Filmmaker Martina Lee on Portraying Black Fathers and Sons in Modern Filmmaking
“I enjoy tackling topics through Black male characters because I get to explore the intersectionality of patriarchy and racism.”
From hundreds of submissions, five short films were selected to screen at the 23rd annual HBO Short Film Competition at this year’s American Black Film Festival. The festival will be hosted on ABFF.com from August 21–30, with more than 100,000 virtual attendees from around the globe anticipated to attend. As part of this year’s Short Film Competition, emerging writers and directors presented narratives that ranged from gut-wrenching tragedies to subversive comedies and a journey into self-exploration.
HBO has been a major sponsor of ABFF since its inception in 1997 and is dedicated to furthering ABFF’s mission to showcase quality film and television content by and about people of African descent. Each film in this category will compete for ABFF’s HBO Short Film Award and a prize of $10,000 for the winner and $5,000 for each of the finalists. Their short films will be available to stream on HBO Max on a later date.
To highlight the accomplishments of these talented filmmakers, each day leading up to the festival we’ll feature one of the five finalists and their works.
First up, Martina Lee is a director and filmmaker from Claymont, Delaware. In 2013, she spent a year in Singapore at New York University Tisch School of the Arts Asia. It was there she discovered her passion for directing. Below, Martina discusses her short film Black Boy Joy.
Why did you decide to submit your film to ABFF’s HBO Short Film Competition?
We submitted to the ABFF HBO Film Competition, because it is a really great opportunity for a film like ours to gain the most exposure it can. I was accepted last year as an Emerging Director for my film Blueberry. I knew when I made another short, I would apply again. This HBO Film Competition is a really great opportunity for our film to gain the most exposure. I am a huge fan of many of the filmmakers who were finalists in previous years, and it is such an honor to be included as part of that alumni.
What inspired you to focus on the topic of autism and the stigma mental health has in the Black community?
So often we see portrayals of mental health in the media through a white gaze. We felt it was important to tell this particular story to show not only that it happens in the Black community, but also how race makes those issues even more complicated.
As a woman, what motivated you to explore this topic through male characters?
Writer Michelle Sam wrote the story with three generations of Black men, because autism statistically happens more with men. Dealing with the stigma of mental health while dealing with the loss of a loved one presented a great conflict to talk about toxic masculinity. While we were showing how Selim’s autism makes him process things differently, we were watching a father and son figure out how to love each other through loss. I also was interested in exploring a more nuanced conversation about how to raise Black boys. How does having a child on the spectrum change that conversation?
Tackling topics through Black fatherhood is not new for me. Blueberry, my previous film I wrote and directed, is about a Hotep podcast host searching for spiritual guidance while teaching his son how to be a man. I enjoy tackling topics through Black male characters because I get to explore the intersectionality of patriarchy and racism.
How would you describe the portrayal of Black fathers and sons in modern filmmaking?
The portrayal of Black fathers and sons in modern filmmaking mirrors society’s evolving conversations about race and patriarchy. There aren’t a ton of films that focus on Black fatherhood. In the past forty years, when we see Black families on screen a lot of times the father isn’t in the picture. The little time we do see Black men portrayed, they aren’t usually seen as mentors and providers. Characters like Furious Styles from Boyz n the Hood or John Quincy from John Q. represented Black male strength, personified in order to counteract the stigma of the absent father. (The same way the “strong Black woman” trope counters the mammy stereotype.) Although these were extremely positive representations, the characters themselves weren’t very complex.
In these interesting times, as we challenge gender norms and toxic masculinity, we are seeing a slightly more nuanced portrayal of fatherhood and father figures. Mahershala Ali’s portrayal of Juan in Barry Jenkins’s Moonlight is a character full of contradictions. Barry shows us that human beings are complicated and regardless if their actions are helpful or harmful, it still just makes them human. Another example is Randall Pearson in This is Us; he is arguably the most popular Black TV dad today. Perfect to a fault, Randall is a fantastic father who struggles with anxiety. However, it is his relationship with his own father, William Hill, that illustrates vulnerability and sensitivity in father-son relationships that are rarely seen on television. In both of these examples, Black men are able to be more than one thing. The more Black people are able to tell their own stories, the more we will continue to see an ever-evolving spectrum of Black fatherhood.
What advice would you give aspiring filmmakers trying to break into the film industry?
1. Your goal as an artist is to find and cultivate your voice, because it is the one thing that separates you from the rest of the pack.
2. Don’t compare yourself to other people. Work on your craft and don’t worry about what other people are doing.
3. Treat people with compassion and kindness because it’s the right thing to do as a human. Also, you will most likely end up seeing them again later.
4. Every time someone tells you NO, just think of it as one step closer to a YES.
