Decline of Black Films?

A new initiative calling on Black consumers to sign petitions, purchase items and engage in dialogue for. . .movies? Apparently, a new endeavor of Film Life,Inc. called "Black Movie Month"(BMM) has been created to combat their expressed "alarm" in the reduction of films made by or about persons of African descent(only 4 major releases in 2011 thus far).

According to REEL FACTS: A Movie Goer Consumption , a report by BET(Black Entertaiment) Networks, African Americans spend $513 million on movies annually, frequent movies more than the general public(13.4 times a year vs. 11 times a year), yet "81% of the movies seen by African Americans do not prominently feature an African American cast, storyline or lead black star."

Film Life, Inc. partnership with Black Enterprise Magazine through BMM wants to connect the $6.3 billion in African American buying power with supporting existing Black cinema and lobbying for the making of future Black Cinema. On their website, www.blackmoviemonth.com, they have a call to action and various events that eventually connect to the American Black Film Festival.

My angle is that African American actors and actresses have long shared that far too few movies are "greenlight" with prominent Black leads. A few actors have managed to break through, but many are getting old and others are concentrating on family. That being the case there seems to be a vacuum right now in addition to the already limited roles offered to black actors. This vacuum however, is not indicative of the Black Indie Film market which some believe is expanding.

Overall, it was great to see this sociological study of buying/user trends of African Americans and stumble on this website connecting black cinematography. My angle is great initiative!

What do you think? Is there a shortage of Black cinema? The Black Community is very diverse. Is Indie media the medium for the various subsection of African American life to be displayed? Is the market big enough for another Tyler Perry(mogul with film own major film studio)?