Film Courage: Have you always been an optimist? You seem like a positive person from a short
time I've met you here and our email exchanges. I know you have a nice saying
in your email it just gives it an impression that you you know you're
positive and you're open to to just different input from other people. Mark Harris, Filmmaker: Oh
yeah, you have to be I think. A big mistake that is what I think right now
because especially as filmmakers right because we control like filmmakers we
have so much control which we really don't understand the power that we have
so when you go to the movies right a lot of you know we set trends you know if
you look at Boyz n the Hood if you look at Menace II Society, you look at
Goodfellas right? People like even rappers right rappers take their names
off of movies or off of gangsters from different movies because we're what we
do is so powerful you know and so I know that as a filmmaker I have to have to be
positive because if I don't then what I'm doing is I'm just
aiding in the destruction of humanity and I never wanted to be involved in
that I always wanted to say I want to stay positive I'm gonna put that
positive content and I've been offered for so many times to do negative things
I'm like no I'm not I'm not gonna do that
and so as filmmakers we just have to be true to us and be true but we just can't
do things just for money because at the end of the day we doing things or we
just can't be in this business for money because you will be doing things and we
won't be selling our souls won't be satisfied you know what we we may be
passionate about filmmaking but if you're if you're taking your
passion if you're doing things that you don't want to do you losing your soul so
I always wanted to be positive I always want to be put our positive content I am
I'm always positive know there's something that of course not because I'm
human sure you know and so again but I always
have to even remind myself like this is what I would I mean it's always been
you know it's always been tipped because you know especially when you're in a
position when you know you have to pay your bills and it happens you have to
pay those bills and somebody calls with an offer but an offer that's not that's
going to challenge you morally you know and you have to say no I can't do that
you know there was no chances you know those are things I've had to turn down
because of that I'm not just gonna put out any type of images and things like
that because we have to you know as you know
we have we have a duty as filmmakers and I do it is you know first we have to be
true to us if you want if you want to be in this business to make money okay go
ahead be in this business to make money you know if there's plenty money to be
made but how are we what are we at the end of the day ten years from now 20
years from now you know what I mean what are we how are we going to change the
condition of this world you know and so many times people people just want to
step labels on people we don't want to really have true real dialogue so I
started having true real dialogue we just put labels on people which is which
is very unfortunate yeah and I think we're more divided now and in recent a
few years and and it's not just politically but just in many different
ways and and it's it's it's definitely um apparent you know I've read articles
too that you know we were just more divided and beliefs or or you know and
it's it's it's a shame because you you would think that just with you know
social media and and everybody's access to the same tools that there would be
sort of an evolution where we could just be I don't everybody would be sort of
satisfied with their own life because they can put something out there
whatever their passion is and and not think that they have to wait for someone
to quote help them but yeah I definitely see that and I see in the comments - I
don't know if you can see it in other videos comments and just how divided we
are right now yes would you say you've always been a positive person or or like
this sort of open thinker or or did something happen in life that kind of
changed you in that direction I think I have all I
think this is this is this is why I love my mother so much like my mother is a
die-hard Christian point-blank she goes to church every Sunday but she never
forced any type of religion on us and I never told you this but she never
forced us to go to church she never forced religion on us so I
think that had a lot to do with being a critical thinker and then when I would
ask questions I remember when I was when I was I hate to be like have you know
eight years old and I had asked the pastor a question the church I I want to
and he told me never to questioning God and I was like but I was young and I
knew that something is wrong here you're like why would not why would God would
not want us to question him you know if he's secure in his word so
but my mom so I always always been a critical thinker and from since I can be
since I can remember I never try to rush into judgment
you know like ever trying to rush into job I have to think about like when
things happen on social media I'm not the person to just post or repost off I
have to research it to see is this stuff is real you know is this like even even
even with President Donald Trump tweets and people share his tweets I have to go
to this page to see okay is this a real tweet you know and so we have to search
out things and to make sure that things are actually like even as especially as
filmic is because we are storytellers we should always research something before
we just put it out there you know because again we we hold so much power
like artists hold so much power so you know we're very familiar with how China
changed because of their artists you know China was a country that was you
know and was in you know opium and the prostitution but what they did was they
they put their birthday artist together they said this is what we're gonna do we
want to use art we will use entertainment to change the condition of
the these people and look at China now as a
superpower you know and so as artists right as artists what we can do is but
we have to come together and we have to cuz you know we have to come together
and we have to start using our gifts and our talents to change good we can change
not only America but we can change the entire world if we just start to put out
more positive content you know content that show more people to the content
that shows law of a concept that shows more unity more respect
you know goddess of what we believe in you know just respect people's ideas as
filmmakers you know that should be very important for it important to us just to
show you know just to do more positive because the thing is is that you have so
many so much stuff that's so negative that the people are looking for more
positive content now again let me explain to you it is the interesting
thing so we hear all the time how black films do not sell overseas which is
totally false this is what people are looking for and you know what Black
Panther proved that this falls but what we have done with our independent films
we stopped we have sold a lot of independent but a lot of our films
overseas this is what people are not interested in overseas they're not
interested in the negative images that as black team records that we put out if
we put out positive images positive story I get so many emails from people
from Europe people from different parts of America just said that thank you like
we did a film called black coffee and it's this a couple of sites called it
one of the most positive life films ever made
right we get so many people who just emailed us in inbox us through social
media just thanking us for putting out not sit I'm not talking about black
people I'm talking about people from all across all walks of life
thanking us for putting out positive a positive message in a positive images
and this is what people want to see they want to see more positive content and
it's not that they don't want it's not that black films don't sell overseas but
they don't want to see the energy the negative images they want to
see positive images because you know leave the negative images where you want
to leave them at but more people want to see the more positive stuff and if we
show the more positive images of black people you know as black filmmakers then
those films would do very well all the things they don't they don't want that
type of stuff you know a nation nation have to reach and have to give it all
you know we should you know so yes that's the day did you always feel this
way I mean did you go through a phase where as a teenager let's say you like
certain films but then you realize you know what I'm not feeling how people are
represented in these movies so when I came up I came up I was a big John use
fan from Chicago love John I used to sit back and watches watch his films and
study his films and one of the things is I love the storyteller I love the love
stories I can relate to those stories so coming up those are the type of films
that I was influenced by you know then you hear Spike Lee to come along you
know more of us you know and it's early and stuff so many positive images so now
again I love me some good fellows I love I mean I love mark Scorsese i love
martin scorsese you know so I look at me I look at those fields but I always knew
you know but again like my favorite filmmakers like the JA use my favorite
uh you know the Spike Lee's and I love Kevin Smith - I know a lot of you know a
lot of people talk about you know some of his films
and how you know but if we watch carefully watched Kevin Smith's films he
sent some really deep stuff in his films you know especially dogs my dog is worth
like his Dogma is like one of my favorite films you know so yeah I mean
you know so but sometimes sometimes here like even with if you just take Dogma
for example like Kevin Smith's family Kevin Smith gives you his film like they
wrong there's a lot of profanity in them but just listen to what they're saying
there's something a message that speech that he's saying that we can like for
the people for a certain type of generation so he's giving you - he's
giving it to you rob but he's also putting something in it that you could
take and make you think cuz Dogma is great that's amazing film it's funny cuz
he speaks like that - yeah you know he may be funny and sarcastic but there's
like a point to what he's trying to make yeah yeah I love this interview yeah
yeah it's very entertaining yes
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