“I think it’s important to young African Americans to see us behind the scenes. We’re quick to jump in front of the camera but that’s not where the power is.”
Angela White is well known in Hollywood circles as a veteran entertainment producer with more than two dozen films to her credit. In a celebrated and diverse career, White has helmed award-winning films with Overflow Entertainment, such as The Sin Seer, My Favorite Five, My Sister’s Wedding, The Last Letter and Who Can I Run To. Her latest effort is the eagerly anticipated self-discovery film #WhereIsBeauty.
“This is the first time I’ve worked with an all-woman crew,” White tells Reel Urban News. “I’ve never worked with a female director of photography, a female gaffer, a female first assistant camera and a female first assistant director. So right away that’s attractive.”
A 2014 Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film survey found that 85 percent of films had no female directors, 80 percent had no female writers, 33 percent had no female producers, 78 percent had no female editors and 92 percent had no female cinematographers. “As a woman in a male-dominated industry, you rarely get this opportunity. The subject matter was beauty. No matter the ethnicity or the culture, all women can identify what is beauty.”
#WhereIsBeauty stars soul and R&B singer-songwriter Goapele. “This is my first time working with a singer who has not had typical acting training,” says White. “This has been great. She’s been natural. Her music really coincides with the film. Goapele sings of independence. She sings of empowerment. Her song ‘Closer’ is about being one with the universe. This is perfect for her to talk about a woman who’s starting to look at beauty standards and say hey, that’s not the standard for me.” reelurbannews.com/whereisbeauty-star-goapele/
White is also excited about the opportunity to work with #WhereIsBeauty director Angela McCrae. Taking a break on the film’s downtown L.A. set, White has high praise for McCrae. “You always have challenges working with a first-time director because they’re so energetic.”
“She’s like Bugs Bunny, just full of energy and ready to go-go-go. Sometimes we say, ‘Be patient, be calm, there is protocol and structure on how this goes.’ She’s been doing a great job.” reelurbannews.com/?s=Angela+McCrae
The lives of multicultural millennial women are at the center of #WhereIsBeauty. It is the story of their struggle with issues of self-identity, their own definition of beauty and the pressure of society’s standards. “Typically most women think beauty starts with the hair,” explains White. “Some cultures’ beauty is the complexion. Other cultures’ beauty is the eyes. We’re going to try to disclaim what the standards are of beauty. We’re in an industry that’s male-dominated; they’re not going to tell these stories.”
“The fact that we’re telling our own story is important. The writer is a female and that’s attractive to me. It’s amazing.”
White is clear about the mission of #WhereIsBeauty. “The responsibility for us is to get the word out that we’re going to take a stand. It’s not about your hair, it’s not about your skin complexion and it’s not about what weight you are. I think the great thing about this is we have an Asian woman, of course a Caucasian woman, of course an African American woman who are a part of the crew and a Latina woman. So we are hitting all of the cultures. Our responsibility is to get this word out.”
And the word is spreading. White was honored at the 18th Annual African American Women in Cinema Film Festival held in New York City in March. The founder of Silver Lining Entertainment, White was executive producer of the American Black Film Festival (ABFF) 2015 Grand Jury Prize winner The Night Before. White now spearheads the Comedy Underground Series, which pairs her with multi-faceted entertainer Flex Alexander and writer-director-producer Paul Hannah.
For White, relating the experiences of African Americans is essential. “It’s very, very important that we tell our own stories. When other people start telling our stories, then it’s their story, it’s not our story anymore. A lot of people will sit at home sometimes and say, ‘I saw that film and I didn’t like it.’ Well, they don’t know the writer was white, the director was white and whole crew was white. They don‘t know our reflections. They don’t know our languages and our tone.”
“I think it’s important to young African Americans to see us behind the scenes. We’re quick to jump in front of the camera but that’s not where the power is.”
