Despite rave reviews (including one from S&A), Julia Hart’s superhero saga Fast Color has only opened in 25 theaters and so far has grossed over $60,000 at the box office. Now, the director of Fast Color is sounding off on the lack of marketing and distribution surrounding the acclaimed motion picture.
As reported by The Hollywood Reporter, at a screening in Glendale, California a week following the film’s release, its director, Julia Hart rightfully criticized the fight for more inclusion in Hollywood, particularly the habit of talking instead of doing anything in regards to pushing the narratives of women and people of color to the forefront. Hart and Gugu Mbatha-Raw took part in a Q&A at the screening, moderated by film critic and journalist Yolanda Machado.
“There is so much lip service in this industry about wanting women to tell stories, wanting people of color to tell stories, wanting to tell stories about women and people of color,” said Hart. “There wasn’t a single print ad for this movie anywhere, and it’s a beautiful freakin’ poster with this beautiful woman’s face on it.”
Hart also revealed the show encountered problems with marketing the film, pointing out Hollywood’s white male gatekeepers.
“At the end of the day, when it got to the white male gatekeeper[s] — time and time again — they said, ‘I don’t know who this movie is for. I don’t know how to market it,'” she said. “We have a lot of incredible storytellers right now who are telling these stories — women and people of color — the problem is the gatekeepers all look alike and we need to change that.”
Hart also took time to praise Franklin Leonard, the founder of the Black List and a 2019 Shadow And Act RISING Award winner.
“It’s a real honest way to get agents and managers to read your script, and a lot of scripts have gotten made and a lot of people have broken into the industry because of him and because of The Black List,” she said.
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Photo: Lionsgate/CodeBlack
