Art is inherently political. Even trying to make a film that has nothing to do with politics is, in and of itself, a political act.
Barry JenkinsRead
As a writer, a blank page will humble the hell out of you. It always does, and it always will.
Interpretation
The blank page represents the daunting challenge faced by writers, reminding them of their vulnerability and the creative struggle.
This quote by Barry Jenkins illustrates the profound humility that writers experience when confronted with a blank page. It captures the essence of the creative process, highlighting the fear, uncertainty, and self-doubt that often accompany the act of creation, while also reaffirming that this struggle is a constant and universal aspect of the writing journey.
In practice
In a speech at a writers' conference to inspire fellow authors about the writing process.
Art is inherently political. Even trying to make a film that has nothing to do with politics is, in and of itself, a political act.
'Moonlight' is a story that hasn't been told. Whether placed as queer black cinema or urban male cinema, the lack of coming-of-age films featuring people like Chiron and set in places like inner-city Miami is pronounced and unfortunate.
It's interesting because I think class is a heavy, heavy part of 'Moonlight,' and I think, in a certain way, through the sum of all these parts, it's become a commentary on the black experience in America.
I have friends who I consider my peers, who have done amazing work, particularly in the film and television space, who came up as independent artists and who have been - to be brutally honest - much more prolific than I was able to be.
Cinema is a little over 100 years old, and a lot of what we do is built around film emulsion. Those things were calibrated for white skin. We've always placed powder on skin to dull the light. But my memory of growing up in Miami is this moist, beautiful black skin.
'Moonlight' changed me. To see people so moved by this movie inspires me to find something else to offer. And maybe the next one touches only five people or maybe just one person. To me, you know, that would still be worth it.
I always try to keep that feeling of being on the edge. I'm afraid of knowing too well and seeming mechanical.
Now, learning how to make a movie is something you can figure out in about an afternoon. The physics of it, the marks, the lights, etc. What's hard to do is to suspend your own feelings of self consciousness. The natural actors can do that; they can become part of a characterization and learn how to maintain it.
I put one questions. For whom I compose? My answer is I wanted to address to all my people. And if I write music for the Greek people because I'm Greek, I compose for all the people.
Art is not to be found by touring to Egypt, China, or Peru; if you cannot find it at your own door, you will never find it.
My metaphor for translation has always been that translation is really a performance art. You take the original and try to perform it, really, in a different medium. Part of that is about interpretation and what you think the author's voice really is.
You should make something. You should bring something into the world that wasn't in the world before. It doesn't matter what it is. It doesn't matter if it's a table or a film or gardening-everyone should create. You should do something, then sit back and say, 'I did that.'
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