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Posted on Jul 26, 2016

White Lives Matter Movie

Three Black college students, Imani Ballard, Ané Wanliss, and Tyler Maxie were tired of not being heard. So, they made a movie and told their stories.

by whitelivesmattermovie

Community Contributor

Imani Ballard, Ané Wanliss, Tyler Maxie / Via youtube.com

Imani Ballard, Ané Wanliss, Tyler Maxie / Via youtube.com

After publishing the film on youtube, the three creators of the film released this 'Final Director's Note' on their Facebook Page:
Throughout the film-making process, the most recurring question we received from others and began to ask ourselves was ‘Why?’ Why did we choose to make a feature-length film? Why did we choose the title ‘White Lives Matter’? Why did we think it was a good idea to cast, direct, and produce a film during the last month of our sophomore year of college?

After a while, the constant “why’s” became hurtful. It served as a reminder that the validity of our project and our intentions were and would likely always be questioned. As Black people in America, we constantly have the validity of our lives questioned. It’s as if the entire world is constantly questioning our community. Why do you think you have a right to proclaim that your life matters? Why are you not accepting your seemingly predestined fate as you watch your community members being targeted because of their identity? Why do you think these killings needs to end? Why should anyone care?
It is easy to feel like Black lives don’t matter when Black people are unlawfully shot and killed, die in police custody, all without any repercussions for those responsible. Black bodies are just being killed for living. Black lives are ended because we dared to live. Our families are being torn apart, our children are suffering.
But we recognize that it doesn’t stop there. In the United States, we are being further subjugated by biased policing and profiling that leads to an unjust justice system that promotes mass incarceration of the black and brown communities. We are quick to place blame on other “foreign” nations, but largely fail to realize we are living in caste society. The felon label has been constructed to become synonymous with ‘worthy of inhumane treatment.’ People with felonies are stripped of their voting rights, their ability to receive public housing, cannot receive governmental food vouchers, and can even be legally excluded from job opportunities.
But we recognize it doesn’t stop there. There are countless interconnected systems of oppression that we are forced to live within. Police brutality is a tip of the iceberg.
Honestly... we are tired. Tired of constantly being questioned and having to scream that we are real and our existence matters. We are tired of people not getting it. We are tired of our art being stripped away from us. We are tired of our culture being hated and vilified one day while the appropriated version is praised. We are tired of our bodies being victims of exoticism. We are tired of oppressors telling us how to think, feel, and act. We are tired of policing ourselves in how we are supposed to think, feel and act. We are tired of the people who will say “you didn't think this through,” thereby questioning the truth of our intelligence, choices, experiences, art.
We are tired of being told to look to the Civil Rights Movement. We wouldn’t be in this position if all we needed was a Civil Rights Movement. We are tired of people within our community belittling each other because of our own perception of what a ‘real’ black life represents. All Black Lives Matter. We are tired of being told we are pretty for a Dark skinned person. Dark skin does not represent an inadequacy. We are tired. We are tired. We are tired.
This is the story that we wanted to tell.
We are human. We are writers, activists, artists and thinkers. We deserve to be seen as individuals with individual talents. One talent that we all share is *black magic.* This magic is what has kept us fighting.
We are three black youths fighting a system that never fought for us. A system, a country, a culture that chooses to actively fight against us instead. “You’ll never be worth anything,” they said. But that is what is so captivating about black magic. This is just a taste of what black magic can do amidst the brutality that affects our lives everyday.
We know there will be the naysayers. The backlash will be present. People will be quick to point out the shortfalls of this work. There will be those who still question us. To those who opt to follow this route, we have one answer for your questions:
If we were white, would we even need to make this movie? — youtube.com / Via youtube.com

After publishing the film on youtube, the three creators of the film released this 'Final Director's Note' on their Facebook Page:
Throughout the film-making process, the most recurring question we received from others and began to ask ourselves was ‘Why?’ Why did we choose to make a feature-length film? Why did we choose the title ‘White Lives Matter’? Why did we think it was a good idea to cast, direct, and produce a film during the last month of our sophomore year of college?

After a while, the constant “why’s” became hurtful. It served as a reminder that the validity of our project and our intentions were and would likely always be questioned. As Black people in America, we constantly have the validity of our lives questioned. It’s as if the entire world is constantly questioning our community. Why do you think you have a right to proclaim that your life matters? Why are you not accepting your seemingly predestined fate as you watch your community members being targeted because of their identity? Why do you think these killings needs to end? Why should anyone care?
It is easy to feel like Black lives don’t matter when Black people are unlawfully shot and killed, die in police custody, all without any repercussions for those responsible. Black bodies are just being killed for living. Black lives are ended because we dared to live. Our families are being torn apart, our children are suffering.
But we recognize that it doesn’t stop there. In the United States, we are being further subjugated by biased policing and profiling that leads to an unjust justice system that promotes mass incarceration of the black and brown communities. We are quick to place blame on other “foreign” nations, but largely fail to realize we are living in caste society. The felon label has been constructed to become synonymous with ‘worthy of inhumane treatment.’ People with felonies are stripped of their voting rights, their ability to receive public housing, cannot receive governmental food vouchers, and can even be legally excluded from job opportunities.
But we recognize it doesn’t stop there. There are countless interconnected systems of oppression that we are forced to live within. Police brutality is a tip of the iceberg.
Honestly... we are tired. Tired of constantly being questioned and having to scream that we are real and our existence matters. We are tired of people not getting it. We are tired of our art being stripped away from us. We are tired of our culture being hated and vilified one day while the appropriated version is praised. We are tired of our bodies being victims of exoticism. We are tired of oppressors telling us how to think, feel, and act. We are tired of policing ourselves in how we are supposed to think, feel and act. We are tired of the people who will say “you didn't think this through,” thereby questioning the truth of our intelligence, choices, experiences, art.
We are tired of being told to look to the Civil Rights Movement. We wouldn’t be in this position if all we needed was a Civil Rights Movement. We are tired of people within our community belittling each other because of our own perception of what a ‘real’ black life represents. All Black Lives Matter. We are tired of being told we are pretty for a Dark skinned person. Dark skin does not represent an inadequacy. We are tired. We are tired. We are tired.
This is the story that we wanted to tell.
We are human. We are writers, activists, artists and thinkers. We deserve to be seen as individuals with individual talents. One talent that we all share is *black magic.* This magic is what has kept us fighting.
We are three black youths fighting a system that never fought for us. A system, a country, a culture that chooses to actively fight against us instead. “You’ll never be worth anything,” they said. But that is what is so captivating about black magic. This is just a taste of what black magic can do amidst the brutality that affects our lives everyday.
We know there will be the naysayers. The backlash will be present. People will be quick to point out the shortfalls of this work. There will be those who still question us. To those who opt to follow this route, we have one answer for your questions:
If we were white, would we even need to make this movie?

youtube.com / Via youtube.com

After publishing the film on youtube, the three creators of the film released this 'Final Director's Note' on their Facebook Page:
Throughout the film-making process, the most recurring question we received from others and began to ask ourselves was ‘Why?’ Why did we choose to make a feature-length film? Why did we choose the title ‘White Lives Matter’? Why did we think it was a good idea to cast, direct, and produce a film during the last month of our sophomore year of college?

After a while, the constant “why’s” became hurtful. It served as a reminder that the validity of our project and our intentions were and would likely always be questioned. As Black people in America, we constantly have the validity of our lives questioned. It’s as if the entire world is constantly questioning our community. Why do you think you have a right to proclaim that your life matters? Why are you not accepting your seemingly predestined fate as you watch your community members being targeted because of their identity? Why do you think these killings needs to end? Why should anyone care?
It is easy to feel like Black lives don’t matter when Black people are unlawfully shot and killed, die in police custody, all without any repercussions for those responsible. Black bodies are just being killed for living. Black lives are ended because we dared to live. Our families are being torn apart, our children are suffering.
But we recognize that it doesn’t stop there. In the United States, we are being further subjugated by biased policing and profiling that leads to an unjust justice system that promotes mass incarceration of the black and brown communities. We are quick to place blame on other “foreign” nations, but largely fail to realize we are living in caste society. The felon label has been constructed to become synonymous with ‘worthy of inhumane treatment.’ People with felonies are stripped of their voting rights, their ability to receive public housing, cannot receive governmental food vouchers, and can even be legally excluded from job opportunities.
But we recognize it doesn’t stop there. There are countless interconnected systems of oppression that we are forced to live within. Police brutality is a tip of the iceberg.
Honestly... we are tired. Tired of constantly being questioned and having to scream that we are real and our existence matters. We are tired of people not getting it. We are tired of our art being stripped away from us. We are tired of our culture being hated and vilified one day while the appropriated version is praised. We are tired of our bodies being victims of exoticism. We are tired of oppressors telling us how to think, feel, and act. We are tired of policing ourselves in how we are supposed to think, feel and act. We are tired of the people who will say “you didn't think this through,” thereby questioning the truth of our intelligence, choices, experiences, art.
We are tired of being told to look to the Civil Rights Movement. We wouldn’t be in this position if all we needed was a Civil Rights Movement. We are tired of people within our community belittling each other because of our own perception of what a ‘real’ black life represents. All Black Lives Matter. We are tired of being told we are pretty for a Dark skinned person. Dark skin does not represent an inadequacy. We are tired. We are tired. We are tired.
This is the story that we wanted to tell.
We are human. We are writers, activists, artists and thinkers. We deserve to be seen as individuals with individual talents. One talent that we all share is *black magic.* This magic is what has kept us fighting.
We are three black youths fighting a system that never fought for us. A system, a country, a culture that chooses to actively fight against us instead. “You’ll never be worth anything,” they said. But that is what is so captivating about black magic. This is just a taste of what black magic can do amidst the brutality that affects our lives everyday.
We know there will be the naysayers. The backlash will be present. People will be quick to point out the shortfalls of this work. There will be those who still question us. To those who opt to follow this route, we have one answer for your questions:
If we were white, would we even need to make this movie?

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