Actors Laz Alonso, Paula Patton and Bishop T.D. Jakes know they have a hit on their hands. (Image: Vernon Bryant, courtesy TDJ Enterprises/The FrontPage Firm)

One of my favorite movies is My Big Fat Greek Wedding, a 2002 romantic comedy about what happens when a nice middle class Greek girl falls in love with an upper middle class, White anglo saxon protestant (WASP) guy and they decide to get married. Cultures clash. Hilarity ensues. Deep human truths are revealed. And, of course, love triumphs. This kind of film is common, though not always well done. But when it’s done right, it’s magic—the kind that makes you watch My Big Fat Greek Wedding over and over again on cable. Okay, maybe not you. But I just love that stuff (Love & Basketball, Working Girl, Sabrina, Pretty Woman—don’t get me started).

But here’s the thing. I’m not Greek. And I’m not a WASP either. So that’s why I’m not satisfied with just Black people going out to see Jumping The Broom, which had a great opening weekend week before last, delivering more than $15 million at the box office (it cost $7 million to make). This weekend, I went out of my way to get my non-Black friends to go see the film—and you should, too. Just as Barack Obama could not have become the first Black president of the United States if only Black people had voted for him, the future of Black film making will hinge on whether we can change the assumption that films with predominantly Black casts should only be marketed to and seen by Black people. Jumping The Broom deserves to be enjoyed by White and other non-Black moviegoers, just the way My Big Fat Greek Wedding was enjoyed by plenty of non-Greek (not to mention non-WASP) moviegoers.

To the surprise of Hollywood pundits, Jumping The Broom opened as the No. 3 movie in America, and definitely the No. 1 romantic comedy (coming behind Thor and Fast Five—not exactly date flicks—and ahead of Something Borrowed, another wedding comedy). Starring a great (and excellently utilized) cast led by Angela Bassett, Loretta Devine, Laz Alonzo and Paula Patton, the movie tells the story of what happens when a nice upper class girl falls in love with a successful guy raised by a working-class, now widowed, mom, and they decide to get married—before introducing one another to their respective families. (Cultures clash. Hilarity ensues. You know where this is going. Hollywood is nothing if not formulaic.)

With all due respect to Tyler Perry, this is nothing close to a “Madea” movie. TD Jakes Enterprises, headed by Bishop T.D. Jakes, teamed up with Sony Pictures Entertainment and Tracey Edmonds‘ Our Stories Films, to produce Jumping The Broom. However, although Bishop Jakes, senior pastor of Dallas’ The Potter’s House megachurch, and Perry have perhaps done more than any duo to usher Christian entertainment into the mainstream of stage and film (going back to Perry’s stage musical adaptation of Jakes’ book Woman Thou Art Loosed), the Christian faith of some (not all or even most) of the characters in Jumping The Broom permeates the context, but is not the driving force, of the story. The themes of faith and redemption are omnipresent, but not pronounced; nothing on the order of the rocking emotional church scenes and “hallelujers!” associated with Perry’s films. Similarly, the fact that the cast is predominantly Black is just the starting point of defining the characters and telling their stories, not the totality of who they are and how they interact with the world.

The point of all this is not to say that Jumping The Broom is better than say, Madea’s Family Reunion. But the truth is, the appeal of the films Perry is best known for is pretty much limited to Black moviegoers, especially those who identify with the Black church. Not so with Jumping The Broom, which has appeal and entertainment value far beyond being Black or a person of faith. Which is why we need the latter film to live up to its potential with non-Black audiences, as well as Black moviegoers.

Here’s the deal. Hollywood’s pipeline for producing and distributing Black films has narrowed incredibly over the past several years. In fact, only a handful of major film studios remain committed to distributing films targeting Black audiences, including Lionsgate (primarily via its partnership with Tyler Perry Studios) and Sony Entertainment Pictures. In other words, at a time with more Black filmmakers producing more films about Black people than ever before, the window of opportunity to get those films to movie theaters has narrowed to a crack.

We needed the presidential runs of Rev. Jesse Jackson (and before him, Rep. Shirley Chisholm) to make President Barack Obama possible. But if Obama’s appeal was limited to Black voters, he’d be the Democratic Party’s version of Sarah Palin—writing books, making big bucks on the lecture circuit and keeping his party’s base (i.e. including us Black people, of course) excited and engaged—not overseeing the elimination of Osama bin Laden. Similarly, Jumping The Broom was made possible by films like those made by Tyler Perry, Spike Lee, Robert Townsend and their peers and predecessors, who validated the economic value of Black moviegoers as a consumer market. But if the case is not made that you don’t have to be Black to vote—via the box office—for a movie about Black people, the progress of Black film making will be stalled, perhaps indefinitely.

Unlike Diary of a Mad Black Woman (another movie I can’t get enough of), Jumping The Broom is not a great Black movie. It’s a great movie about Black people. The future of Black film and Black filmmakers hinges on moviegoers of all races and nationalities appreciating this distinction, not just intellectually, but at the box office. If you really want to support Black film, urge your White and other non-Black friends to see Jumping The Broom. Better yet, take them with you.

Kim Fields is the new host of BET's Lens on Talent.

We spoke to veteran actress, Kim Fields, on Monday, about her experience working in the world of entertainment, along with her new gig hosting BET.com’s and Centric’s Lens on Talent: A Johnson & Johnson Filmmakers Challenge, the  short film showcase for emerging African American filmmakers competing to win a chance to air their film on BET or Centric. The new season of Lens on Talent premiered Sunday, Sept. 12 and will run on Sunday’s this Fall.  Lens is not BET’s only foray into the world of filmmaking this month. The network is also the presenting sponsor of the 2010 Urban World Film Festival, which starts today and runs through Sept. 19. The Festival will screen 71 features, documentaries, and short films that are relevant to a multicultural community.

In part 1 of our interview with Fields, she expounded upon her work as a director on House of Payne and Meet the Browns at Tyler Perry Studios. In part 2, she talks about the importance of supporting new filmmakers and providing outlets for their artistic expression.

Shannon Lanier contributed to the production of this article.

BlackEnterprise.com: Why do you think it’s so important to have an outlet as a filmmaker?
Kim Fields: There are so many stories to tell and so many different ways to tell wonderful stories. The idea of supporting filmmakers and new filmmakers–and that does not necessarily mean young filmmakers–is making sure you give the filmmaker the opportunity to tell his or her story and that they feel supported, either by connecting to other filmmakers, film festival outlets, or financially being able to help them create budget for their projects. There are so many outlets right now, especially for the digital media platforms that exist. You have to be able to have content that’s of really strong quality.  Nobody wants to see something on an old 1982 video camera that is very poor quality.  Yes, we’ve got all of these amazing outlets but we want to make sure that we’re providing people interested in filmmaking with tools to create quality content.

Where can people go to apply for Lens on Talent?  What do they win?
This project started out as the short film showcase and then moved to a competition that Johnson & Johnson supported. Of course,  Bet.com/Lens On Talent gives them all of the information on how to submit for next season. They can find me on Twitter (@lensontalent) and Facebook and get connected to the competition as well.  Even if it’s not through this competition, this is still a great showcase of work; to be able to say, ‘My film aired on BET or Centric or BET.com.’ It’s just a way to get the groundswell going about who you are as a filmmaker or what your project is.

What will they win?
Up to $100,000. That money is basically for them to create another short film that will air on BET and Centric.  They also win access to directors, producers, agents, and top industry executives, for advice on talent for their film and access to people in the industry from the film festival side. That is still such a strong and viable way to get out there and get a film out there. Nowadays, you have established filmmakers who are utilizing the film festival circuit as a way to create that critical buzz. (For example, the new Ben Affleck film won at Sundance and at other film festivals.)

For more information about black filmmakers read:

UBR Morning Post: Film Fest Co-Founder Stephanie Rance

5 Rules for Making Money in Hollywood

Action!

Kim Fields is the host of Lens on Talent on BET and Centric. (Photo source: Al-Karim Powell- Darensberg)

Actress, director, producer, author, wife, and mother Kim Fields is a veteran in the entertainment industry at the young age of 41. After decades of playing characters in front of the camera, Fields has taken to working her magic behind the camera. Now she is adding something new to her repertoire: host. Fields will appear every Sunday evening on BET’s and Centric’s Lens on Talent: A Johnson & Johnson Filmmakers Challenge, a one-hour, short film showcase on emerging African American filmmakers competing to win an opportunity to produce a short film that will air on BET and Centric. Here, in this exclusive interview with BlackEnterprise.com, Fields talks about her life then and now working in the entertainment world.

BlackEnterprise.com: Lots of people know you from your characters on Living Single and Facts of Life.  However, your career expands far beyond that. Tell us, what is Kim Fields up to now?
Kim Fields: God is good in that I’m still working and in the entertainment industry. I’ve been directing quite a bit, and working on House of Payne and Meet the Browns at Tyler Perry Studios. I’m the producer of a new show that is slightly different from the Tyler Perry brand.  I also direct a show called Let’s Stay Together, a BET original scripted show.  Now I’m hosting a filmmaker show called Lens on Talent.

What have some of the influential moments in your career been, and how have they affected and influenced what you’re doing now?
The most influential moment in my career was the first moment I was introduced to this whole world of entertainment.  I was five or six. My Mother was on tour with Pearl Bailey in Hello Dolly.  I can remember being backstage and seeing costumes on racks, make up, the crew–all that went into putting on a show.  Ms. Bailey would talk to lil’ ol’ me from the stage.  I remember thinking, ‘I like this world.  I like this environment.’  I was never a performer as a little girl, however it resonates in a five or six-year-old’s mind.  It was a defining moment for me.  Every day I’ve been working–whether Facts of Life, Living Single, TV movies, independent films–any day on set helps to redefine who I am as an actor, filmmaker, story teller.

What advice can you give other entrepreneurs?
Understand that when you have disappointing moments–‘cause you’ll have them–don’t let them swallow you up.  Part of the entrepreneur spirit is that spirit to triumph.  Sometimes that may get squelched to the littlest flicker as opposed to the big, bright, burning torch that you usually feel. [One minute you feel] on top of the world–[the next] you get slammed with disappointing deals that don’t happen or somebody betrays you. [There are] so many different elements when you’re dealing with finances and contracts, so many things can be excruciatingly painful and very difficult.  Even in the creative world that I’m in.  Honestly, you can’t let it swallow you up.  I say that from experience because I let something swallow me up. I let all that [negativity] fuel me to where it affected my health, affected me emotionally, and it took me a long time to climb back.

The other thing I would say, too, in terms of advice is you’re never too old to try something.  You know what I mean?  It’s people who say ‘Aw, I’m in my 40s, 50s–I don’t want to start over.  I’ve been doing this …’  It’s never too late to try something. It’s better to try than be bitter because you didn’t try.

Check back next week for Part 2 of our exclusive interview with Kim Fields.

Shannon Lanier contributed to the production of this article.

Tyler Perry Studios reached an agreement with the Writers Guild of America on the terms of a contract for writers of television shows House of Payne (Perry and cast, above) and Meet the Browns. (Photo courtesy of TBS)

“We are pleased to have come to a resolution with the WGA, and thank the NAACP for their support during negotiations,” said Tyler Perry in a statement. “We look forward to many years working with the talented writers who are members of the Guild.”

The contract with the WGA was the last outstanding union agreement for Tyler Perry Studios, which had previously brokered deals with the Teamsters; the IATSE, a professional stagehands union; the Screen Actors Guild (SAG); the Directors Guild of America (DGA); and others. Perry is a member of the DGA.

Ben Jealous, NAACP national president, Vic Bulluck, executive director of the NAACP Hollywood Bureau, and Clayola Brown, national president of the A. Philip Randolph Institute, were instrumental in settling the terms of the agreement.

“The NAACP is a staunch advocate for workers rights and for nearly one hundred years has fought for greater minority representation and inclusion in Hollywood. We applaud Tyler Perry’s efforts to not only promote, but to also provide work for people of color in the entertainment industry,” Jealous said in a statement.

Despite the accomplishment, some of the writers on Perry’s TBS series House of Payne and Meet the Browns will not be returning. Last October, when Perry welcomed Will Smith, Sidney Poitier, Cicely Tyson, Oprah Winfrey, and Ruby Dee, among others, to celebrate with him as he unveiled his film and television studio in Atlanta, the A-listers had to cross a picket line of writers who said they were unfairly fired from Perry’s critically acclaimed sitcom House of Payne. The writers were accompanied by supporters from the Writers Guild of America-West.

Earlier in the year, seven writers entered into negotiations with Tyler Perry Studios about residuals on the soon–to-debut sitcom Meet the Browns. The WGA said in a news release that the writers—Kellie Griffin, Christopher Moore, Teri Brown-Jackson, and Lamont Ferrell—were warned against unionizing and told that they could be “replaced.”

Before the NAACP got involved to find a resolution, the WGA alleged that Tyler Perry’s House of Payne L.L.C. unlawfully fired four writers in retaliation for their union activity, and the union subsequently filed unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board.

Matt Johnson, who negotiated the deal for Tyler Perry Studios, said in an October statement that the four writers were terminated because of the quality of their work and denied that they were fired for attempting to unionize.

“If that were the case, they would not have allowed us to write over 100 episodes of a sitcom and write another 10-20 episodes for Meet the Browns,” said Lamont Ferrell, one of the fired writers, in an interview last month. “When they fired us they said, ‘You’re not being fired because of the quality of your work. You’re being fired because Tyler just wanted to go in a different creative direction.’”

House of Payne is centered on the lives of three generations of an African American family living under one roof. When it premiered in 2007, it ranked as the highest-rated sitcom in the history of ad-supported cable, according to Nielsen Media ratings provided by TBS. The show also won three NAACP Image Awards in February 2008.

Tyler sold House of Payne to Fox in a $100 million syndication deal after also receiving $200 million from TBS. “One of the major stumbling blocks of the negotiations was residuals from the syndication,” says Terence Long, a WGA spokesperson who alleges that only WGA writers were fired by Perry’s production company. “They wanted to pay far below what most other TV shows pay with regard to residuals.”

“Isn’t it strange that Tyler Perry suddenly discovered the quality of work suffered after they had completed 116 episodes of House of Payne…after the show was sold [for $300 million and is now in syndication]?” asked Long last October.

Of the 150 shows employing 1,200 writers in scripted television programming, House of Payne had been the only show where writers were not covered by the WGA’s minimum basic agreement, according to a letter to House of Payne producers and submitted by WGA creators, showrunners, and executive producers. The agreement guarantees minimum compensation, residuals, health coverage, and a pension, in addition to other benefits.

Johnson said in a release last month that the WGA had misrepresented the facts, called one of their news releases “racially inflammatory,” and accused the group of “attacking a man who employs over 300 Atlantans– the majority of whom are African American.”

Perry, who was named one of the Top 25 Moneymakers in Hollywood by Black Enterprise magazine in March, would not comment for this article. Someone familiar with the economics of the show said that Perry, who owns all of his copyrights, invested his own money into producing the show and has yet to recoup his investment. According to the source, aside from creative differences, the writers were fired because Perry wanted all of his writers to live in Atlanta. The four that were fired lived in Los Angeles. A fifth writer who lived on the West Coast was offered a relocation package and would not move but will continue to work on the show.

“He made more money from his television empire than from his movies,” Ferrell said. “We felt we should have been compensated because we were a big part of his success, but before the firings we weren’t even invited to the [gala]. We felt like we got smacked in the face.”

With a gospel brunch, fireworks, and performances by Mary J. Blige and John Legend, the boycott did not appear to dampen Perry’s festivities. However, as a preamble to posting photos from the two-day event, Perry wrote on his Website that he was being “attacked” but he did not clarify in what way or allude to accusations made by the WGA.

Perry dedicated three of the five sound stages at his production studio to Cicely Tyson, Sidney Poitier, and Ruby Dee and the late Ossie Davis. The fourth sound studio will be named for Quincy Jones and the fifth has not been dedicated. Perry signed a new three-year, first look deal, last June, with Lionsgate film studio, which covers his upcoming theatrical and home entertainment product.