MUMBLECORE SHOCKER: Mike Tully Booted From Acclaimed Indie Movement In Diverse Casting Scandal!

When we asked yesterday whether the new Mumblecore movement was too white and too straight, we had no idea of the fallout that could arise from the debate.  But apparently an internal investigation by Mumblecore Security revealed that filmmaker Michael Tully had actually cast black people in roles in his film, COCAINE ANGEL.  The reaction was swift:

Which leads me to some pretty bad news. I just got my official Mumblecore rejection letter in the mail today. The reason? COCAINE ANGEL had three black people in it. I tried to argue that it was only three, and that it was a very conscious decision to not cast an African-American in either of the two lead roles (or anyone else of color, for that matter--it was hard enough having to work with females every day), but that wasn't good enough for them. We broke the movement's number one rule. They concluded by informing me that until I make at least three features with heterosexual Caucasian males in every single role, then I needn't bother reapplying. I guess it's back to the drawing board. Oh well.

Somewhere, Craig Zobel is in hiding...

Comments

[Chris]

I can understand Mike Tully's frustration at being lumped into the M-core movement, and his defensiveness in being "accused" of working only with white actors. On some level it doesn't seem quite fair to him since none of us know exactly what goes into his artistic process.

At the same time, Tully's sarcastic post does reveal something that should prove equally frustrating to minority viewers/filmmakers who long to see a truer picture of what the world really looks like (i.e. a world filled with light AND dark skinned people...)

Tully chooses to use COCAINE ANGEL as a shining example of how he is not one of the M-core members with a 100% white cast. But then he goes on to say that neither of the 2 leads were filled by any of his 3 black actors. Furthermore, the subject matter of his film (drug addiction) is one in which black actors have never "struggled" to get supporting roles. One hopes that Tully did not do what so many of his indie (and Hollywood) compatriots have done by automatically including black faces when cocaine is the issue. But either way, Tully's casting decisions do not stand out as particularly courageous or distinctive.

What I wish white filmmakers like Tully (and Swanberg et al) would do is not become defensive and list off all the ways in which they are more diverse than they seem. Instead, when the minority community says something like Sujewa wrote, they should understand that there is a deep (and valid) frustration with the status quo in which the industry recognizes films with white leads and white casts 99% of the time. It's not enough to say: "Hey, in my last film I cast a black actor who played a supporting role to my two white actors..."

It's always the responsibility of those in power to play a part in changing unequal systems. White filmmakers (M-core or not) need to step up and recognize that if they are not part of the solution, then they are indeed part of the problem. It's not enough to say: "I only have white friends and relatives, and I live in a mostly white area of town, so I'm just going to tell the stories of what I know..." To that, I would say "Wake up, look at the changing culture around you, dare to make some friends with people of color, expand your horizons and fight with your producers to cast minorities in your films." Is this easy? No. Is it your responsibility? Yes.