Why Black Movies Aren't Made

This one is for all of you who say: "I don't mind Tyler Perry but I just wish we had more of a choice of movies targeted at black people."

Ava DuVernay, a black filmmaker and publicist, was the subject of an NYT article that I found very interesting. She launched a festival network for black themed films across the country, the African-American Film Festival Releasing Movement (AFFRM). She didn't see another way for her film, "I Will Follow, to be distributed, so she did it herself.

The article in the Times went on to include some brutal reasons why "black-theme movies" aren't made:

"Those who make specifically black-theme movies, she (DuVernay) said, should realize that “no one is ever going to care about their film except the people it’s made for, which is, black folks.”

That's a pretty sad statement. Most movies are made with the assumption that everybody will see them. How often do you see a movie and go, "That's a white movie. I'll pass." Never, right? But DuVernay is pretty much saying that those who make black movies shouldn't expect the same kind of interest across the board. Here's why that's even more troubling, according to the article:

"According to a 2009 survey of moviegoing compiled for the Motion Picture Association of America, African-Americans, about 12 percent of the North American population, accounted for only 11 percent of ticket sales and less than 9 percent of frequent moviegoers. (By contrast, Hispanics, who make up 15 percent of the population, bought 21 percent of tickets, according to the study.)"

If the only people who "care about" your movie barely go to the theater and buy tickets, then..... what's the incentive for the movie to be produced or distributed by a major company?

Here's a link to the rest of the story:
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/08/movies/08urban.html