Black filmmakers

THANKS for Greg Braxton’s article [“Next in Line,” March 30]. One of the very best I’ve read on the subject [of African American filmmakers].

Even though a lot of film folks don’t like Tyler Perry’s work (not my favorite either), I can only congratulate him for what he has achieved. His dogged determination is what brought this about, and the same can be said for filmmakers of any color. Admittedly there is a downside to Perry’s success, as the powers that be tend to have a myopic “more-of-the-same” attitude rather than risking on new and edgy material.

Poor craftsmanship, lack of knowledge and mastery of the medium is rife. This, combined with the fact that we only seem to want to allow there to be one great black filmmaker at a time, is troubling. While we are trying to tell the real stories as seen through our eyes, the “Barbershops,” “Who’s Your Caddys?,” “Soul Foods,” “Idlewilds” define the terrain and present a world view that is tragically narrow. Networks like BET, although they have improved in production value, have been at the forefront in manufacturing dumbed-down schlock to the masses.

Thanks to people like Charles Burnett, a master filmmaker of world-class standards who has been grossly overlooked, we know that even if it is excruciatingly difficult at times, it is possible to bring eloquence to the cinematic medium.

I salute every one of the filmmakers out there trying to break through and those who have; there’s room for everyone.

Seyi

New York City

Seyi’s film on racial profiling and police brutality, “If I Die Tonight,” was the 2006 documentary winner at the American Black Film Festival.