Hollywood comes to Filipinotown with a message of diversity

Ava DuVernay, Dan Lin and L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti launch a new hub for TV and film production.

A NEW INITIATIVE led by several of Hollywood's movers and shakers was launched of a new movie production hub in Los Angeles' Filipinotown.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, A Wrinkle in Time director Ava DuVernay, and It producer Dan Lin have kicked off the Evolve Entertainment Fund to promote inclusion in Hollywood.

“As we radically reimagine Hollywood, it is critically important that young people are included in our vision,” Ava DuVernay said Monday (Feb. 12) at the unveiling of the diversity initiative in partnership with HBO and the City of Los Angeles.

“Real change happens when we take tangible action, and that means giving young women and people of color opportunities in the industry early on so they have the chance to shape its future,” the director and ARRAY founder added of the new partnership between the City of L.A, studios, networks and nonprofits that seeks to provide placement in the industry for those traditionally left on the outside.

“What is one thing that people can do to instigate inclusion on film set? Hire a woman,” Oscar nominee DuVernay also made a point of noting. “Films directed by women have 76% percent more inclusion across people of color and women.”

Teaming-up with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Issa Rae Productions, Dan Lin’s Rideback, ARRAY, WME, Netflix, HBO, Film Independent, CAA, UTA, Anonymous Content, Lionsgate, Charles D King’s MACRO, Oprah Winfrey Network, the Sundance Institute, Shondaland, Ryan Murphy, Innovative Artists and Warner Bros, among others, the EEF intends to raise over $5 million to fund programs up to and beyond 2020.

With emphasis on creating TV, film and digital career opportunities for people of color, women and low-income residents of the City of Los Angeles and securing mini-grants and placement for eligible filmmakers, the newly announced EEF has already established 150 paid summer internships for students participating in the HIRE LA’s Youth program working with 9-1-1 EP Murphy’s production company, DreamWorks Animation and Kobe Bryant’s Granity Studios. The hope is that the number of those internships will expand to 250 by the end of the year, and up to 500 placements by 2020.

The first EEF grant recipient will be the Women in Entertainment Mentorship Program is the initial EEF grant recipient with the focus of working with young women from low-income communities to work up-close with entertainment industry pros.

“We created the Evolve Entertainment Fund to give people in underserved communities a new opportunity to chase their dreams in Hollywood, whether they want to be the next award-winning director or screenwriter, or are looking to secure a future in below-the-line jobs that are the bedrock of this city’s middle class,” LA Mayor Eric Garcetti told the crowd gathered at the newly minted Historic Filipinotown-based Rideback Ranch HQ of The LEGO Movie producer Dan Lin, who serves on the EEF Advisory Board.

As a part of EEF chipping away at some of the entry point barriers that some face, Lin’s Rideback has set up a new internship to expose participants to the development of big screen and little screen content for the international market. 

“I came to the U.S. as an immigrant from Taiwan,” Lin told the assembled invitees  Monday morning. “I’ve seen firsthand how difficult the industry is, how hard it is for writers, filmmakers and other artists to get their films and television series made,” the producer declared. “It’s even harder for someone with no connections to get a career started. It takes the generosity of others to lend a hand and get you through the door.”

Lin also announced at the launch that his decade-old Lin Pictures would be rebranded with the Old West term Rideback, meaning to help a rider who has fallen off their horse back up. The new campus where the EFF event was held will also house Warner Animation Group’s LEGO team plus Phil Lord and Chris Miller’s Lord Miller and David Ayer and Chris Long’s recently announced Cedar Park Entertainment.

DuVernay also revealed on Monday that a new HQ for the indie film focused ARRAY will be opening on Glendale Boulevard, also in Filipinotown.

“After 20 years in the business, it’s time for me to give back,” the Taiwan-born Lin said. “A more diverse mix of people and stories is essential for the future of our industry. We look forward to working alongside our colleagues to make EEF flourish and to launching new opportunities for young people of all backgrounds to join our industry.”

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Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences takes first (small) step to diversify membership

Some of the actors invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences in 2016.

THE ACADEMY of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences invited 683 artists to become members of the organization which sponsors the Oscars. Forty-one percent of the invitees, or 272, are people of color. Seventy of those are Asian or Asian/American.

The move to diversify the Academy's membership was not unexpected after the firestorm that overlooked actors of color for any acting nominations for two straight years.

Academy President Cheryl Boone, who is African/American, promised to double the Academy's minority membership after the embarrassing voting results that spurred the #OscarsSoWhite outcry that spotlighted the lack of diversity in the motion picture industry.

“We’re proud to welcome these new members to the Academy, and know they view this as an opportunity and not just an invitation, a mission and not just a membership,” Cheryl Boone Isaacs, Academy president, said in a statement. She also encouraged Hollywood and the larger creative community to “open its doors wider, and create opportunities for anyone interested in working in this incredible and storied industry.”

James Hong

What was a jaw-breaking surprise to me, though, was who was among the invitees - many  of whom have been in the industry for years and have a long resume of movies - were not Academy members. I -- and most of the public, I'd venture to guess -- just assumed anybody in the business would have been members.

RELATED: For complete list of invitees, click here

For example, among those invited to join the Academy were James Hong, who has been in the movie business for decades and who has been in innumerable films had never been invited before. He's one of those character actors whose face is instantly recognizable but whose name most people overlook; Daniel Day Kim from TV's Lost and Hawaii 5-O also did the movies Spiderman 2, Crash, Insurgent and Allegiance; and Freida Pinto of Slumdog Millionaire.

Other big names invited and who I assumed were already Academy members included Kate Beckinsale, Idris Elba, Emma Watson, America Ferrera, Michael B. Jordan, Daphne Zuniga and Damon Wayans, Jr.
Among Asian/American directors, Cary Joji Fukunaga who has Beasts of No Nation and Jane Eyre under his belt; Karyn Kusama, Jennifer’s Body and Girlfight;  and James Wan, The Conjuring and Saw received invitations.

Academy graphic

“The Academy will supplement the traditional process in which current members sponsor new members by launching an ambitious, global campaign to identify and recruit qualified new members who represent greater diversity,” AMPAS said in a press release when the anger over #OscarsSoWhite became evident.  

Among the invitees were a number of actors, directors and technicians from other countries to help obtain the diversity the Academy sought.

Tatsuya Nakadai

I'm glad to see an invitation was extended to Tatsuya Nakadai, he of the haunted eyes, who starred in a bunch of samurai movies, often as an outlaw samurai. Who can forget his scenes opposite Toshiro Mifune in Sanjuro and the  movie's (gasp!) powerful ending; or his character study of a man gone mad in Sword of Doom.

But really - the needle towards inclusiveness and diversity has barely moved. Prior to  the invitations being sent out, only 8 percent of the Academy membership were minorities. Even if all the minority invitees accepted, there would only be 11 percent minority membership. Hardly enough to make a significant change in the Academy's voting patterns. 

In order to meet the stated diversityi goals, the Academy will have to add 500 non-white members and 1,500 female members in the next five years.

The list of invitees, the largest number ever, was not without controversy. A mini-revolt was fomenting within the Academy causing a handful to run for the executive board with the intention of overturning the new recruiting strategy. However, after the voting was over, only one critic was successful. The counter campaigns did show that an institution such as the Academy is not changing willingly. 

Though the June 29 announcement represents only a slight bump in diversity, it is an improvement over past years. But it also shows, that there is plenty of room for improvement.
Maybe the 2017 Oscars will be worth watching  -- if they do away with the Asian jokes.

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For more news about Asian/Americans & Pacific Islanders, read AsAm News.

For real - #StarringJohnCho

IT'S A CASE of life imitating art. The internet viral sensation #StarringJohnCho -- where actor John Cho's face was superimposed on popular movie posters in order to show the plausibility of more diverse casting in Hollywood movies -- has come true.

Paramount has released three new character posters to promote the upcoming release of Star Trek Beyond. Today’s posters feature Simon Pegg as Scotty, Zoe Saldana as Uhuraand John Cho as Sulu.

Cho's image is one of the very few times an Asian male was prominently promoted in order to sell a movie. The only other Hollywood distributed movie that featured an Asian male actor in its PR materials was Enter the Dragon featuring martial artist Bruce Lee.

The new posters follow the same aesthetic style of those released last week. Posters with McCoy, Jaylah, Spock and Chekov were unveiled on Wednesday and Thursday, in addition to a colorful international poster, last Monday.

RELATED: AAPI decry whitewashing of Asian roles

The lack of diversity in U.S.-made films has been a topic of discussion in the movie industry for several years but really picked up steam last year when the Academy Awards didn't nominate a single actor of color for an Oscar. The 2015 Oscars spawned the Twitter hashtag #OscarsSoWhite.

RELATED: #OscarsSoOffensive

#OscarsSoWhite became a more topical issue this year when the actors of color were excluded again. However, a pair of tasteless jokes against Asians during the awards show sparked a rare outcry of protest from the AAPI community. 

RELATED: That's a rap for $StarringJohnCho

The last straw appears to have occurred when several movies that had Asian roles in the source material of the comics and anime were given to white actors. AAPI actors began speaking out and articles about the protests began appearing in mainstream media giving birth to #StarringJohnCho, which in turn inspired #StarringConstanceWu.

Star Trek Beyond, which was directed by Asian/American director Justin Lin, will be released July 22.

#OscarsSoWhite - the sequel

The nominees for best actor and actress and best supporting actor and actress.

NOT AGAIN!?!

We've seen this picture before: All 20 nominees for Oscar acting awards this year are white. The last time we saw this blinding light of white was ... well ... a year ago.

Last year when the all-white roster of nominees were named Oscars got blasted on Twitter and #OscarsSoWhite went viral for overlooking Selma and Fruitvale and their stars and directors.

Many people - myself, included - thought the Academy of Motion Pictures wouldn't go through all the embarrassment of an all-white case of nominees ago again and all the criticism that it generated. Boy, was I wrong!

RELATED: The Oscar for Best Caucasian ...

“Of course I am disappointed, but this is not to take away the greatness (of the nominations),” Cheryl Boone Isaacs, the first black president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, told Deadline. “This has been a great year in film, it really has across the board. You are never going to know what is going to appear on the sheet of paper until you see it.”

Idris Elba's powerful performance in 'Beasts of No Nation'
was overlooked by the Academy membership.

To be clear, a lot of white talent got snubbed too including Steven Spielberg, Jane Fonda, Aaron Sorkin among others.

But I thought for sure that Idris Elba (Beasts of No Nation)  was a sure thing to get  nominated in the Best Actor category. I hoped that Michael B Jordan (Creed) would join the acting nominees. There were outside chances (but deserving) that Will Smith (Concussion), Jason Mitchell (Straight Outta Compton) or Benicio Del Toro (Sicario) would get nominations.

RELATED: Asian Americans earn Oscar nominations in animation entries

Through Isaacs' urging, the Academy increased its membership to include more people of color to perhaps widen the pool of preferences but, apparently, that effort was not enough.

It seems the only way an actor or director of color can get an Oscar is in a special honorific category. That's what happened director Spike Lee received an honorary Oscar at the Governors Awards. Lee took the occasion to excoriate the industry saying that it was "easier to be president of the United States as a black man than be the head of a studio."

As he accepted the honor, Lee said, “By the year 2043, white Americans are going to be a minority in this country. And all you people out there in the position of hiring, you better get smart. Because your work force should reflect what this country looks like.”
“Everybody in here probably voted for Obama,” he added, “but when I go to offices, I see no black folks except for the brother man at security.”

Let's face it, a lot of the Academy voters would rather see a film about Irish immigrants than go see Straight Outta Compton. The same voters would also prefer to not lend any legitimacy to a movie debuting on a rival medium like Netflix, where Beasts of No Nation premiered.

Spike Lee lambasted the movie industry's lack of diversity.

The Oscar nominations are only a symptom of the real problem. It is not a lack of talent among minority actors and film makers. 

The decision-makers - the people who cast the movies, the studio honchos who greenlight projects, the directors, writers and producers are overwhelmingly white men. In addition, there is a large residue of technicians, crew and office workers who have been in the white enclave of Hollywood who still wield plenty of influence. In order to get nominated for an Oscar, first, you have to have the opportunity to get the meaty role.

What if John Cho played the Martian? Or Lucy Liu was cast in Carol? Or Denzel Washington played the Revenant? For an industry that values creativity, there is a lack of  imagination in casting.

Even though the Oscars is losing its relevancy, I'll most likely be watching the telecast next month. #OscarsSoWhite should provide plenty of fodder for this year's emcee, Chris Rock, who has had plenty to say in the past about the institutional "whiteness" of Hollywood.

For more news about Asian Americans & Pacific Islanders, read AsAm News.

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Racists call for boycott to protest diverse cast of 'Star Wars VI: The Force Awakens'

British actor John Boyega will have a key role in Star Wars Vii.

IN A GALAXY, far, far away, racism doesn't exist.

But in the far reaches of the Milky Way in the edge of one of the spatial arms, that tiny blue and white planet orbiting a medium star, racism is alive and well and threatening to destroy all of humankind.

The release of the trailer promoting the seventh and latest rendition of the Star Wars franchise, Star Wars: The Force Awakens has awaken another kind of evil force in a group of so-called Star War fans calling for a boycott of the new movie because it features people of color in leading roles.

While reading this post, we have to remind ourselves that the objectors represent a tiny fraction of the Euro/Americans and their actions do not reflect the beliefs of the vast majority of the good Euro/Americans, many of whom I count as friends.

Having said that - damn - I am constantly amazed how ignorant some people are!

The trolls have launched a Twitter hashtag #BoycottStarWarsVII." Their action is so preposterous that it has to be a huge practical joke, right? Nevertheless, they've found others who think like them and the hashtag has gone viral. Here are examples of their  extreme paranoia:

Apparently, they're angry that a black stormtrooper is shown in the trailer and is one of the main protagonists, that a black woman has a major role and a Latino is one of the daring fighter pilots. I'm surprised that they aren't bothered because a woman appears to be the central character instead of a white male.

During a panel in San Diego's ComicCon earlier this year, the director JJ Abrams was asked if there were any Asians in the movie. Abrams cleverly answered that he wished that if he could, he'd cast the whole movie with Asians, which elicited audience laughter. 

"We wanted the movie to look the way the world looks," he continued. "And I think it is important that people see themselves represented in film. I think it is not a small thing. So I completely understand and think your question is hugely important. And it was a big consideration."

Thus far, though, only one Asian, British actress Christina Chong, is confirmed to have been cast in a minor role. We'll just have to wait and see. I hope I'm wrong but Abrams - like so many who should know better - might be among those who view the world primarily in black in white.

Christina Chong

Star Wars: Episode VII stars Adam Driver, John Boyega, Daisy Ridley, Lupita Nyong'o, as well as familiar faces like Mark Hammil, Harrison Ford, and Carrie Fisher; the latter three whiter than white but their roles aren't the leads that they were when they were younger.

The angry whites (sorry, we have to assume they are white) must have forgotten that the color line has already been broken in the Star Wars universe: 

• Cloud City administrator Lando Calrissian, played by Billy Dee Williams in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.
• Queen Padmé Amidala’s royal security force was led by Captain Quarsh Panaka, played by Hugh Quarshie in The Phantom Menace.
• Samuel L Jackson played Jedi Master Mace Windu.
• Jango Fett, a bounty hunter who became the genetic template for the Grand Army of the Republic, played by Temuera Morrison in in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones.
• The young bounty hunter Boba Fett was played by Daniel Logan in Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones.

And lest we forget, the great James Earl Jones provided the ominous voice for the infamous Darth Vader.

Despite Abrams efforts and the above-mentioned actors to diversify the Star Wars franchise, they comprise only a tiny fraction of the casts reflecting the general lack of diversity in Hollywood features.

One saving grace that has come out of this boycott nonsense is the reaction of Star Wars fans mocking the boycotters.

But why does this silliness matter? The haters that are spurring the boycott are just the top of the iceberg of pent-up fear that white males may be losing their position of power and privilege that they've had since this country was founded.

We have candidates for president saying racist things about immigrants and we have a faux news network fomenting the ignorant into action, i.e. the recent rash of arson attacks on Planned Parenthood clinics and houses of worship.

The entitlement and privilege enjoyed by white males for so long and carved into every institution in this country is teetering because of the changing demographics of America. There will be those cretins who will do anything to maintain the status quo.

Citizens United, the GOP presidential candidates, the Koch Bros. and #BoycottStarWarsVII  are all symptoms of one of the greatest threats facing the future of America - the white backlash.

There is more to the racist reaction to the new Stars Wars cast than pop culture puffery, behind it is something darker and more sinister - it's the Evil Empire's last gasp.

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USC report: Movie industry lacks diversity. So, what's new?

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon II is coming to Netflix with Michelle Yeoh

HO-HUM! Another study showing the lack of diversity in the movie industry. This one is put out by the University of Southern California.

Don't get me wrong. We always need to be reminded about the inequities that exist in the portrayal of people of color in popular media, it's just that we all know what the problem is. What we need is a solution that will get acted upon.

The study from the Media, Diversity, & Social Change Initiative at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism offers comprehensive data that evaluates gender, race/ethnicity and LGBT status in movies.

“The picture that film presents is one that bears little resemblance to our nation’s demography,” said USC Annenberg Professor Stacy Smith, author of the study and founding director of the initiative, in a press release. “By examining the trends over time, it is clear that no progress has been made either on screen or behind the camera when it comes to representing reality. This report reflects a dismal record of diversity for not just one group, but for females, people of color and the LGBT community.”

Nevertheless, it might be worth reiterating what some of the report's findings:

• Gender. Only 30.2% of the 30,835 speaking characters evaluated were female across the 700 top‐grossing films from 2007 to 2014. This calculates to a gender ratio of 2.3 to 1. Only 11% of 700 films had gender‐balanced casts or featured girls/women in roughly half (45‐54.9%) of the speaking roles

• A total of 21 of the 100 top films of 2014 featured a female lead or roughly equal co lead. This is similar to the percentage in 2007 (20%), but a 7% decrease from the 2013 sample (28%).

• In 2014, no female actors over 45 years of age performed a lead or co lead role. Only three of the female actors in lead or co lead roles were from underrepresented racial/ethnic backgrounds. No female leads or co leads were Lesbian or Bisexual characters. 

• Less than a quarter of all speaking characters were female in the top animated films of 2014, which is a 7.4% decrease from 2010 but no change from 2007. Only 21.8% of speaking characters in action/adventure films were female, which did not differ from 2010 or 2007. 34% of characters in 2014 comedies were female.

• Across 700 films, a total of 9,522 characters were coded 40‐ to 64‐years of age. Less than a quarter (21.8%) of these characters were women. Only 19.9% of the middle‐aged characters were female across the 100 top films of 2014. This is not different from the percentage in 2007. 

• Of those characters coded for race/ethnicity across 100 top films of 2014, 73.1% were White, 4.9% were Hispanic/Latino, 12.5% were Black, 5.3% were Asian, 2.9% were Middle Eastern, <1% were American Indian/Alaskan Native or Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, and 1.2% were from “other” racial and/or ethnic groupings. This represents no change in the portrayal of apparent race/ethnicity from 2007‐2014. 

Only 17 of the 100 top films of 2014 featured a lead or co lead actor from an underrepresented racial and/or ethnic group. An additional 3 films depicted an ensemble cast with 50% or more of the group comprised of actors from underrepresented racial/ethnic backgrounds.

Just over a quarter of characters in action and/or adventure (26.1%) and comedy films (26.5%) are from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups across the 100 top films of 2014. This represents no change from 2007 or 2010.

Only 19 Asian directors worked across the 700 top‐grossing films. This is an overall percentage of 2.4%. Only 1 Asian director was female across the films analyzed and was listed as a co‐director.ing character. This is the same number of movies without Black characters across the 100 top films of 2013. Over 40 movies across the 2014 sample did not depict an Asian character with any lines.

To me, what the study shows that in the seven years of data, much breast-beating from the major studios and influential producers and directors, not much has changed,

There are some signs that 2015 might be the year where people of color might see some progress in the movie industry. Never the less, I can't wait to see next year's report.

With the exception of Justin Lin' Star Trek Beyond, most of the action for Asian talent seems to be on television with Netflix's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon II, the epic Marco Polo with - literally - a cast of thousands. Both of those productions will most likely eventually will have theatrical releases (in the lucrative Asian market). In addition, there are a handful of new series which will feature Asian/American  leads which I'll write about in another posting.

Below is a Buzzfeed video that is kind of an amusing "what if." about movies that could have been cast with actors of color. (I'm giving this idea free to anybody who wants to write the script, imagine Breakfast Club with an "urban" - code for black, Asian, Latino - cast. I think that would give the film so much more depth than the original.  Anybody interested?)  

The commentary below the video is very troubling though, indicating how so many people just don't get people of color or the point of this video. 

2:00/2:00

BuzzFeed Video People Of Color Recreated Iconic Movie Posters And The Results Are Stunning Yesterday Most Relevant Kacie Kim Le, Rebecca Roberts, Cassie Lee and 38,493 others like this. 11,215 shares Priyanjali Natalie What a pointless video. Why are people labeled as people of colour in the first place??!! 2,018 · Yesterday at 8:06am 184 Replies · 11 minutes ago Brenna Sullivan Omg all these comments... You guys are ignorant. Bottom line people of color are NOT represented in Hollywood. They are pigeon holes in a few small roles and when they are leads in movies white people say "it's a (enter race here) movie" and won't see ...See More 992 · Yesterday at 8:29am 66 Replies · 25 minutes ago Terrance Vandewiel Shouldn't matter if the actors are white or black as long as they can act and the movie is good that's all I care about way to make race a issue buzzfeed 2,672 · Yesterday at 8:04am 244 Replies · 40 minutes ago Felicia Thorusen I agree with this video so much. There needs to be more diversity in Hollywood, especially with Asians. 788 · Yesterday at 8:11am 36 Replies · 32 minutes ago James Zhan the titanic one looks great 642 · Yesterday at 8:06am 18 Replies · 15 minutes ago Bridgette Love By the way, if this video bugs you - then you must have an issue. Is it not true that 95% of actors/actresses are white? I mean aren't blacks, Asians, Indians, and Hispanics not funny or talented? I'm tired of seeing the same washed up white actors on ...See More 2,197 · Yesterday at 11:37am · Edited 192 Replies · 6 minutes ago Lauren Robinson Why does everything have to be about race? 1,922 · Yesterday at 8:04am 254 Replies · 24 minutes ago Colby Pearson Always ratteling the cage eh buzzfeed. unsure emoticon 486 · Yesterday at 8:02am 15 Replies · 2 hours ago Chloe Pritchard I like how people are getting offended over this. Hollywood has casted white actors for characters who aren't white. Why not use an actor of the race they are portraying? Why are PoC actors paid less for roles? Why is there very few roles for PoC that isn't a stereotype? 343 · Yesterday at 8:09am 23 Replies · 29 minutes ago Tanesha Amya F Just waiting for all the white people to comment "stop race baiting, who cares" 1,154 · Yesterday at 8:04am 122 Replies · 48 minutes ago Brittany Blackwell My only issue with this video is for period films, like Titanic, where a rich woman would most likely not have been of color. That discredits the movie completely. And casting people of color as mean girls would get all sorts of flack because that is p...See More 234 · Yesterday at 8:27am 26 Replies · 2 hours ago Camilla Lopes "People of color" sounds really racist. Everyone has a skin color. Nobody is "no color" skin. Buzzfeed, you sucked this time. Go home! 873 · Yesterday at 8:09am 80 Replies · 2 hours ago Karla Itara Brace yourself‼️ "If white people did this we would be called racist" comments are coming 3....2....1  580 · Yesterday at 8:10am 96 Replies · 49 minutes ago Mikel Lee Fields You know how to fix this video buzzfeed. Start making movies and do it your way. Instead of hinting that the movie industry is a bunch of bigots. 119 · Yesterday at 8:09am 15 Replies · 8 hours ago Delina Danice Sorrels Titanic was my favorite "in color" poster! Stunning! 104 · Yesterday at 8:19am 3 Replies Brenda Solano-Garza 99% of maids in movies, tv shows, etc are minorities. Show me one which was not. 90 · Yesterday at 8:25am 42 Replies · 4 minutes ago Angel Escobar We want to see straight outta compton played by white people 104 · Yesterday at 8:07am · Edited 30 Replies · 3 hours ago Justin Smith The problem I have with this video is it insinuates that the creators of the originals were in some way racist. That those who support movies are in some way racist and that people of color, are discriminated against in Hollywood. Are you serious? W...See More 71 · Yesterday at 8:46am 16 Replies · 3 hours ago Barbara Emmanuella Hurdas The movie industry is racist and sexist 68 · Yesterday at 8:25am 13 Replies · 4 hours ago Tamira Jackson That would make an awesome breakfast club wow 82 · Yesterday at 8:04am 8 Replies · 2 hours ago Karl Johnson well i kind of dont care who the actor as long as they can act im good 63 · Yesterday at 8:02am 16 Replies · 8 hours ago Heather Jackson If this had not had any subtitles, I would have just thought PEOPLE recreating famous movie posters. I wouldn't have even noticed them being people of non white races honestly. 46 · Yesterday at 8:38am 3 Replies · 3 hours ago Ashley Werth I agree that we don't see enough Indian people in main stream movies, but why are black people getting upset? Queen Latifah, Morgan Freeman, Denzel Washington, Eddie Murphy, Forrest Whitaker, Will Smith(just to name a few) are among the top most popular and talented actors in the world. I've seen countless movies featuring people that aren't white. 44 · Yesterday at 8:59am 17 Replies · 3 hours ago Alicia Ibarra I think the point that a lot of you aren't getting from this video is that maybe they don't think THESE specific movies would've been better with POC actors. But they're making the point that why aren't more ICONIC films centered around POC actors. Why...See More 32 · Yesterday at 9:19am 1 Reply Sakoia Delee it still amazes me that people can say, they "don't see color" or "why does color matter" but then again you are the same people who don't believe in white privilege.... just because you have the luxury of ignoring it doesn't mean it's not there... this vidoe is not about race, but equality, which is why there were actual facts throughout it... but ijs! 32 · Yesterday at 8:52am 5 Replies · 15 minutes ago Courtney Lynn Elliott I honestly didn't understand what this video was at first when I glanced at it. I first read it as "people recreate iconic movie posters and the results are stunning" as I looked at the woman recreating the Mean Girls poster, I saw two beautiful women. Why do we need to label as "people of color"? Why can't we just be people? 17 · Yesterday at 11:16am 9 Replies · 3 hours ago Bobby Aragon So now movies?! When is this crap going to stop? Don't make an issue where there isn't one. I'm Hispanic and I could give a shit less who is in the movie so long as it's good. Way to turn entertainment into a race, creed, gender, bullshit issue. 27 · Yesterday at 8:37am 6 Replies · 35 minutes ago Betty Grace I agree that there should be more diversity in movies made. I don't think recreating old iconic movies is the answer. Don't mess with the old classics, create new classics. 98 · Yesterday at 8:25am 4 Replies Alex Greene Lol "the results are stunning" meh not really.  Just looks like a bunch of fan made posters. 18 · Yesterday at 10:38am · Edited Neila Lili I mean if you want to watch movies with all races then dont stick to your americans movies only? I watch korean , japanese , indian , russian ..etc tv shows /movies and I get to learn and see cultures from all over the world , you complain about non di...See More 17 · Yesterday at 11:32am · Edited 15 Replies · about an hour ago Brittany Kitelinger Last time I checked white is a color.... Smh. All people are beautiful no matter what color they are. How about just saying movie posters recreated?? 15 · Yesterday at 9:30am 5 Replies · 6 hours ago Avril Rasegan I'm really confused. I see movies with tons of different "color" people all the time?? Weird. 17 · Yesterday at 8:36am 13 Replies · 3 hours ago Jeffrey Rushing Jr. Its not meant as a color thing its meant to show how diverse hollywood isnt how little people of color actually get to be in major movies how people are tired of seeing the same faces in movies 10 · Yesterday at 9:33am Anjut Tucker White is also a colour. In case you dont learn that at school... 😅 and buzzfeed please stop this racial issue. I'm asian and muslim. but I never feel the pressure because I know how to value myself. I dont wait people to recognize me. 16 · Yesterday at 8:43am 3 Replies · 3 hours ago Darwin Solorzano Video tittle should be "People recreated Iconic Movie Posters", we're all coloured, we're all just people. 1 · 15 hours ago 1 Reply Quentin Wilkerson "Minorities make up nearly 40% of the U.S. population." "People of color recreated iconic movie posters and the results are stunning."...See More 2 · 15 hours ago 2 Replies · 3 hours ago Michael Ishmael Johnson Sr. The movies used in the video? Fuck no. But, the video makes a very valid point. Hollywood movies don't reflect a diverse America, and they need to start doing so. 9 · Yesterday at 9:59am Sarah Tong Ahhhhh and yes! The point of this video is accomplished Buzzfeed... Look at all the black people, Asians & people of color arguing with white people in the comments! This isn't how you join people together, this is how you separate them.. 9 · Yesterday at 10:18am · Edited 4 Replies · 8 hours ago Mave Rodriguez M For some reason, the recreated movie posters seem to have more of a "story" and they feel more... "real" to me. 5 · Yesterday at 9:01am 1 Reply Mandy Molina Wow, somehow it's always white people saying how racist Hollywood is. There are many races in the film industry. I don't pay attention to skin color. Asia and India have Bollywood, and they are a very successful film industry. 3 · 14 hours ago 2 Replies · 6 hours ago Brett Bales Was there some reason this couldnt just be a a fun video about people of different races doing different posters? Does the whole race pot need to be stirred even more than it already is? I manage to find all sorts of movies of people of different races...See More 3 · 17 hours ago Parastoo Kimiaei Lovely video i think you should make more video's like this smile emoticon i think im starting to like buzzfeed even more now 5 · Yesterday at 9:29am Erin Atkins How many people of "Colour" work at Buzzfeed? 1 · 18 hours ago 7 Replies · about an hour ago Mave Rodriguez M For some reason, the recreated movie posters seem to have more of a "story" and they feel more..."real" to me 3 · Yesterday at 9:01am Zachary Clason I like buzzfeed... With that said, I thought this was pretty fucking stupid 8 · Yesterday at 8:57am Simon Du I found a lot of Caucasian people have darker skins than me. So please name this video properly. 4 · 23 hours ago · Edited Kimberly Hernandez When are you gonna have white people recreateemovie posters that had black people? 46 · Yesterday at 8:05am 26 Replies · 3 hours ago Andee Pilkington White is a colour too Buzzfeed, just saying. I understand that movies may not have certain people of different skin colour... But last time I checked we were ALL ONE RACE- HUMAN BEINGS. 🏻🏼️🏽🏾🏿 3 · Yesterday at 11:18am 8 Replies · 6 hours ago Zach Mason The results are stunning? They look exactly like the posters but they're a different race. This video is pointless. 1 · 6 hours ago Meghan Bond I love the movie "Blue is the warmest colour" really good movie. 21 hours ago 50 of 1,694 View more comments

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