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When we go to the movie theater to see a black film, they tend to be the same storyline over and over again. You know the story — it’s either one filled with struggle, slavery, crime, or slapstick comedy, and not much else in between. While we do support these films, we can’t say these are the only plots that mirror our lives. What gives?

Actor Larenz Tate gave insight on HuffPost Live as to why this happens. “What happens with movies that star African Americans or the African American story, you get one group of directors or producers and it just stays in that lane,” he said. “And we are very diverse, our stories are very different.”

Tate touches on the fact that the 1997 film “Love Jones” wasn’t a box-office draw, but the story resonated with many people.  “The only thing that got hurt in ‘Love Jones’ was somebody’s heart,” he said. “How do you promote that to an audience that you don’t know much about?”

“It’s important that Hollywood is educated about our audiences because it’s very diverse and our audiences, and our audiences aren’t just black… We’re still working at it,” Tate continued. “It’s been good, but it can absolutely be better.”

Do you agree with him?

Larenz Tate Explains Why Black Films Don’t Win At The Box Office  was originally published on theurbandaily.com