you create a space, a piece of art, and people come in and say, that's my story - when they claim it.” PeopleArtStoriesSpacePiecesClaims Author:Haile Gerima
