The film industry’s failure to represent people of colour runs far deeper than #OscarsSoWhite. Can a Bechdel test for race help persuade Hollywood to rethink? Plus: from ‘the magical negro’ to ‘the sassy confidante’ – the total guide to tired racial stereotypesMost kids watch a lot of TV. But whether – like us – you grew up in Khartoum,Sudan, and there wasn’t so much as a park or playground as an alternative – TV and film was your only outlet. While the temperature external was 40C and homework was neglected, and we would watch films. Steven Spielberg,John Carpenter, Brian De Palma, or Woody Allen and the Coen brothers were favourites. We rooted for Duckie in Pretty in Pink,hid behind the sofa during Jaws, were baffled by Blue Velvet, and learned about love wandering the streets of Vienna with Jesse and Céline in Before dawn.
All of these films we love to this day,but none of them contain a single named character of colour. Film may be the land of imagination – but what was Hollywood saying when our heroes never looked like us?Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com