{"id":176473120,"date":"2017-05-03T17:11:57","date_gmt":"2017-05-03T22:11:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kalamu.com\/neogriot\/?p=176473120"},"modified":"2017-05-03T17:11:57","modified_gmt":"2017-05-03T22:11:57","slug":"interview-dear-white-people-creator-justin-simien","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kalamu.com\/neogriot\/2017\/05\/03\/interview-dear-white-people-creator-justin-simien\/","title":{"rendered":"INTERVIEW: \u2018Dear White People\u2019 Creator Justin Simien"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\n

\"04.28.17\"<\/a>

04.28.17<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"dear-white-people<\/a><\/h1>\n

\u2018Dear White People\u2019<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n

Creator Justin Simien<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n

to Racist Trolls: <\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n

You\u2019re in for a Surprise<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n

The filmmaker-turned-Netflix showrunner
\nthinks his racist trolls will identify with
\nthe black characters in \u2018Dear White People.\u2019<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\n
\n
<\/div>\n

\nBY MATT WILSTEIN<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n
If there is one creative endeavor that exemplifies the power of
\ntelevision<\/a> over film in the streaming<\/a> age, it\u2019s Dear White People<\/i>.<\/span><\/article>\n
\n
<\/div>\n

Made in just 19 days on a budget of around $1 million<\/a>,
\nthe film\u00a0was a modest success by indie film standards<\/a>,
\ngrossing a total\u00a0of $4.4 million. But as writer\/director
\nJustin Simien tells The\u00a0Daily Beast, his 10-episode series
\nof the same name is poised\u00a0to have a far greater cultural
\nimpact when it starts streaming\u00a0on Netflix this Friday.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/article>\n

\n
<\/div>\n

Simien got a taste of what that reach will mean when
\nNetflix\u00a0released a 30-second teaser<\/a> for Dear White People<\/i>
\nearlier this\u00a0year and alt-right trolls seized on it, launching
\na Twitter\u00a0campaign to #BoycottNetflix. The filmmaker
\nknew that his\u00a0show\u2019s title was controversial, but he never
\nsaw this type of\u00a0angry backlash coming. It was yet another
\nexample of just\u00a0how emboldened the openly racist denizens
\nof the internet\u00a0have become in the age of Trump.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/article>\n


\nNow that viewers will finally be able to see more than a
\ndeliberately provocative preview, Simien says he hopes
\nthose who accused Netflix of engaging in \u201canti-white
\ndiscrimination\u201d will give it a chance. \u201cI actually think a
\nlot of the trolls will really identify with the show,\u201d he tells
\nme, given that it tells the stories of \u201cchronically
\nunderheard\u201d black students at the fictional Ivy League
\nWinchester University.
\n<\/span><\/span><\/article>\n
<\/article>\n

\nBy expanding the project from one stand-alone piece to
\n10 distinct half-hour episodes, Simien has broadened the
\nscope of his vision, delivering a final product that is both
\nfunnier and more thought-provoking than his original
\nfilm. Trolls beware.<\/span><\/article>\n
The show feels even more relevant now than when the film premiered. Do you think it will be received differently from when the film came out just three years ago?<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Yeah. I mean, for one, probably more people will see the show day one than ever saw the movie, just thanks to the nature of Netflix. I made the movie and I made the show to start conversations, which means that we avoid giving all of the answers to these problems and you kind of can\u2019t help but leave the show both entertained and a little perplexed, a little uncomfortable. So I\u2019m sure it will be like the movie but just sort of louder on all ends. I\u2019m sure people will feel gratified that they have seen themselves [represented]. I\u2019m sure people will take issue with some of the choices that the characters make, but that\u2019s all, in my opinion, part of doing my job as an artist.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n