2018 Proved That Representation Matters
2018 seemed to be the year that Hollywood executives realized the true power of representation. The year that the notion of “black doesn’t sell to mainstream audiences” was proven outdated by creative and profitable films and television series that represent the world around us more broadly than the primarily white casts and crews that dominate this entertainment industry. There were many examples of this but here’s what stood out to me for black representation of film and Television this past year.
Netflix
In addition to offering pre-existing black films and series such as the Friday franchise and A Different World, Netflix Originals have been telling black stories such as Nappily Ever After, Trevor Noah: Son of Patricia, Dear White People, and Quincy. There are also many core black characters on films like Birdbox as well as shows such as 13 Reasons Why and Orange is the New Black.
I’m not sure how long it’s been in the works but this year, we saw Netflix be unapologetically intentional about creating space for black representation in their content. My favorite Twitter and Instagram accounts are the streaming service’s Strong Black Lead (SBL), which went live in January 2018. The account highlights black content on Netflix while providing some supplemental interviews, photos, gifs, memes, and social media posts. The most notable SBL content coming in the form of A Great Day in Hollywood—where 47 phenomenal cast and crew members from 20+ Netflix original shows, films and documentaries agreed to come together and create a moment inspired by 1958's legendary A Great Day in Harlem. That moment produced an ad first aired during June’s BET Awards and the beautiful photo above.
Black Heroes
It’s no secret that superheroes are one of the most popular subgenres in Hollywood today. As leaders in the genre, Marvel and DC are kicking out multiple films and series annually while other studios follow the lead with series such as The Walking Dead and forthcoming film, Brightburn. That being said, superhero productions are a great avenue for representation because they’re entertaining to people of all ages, especially children. Children growing up with positive images that look like them is important for their self-esteem and overall development as human beings. 2018 brought many of those images that will grow old with the children who witnessed them this past year and live on forever.
The year started with Black Panther in February, a multifaceted historic film that was the first in the genre to feature a primarily black cast and crew including director Ryan Coogler and title character star Chadwick Boseman. It presented strong and highly intelligent female warriors and scientists and addressed black issues such as parenting, oppression, and the painful identity struggles that can come from being born into the African Diaspora.
This year saw the continuation of Black Lightning and Luke Cage with both series premiering second seasons. Though these shows are very different from one another, they share similar representations with black lead heroes defending their respective inner city neighborhoods from drugs, gang violence, and warfare rooted in cultural differences. Black Lightning also showcases a great example of the underrepresented black educators.
From the inherently black soundtrack and many hip-hop and R&B references to dialogue that includes spanish spoken with no subtitles, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse closed the year with representation of the Afro-Latino experience with a fun, positive, and well executed introduction of Miles Morales, the Afro-Latino Spider-Man.
Black Love 🖤
Black love is a thing of beauty. In an article where 10 couples describe what black love means to them, Brittney Oliver of Essence wrote: “Love is a universal language that we all define in and on our own terms. When we add the extra ingredient of our blackness, love can take on a unique power that is shared through an ancestral lineage rich with traditions and customs that have been passed on through each generation, and shaped by our own views on life.”
Presenting images of black love is not only important to represent that “unique power” but also to dismantle stereotypes that say black families are unhappy broken homes. 2018 saw some great examples in film and Televison.
My favorite couple from NBC’s This is Us, Beth and Randall Pearson (Susan Kelechi Watson and Sterling K. Brown) continued to show us what it looks like to navigate life as a middle-aged married couple with kids and a big blended family.
Beth and Randall in This is Us
In the Netflix original musical, Been So Long, Michaela Coel’s Simone presented an example of the struggle and beauty that comes from balancing a love life and single motherhood.
In Creed II, Adonis and Bianca (Michael B. Jordan and Tessa Thompson) give us millennial black love as a young family juggling passion-filled careers and early childhood parenting.
Adonis and Bianca in Creed II
Coming in at the end of the year, director Barry Jenkins (Moonlight) released a big screen adaptation of James Baldwin novel, If Beale Street Could Talk. The film represents a love that is authentic, organic, strong, and loyal despite major adversity and familial differences. This great story is told through the eyes of main characters Tish Rivers and Fonny Hunt played by KiKi Layne and Stephan James.
Tish and Fonny are also the most recent addition to my relationship goals list.
Black Directors
People overlooked by casual viewers of the film and Television are those behind the camera. The most important being the directors, who lead the entire creative direction of the film, episode, and/or entire series. With that said, black directors showed up and showed out this year, proving that their voices, creativity, and perspective create strong products that perform well with audiences across the world.
Ava DuVernay became the first black woman to direct a $100 million film with Disney’s A Wrinkle In Time.
Ava DuVernay and Storm Reid on the set of A Wrinkle In Time
Five Black Directors grossed over $100M at the domestic box office.
Collage by Blackfilm
With Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Peter Ramsey also became the fifth Black director ever to have multiple films gross $100M domestically. With this achievement, he joined the ranks of Ryan Coogler, F. Gary Gray, Tim Story, and Antoine Fuqua.
Overall, black directors brought in $1.3 billion (domestic) combined, including; Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman, Tyler Perry’s Acrimony, and Charles Stone III’s Uncle Drew.
Collage by Kulture Hub
RELATED: Top Ten Black Directors In 2018
All things considered, I think it’s safe to say that 2018 was one hell of a year for black representation in film and television. 2019 and beyond should be even better!
