By Stephanie Ornelas
There were several lessons director/screenwriter Rick Famuyiwa (The Wood, Dope) learned as he evolved into a successful filmmaker over the years. A big one: when it comes to getting your message across, you have to be comfortable with being uncomfortable.
Famuyiwa shared this takeaway - and several others - when he joined Michelle Satter, Founding Director of Sundance Institute's Feature Film Program, for a Conversations From the Labs session in 2020.
The timing of the discussion could not have been better. It was Junteenth, a federal holiday commemorating the ending of slavery in the United States, and as Satter says, It's important to take a moment to acknowledge what today is. She then offered viewers educational resources compiled by Sundance Institute staff. This is for you to learn how you can contribute in your own way, but to also make this part of a collective action that Sundance is committed to.
Both Dope and The Wood are a celebration of Black culture. They also highlight important issues like violence and racism. During the discussion (available to watch for free), Famuyiwa briefly talks about how he got started as a filmmaker, the resurgence of Black cinema, learning the rules of genre, and collaborating with actors.
Like so many filmmakers before him, Famuyiwa, a former Sundance fellow, was not planning to make movies. I was going to become a lawyer like a good immigrant son should, he laughs. And then while I was [at USC], I ended up taking some film classes because I've always loved movies. It just clicked for me that this storytelling was something I wanted to do. I didn't take it seriously until a writing instructor saw a short story I wrote. It was the seed that got planted in my head.
When Famuyiwa first got accepted into the 1996 Sundance Film Festival for his short Black Top Lingo, he might have had no idea where his film career would go from there. He recalls Satter approaching him at the Festival and sharing her admiration for the film. He would soon be invited to join the Sundance Institute Directors Lab to work on his first feature film. When Satter asked Famuyiwa if he had a project in the works, he said yes, though he didn't actually have a project in mind at that time. So he went back to the story that started it all - the original short story that his instructor complimented him on, now known as The Wood.
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