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Quote by Haile Gerima

“I think not many young people are willing to pay the price of telling their own story.”

Quote by Haile Gerima

Author

Haile Gerima, born on March 4, 1946, is an accomplished Ethiopian filmmaker whose works are renowned for their profound social criticism and unique interpretation of African culture. more

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“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.”

People Ideas Stories America Film Form Young Black Hollywood Application Black People Brazil

Author:Haile Gerima

“For any movement to emerge, it has to be innovatively independent from the mainstream cinema, and I don't see that much.”

Movement Independent Cinema Mainstream

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.”

People Way Ideas Facts Stories School Lasts Film Young Mistake Groups Intention Accepted Film School

Author:Haile Gerima

“Most, especially the young filmmakers, do not see strength in communal or collective existence. They just think they're going to conquer the world as individuals. There is no world like that. In cinema it's always, even in Hollywood, a collective surge.”

Thinking World Young Individual Existence Hollywood Conquer Cinema Filmmaker Collectives Conquer The World

Author:Haile Gerima

“When you don't work together you can't emerge as a force. It becomes what some call a "lonely struggle" and individual self-destruction.”

Self Together Individual Force Struggle Lonely Destruction Working Together Self Destruction

Author:Haile Gerima

“The system knows how to cherry pick black people. It's like affirmative action - once a year, one is recognized. But what has to occur is self-emergence so if they ignore you, you don't have to disappear.”

People Ifs Knows Years Self Action Black Know How Picks Disappear Black People Cherries Emergence Affirmative Action Affirmative Year One

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.”

Kind Two Film Three Waiting Seeing Goes On Bases Consistent Consistently Emergence Demonstrating

Author:Haile Gerima

“I am a big supporter of experiments to complement representative gov't with randomly selected representative bodies of citizens, sure. I think most Americans would be surprised to learn just how much better we are at gov't than our gov't.”

Thinking Body Bigs Would Be Citizens Experiments Representatives Supporter Selected Complement

Author:Lawrence Lessig

“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.”

Knows Writing Film Names Black Existence Know How Silent Scripts Filmmaker Prize Festivals Jury Venice Film Festivals

Author:Haile Gerima

“When the system does not recognize me I'm not devastated.”

Author:Haile Gerima