Filmmaker Shaka King said that Hollywood distributors have an “incredibly hostile” attitude toward black-led films, assuming they will lose money.
“I didn’t even think of doing another movie after Newlyweeds [in 2013],” King told Yahoo Entertainment. “Because I found the film marketplace, specifically, was incredibly hostile to any movies directed by [black people] and starring black actors.”
“Our work was deemed without value, financial value, specifically. It was just hostile, incredibly hostile,” King added of the woke, left-leaning entertainment industry’s attitude toward black-led films.
As for King’s 2021 dramatic thriller, Judas and the Black Messiah, the filmmaker teamed up with twin screenwriting team Keith and Kenneth Lucas on the project — which follows the story of Black Panther leader Fred Hampton.
“The hesitance really stemmed from a belief that the movie wouldn’t be as financially successful as we thought,” King said. “They passed because they were like, ‘For the money that you said you need to make this movie, we don’t think we can get that money back with a theatrical release.'”
“They were like, ‘If you make the movie for half the budget, then we’re in,'” King added.
The report added that despite concerns, Judas and the Black Messiah “has been a major success for Warner Bros. and its HBO Max streaming service” and has netted six Academy Award nominations.
King added that being recognized for his work is “bittersweet.”
Having an “incredibly hostile” attitude toward black-led films is not the only prejudice Hollywood has been accused of lately. The left-leaning industry also faces accusations of racism against Latinos, sexism, homophobia, and discrimination against the disabled.
Earlier this year, actress Rita Moreno said that racism in Hollywood — particularly against the Latino community — is “still the same damn problem” it was when she was starting out seven decades ago.
Actress Emma Thompson has also called out Hollywood’s casting sexism, stating that once a woman passes the age of 50, she becomes “invisible.”
Earlier this week, Titanic and Avatar star Kate Winslet says she knows “at least four” actors who are “hiding their sexuality” due to “homophobia” that exists in Hollywood.
Moreover, scores of actors and entertainment industry professionals have recently written an open letter slamming Hollywood for its alleged prejudice and discrimination toward disabled people.
You can follow Alana Mastrangelo on Facebook and Twitter at @ARmastrangelo, on Parler @alana, and on Instagram.
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