'Beyond The Lights' Creator Encourages Audience to Check Out The Film

Gina Prince-Bythewood, director and creator of the classic Love & Basketball and recent release, Beyond The Lights, has penned a letter encouraging movie goers to see the latter film. The film, which I highlighted here, opened last month but has been slightly disappointing at the box office so far. Beyond The Lights stars Nate Parker and Gugu Mbatha-Raw.

Read her letter below:

After the first preview audience screening of “Love & Basketball” a 17 year old Black boy said, “The movie taught me how to love.” Fourteen years later, after the first preview audience screening of “beyond the lights,” a 17 year old Black boy said, “I didn’t really believe in hope and love before but this movie changed me.” That is why I make movies. Movies have power. Power to impact society and the choices we make. I want to entertain, but I also want to say something to the world.

I love movies. And I dig a great love story; the kind that wrecks me, then builds me back up and leaves me inspired. I write what I want to see. I wanted to make a love story with two people of color in the lead. Not a romantic comedy. A love story. “beyond the lights” took incredible fight to get made. Four years of writing, and two years of overcoming “no.” Every studio balked. Twice. But I kept fighting. What gave me the courage was “Love & Basketball.” Every studio turned down that film, too. But I never gave up because I believed in it with my whole heart and soul. I had the same passion for this story. People ask me all the time if I feel discriminated against as a black female director and I actually don’t. I get offered a ton of stuff. But I like to direct what I’ve written. I feel what’s discriminated against are my choices, which is to focus on people of color as real people. Those are the films that rarely get made and those are the films that take a lot more fight. But I’m up for the fight, because if we don’t fight for this we stay invisible. I want us to look up on the screen and see ourselves reflected beautifully. I want us to look up on screen and learn how to love the right way. I want us to look up on screen and see a black man who is strong, sexy, complicated, and real. I want us to look up on screen and see a black woman fighting to find her voice, find her authentic self and be brave enough to live an authentic life. I want us to look up on screen and be inspired to want more for ourselves, to want to love, and to love ourselves.

There is a perception within our community and the world that black people don’t love each other. That we don’t fight for each other. That perception is so dangerous. We need positive images to counter the negative portrayals we see every day. And positive doesn’t mean perfect. Perfect is boring. I want real.

But more than anything, “beyond the lights” is a really good movie experience. It is the kind of movie that should be shared. That collective explosive reaction to character, story, and music is fun. The advanced screenings have been like revivals. Audiences break into applause during the movie. Phenomenal performances. Insane chemistry between Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Nate Parker. Dope music. Beautifully complex mother/daughter and father/son relationships that are rarely explored with people of color.

You will laugh. You may cry. You will feel. And you may be changed. It is time to be inspired. It is a time to fight.

-Gina Prince-Bythewood

I saw Beyond The Lights two weeks ago and LOVED IT. The trailers would have you think that this is a typical love story but it is so far from that. Let me preface this by saying I LOVE seeing positive portrayals of love on film – especially black love. We are so inundated with reality shows lately that I am always encouraged when I see films like these. Because of this I tend to have high expectations of romantic films and it is quite rare that I genuinely like a film of this genre after first watch. Beyond The Lights explores race, mental stability and provides a beautiful backdrop with original songs. This film is smart and sexy and a film that I think EVERYONE needs to see.

We have to show Hollywood that we want to see diversity on the big screen and the only way we can ensure more movies like this are made is to support them when they are released by buying tickets.

Author
Recent Posts

Natalya

Natalya is an Account Manager by day and an editor and author's assistant to passionate creatives by night. When she is not adding to her enormous book collection or stationery supply, she is catching up on her favorite television shows.

Natalya is the author of All The Things I Never Said, a soul-stirring collection of short stories, prose and love letters for the soulful wanderers, the brokenhearted and the hopeless romantics.

You can follow her rantings and occasional sparks of brilliance on Twitter @NatalyaMuncuff.