By Robert Goldrich

LOS ANGELES --

While theatrical features are undoubtedly the main entrée on the menu at the Los Angeles Film Festival–which runs through Thursday (June 18)–television was served in big helpings this past Saturday during the fest’s Diversity Speaks sessions sponsored by HBO.

John Ridley, a Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar winner last year for 12 Years a Slave, and creator/EP of ABC TV’s  primetime series  American Crime, affirmed that showrunners are key to attaining greater diversity in television. Ridley noted that showrunners hire directors, producers, post and other artisans, and thus have the power to affect meaningful change by bringing more people of color, females, and other under-represented groups into the creative fold. His comments came while being interviewed on stage at L.A. Live’s Conga Room by film critic, educator and Film Independent curator Elvis Mitchell. (Film Independent is the producer of the LA Film Fest.)

Ridley added that self-determination is key. Even in the face of institutionalized bias, individuals can take it upon themselves to make sure their fate isn’t determined by others. This can help to attain greater diversity–and for that matter help to build careers.

On the latter front he shared, for example, that he wrote Jimi: All Is by My Side and 12 Years a Slave with no payout in the offing. He dedicated time to these projects because they mattered to him. 12 Years a Slave, he noted, was a spec script he worked on for four years simply because he felt it was a worthwhile story and creative pursuit. Continuing to write what’s important to you can ultimately help to open doors once others take notice of your labor of love–and see the merits and value of those projects.

Ridley shared that the initial spark for American Crime came from the case of the Central Park Five, chronicled in a Ken Burns documentary. Back in April 1989, a female jogger was found in Central Park after being beaten and raped. She was in a coma for 12 days and sustained permanent damage. Five African-American men were convicted of the crime, first by the media and then in court. They were imprisoned but ultimately exonerated after a man already jailed for other crimes confessed, and DNA evidence supported his claim. After their sentences were vacated, the Central Park Five filed a $250 million federal lawsuit against New York City in 2004. Ridley, who at one point thought the men were guilty based on media coverage, was astonished to discover that these five “suspects” were indeed falsely accused and railroaded by law enforcement. In the back of his mind, Ridley began contemplating a film or TV series to explore racial and ethnic tensions and the role discrimination and prejudice can play in criminal investigations, the legal system, media coverage, and people’s perceptions.

The Trayvon Martin case in Sanford, Fla., in 2012 provided the final impetus for Ridley, resulting in what became the lauded series American Crime exploring the hearts and minds of victims’ family members as well as those accused of violent crimes.

Sadly other incidents of unarmed African-American men being killed by law enforcement officers continued to occur with national and international headlines generated in New York, Ferguson, Missouri, and Baltimore. The Baltimore incident emerged just as a second PR push was being made by ABC for American Crime. Ridley recalled a press conference in New York where he was asked if the PR campaign had been timed to the Baltimore tragedy. The answer was no, affirmed Ridley, but the circumstance underscored the ongoing nature of a tragic cycle.

On the positive side, Ridley lauded the commitment of a mainstream broadcast network to a series dealing with complex, volatile issues such as racial profiling and outright bigotry–while not offering any easy explanations or a neatly packaged final resolution. The series, instead, helps to promote awareness of–and conversation about–the problem.

Ridley said that varied artisans contribute to the success of American Crime, including such unsung talent as editor Hank Corwin of postproduction house Lost Planet. Ridley described Corwin as being not just a great editor but “a great artist,” adding that generally editors do not get enough credit for what they bring to a project.

Primetime session
Also part of the Diversity Speaks program was a session titled “Primetime: Adjusting the Color Spectrum On TV,” which featured artists from various series bringing cultural variety to TV, including Wendy Calhoun, co-executive producer and writer on Empire (Fox network), Randall Park who stars in Fresh Off the Boat (ABC), Gail Lerner, writer and co-executive producer on Black-ish (ABC), Andrea Navedo from the cast of Jane the Virgin (The CW), and writer Lady J. of Transparent (Amazon).

Calhoun noted that the writers’ room for Empire “reflects our cast”: a majority African-American cast and a majority of African-American writers. A veteran of six TV series, Calhoun said Empire was the first show for which she wasn’t the lone black writer. She noted that she’s been in rooms where she was the only black writer as well as the only woman writer; a “twofer,” she quipped. Calhoun added that it will be difficult for her to move onto another series and have to go back into a room where she’s the only black writer.

At the same time, Calhoun stressed that writers shouldn’t be stereotyped based on their ethnicity. “I can write white characters, male characters,” she said. “Just because I look like this doesn’t mean I can’t write something else.”

Lerner said that the writers’ room on Black-ish is half men, half women, half black, all straight. And she noted that it’s great when all these different perspectives come together. She recalled, for example, a daylong conversation about spanking–each writer’s experience with it, if it’s part of their parenting, if it was part of their childhood. Out of this often uncomfortable conversation and the different points of view came an engaging episode of the show.

Park said that diversity has sprung from a changing TV landscape. With so many shows emerging, he observed, “it just makes sense to have these voices represented in TV.”

Navedo related that Jane the Virgin has been a dream come true, giving her a role that defied Latina stereotypes. “I’ve had the experience of being offered stereotypical roles, and facing the challenge of do I take this job and reinforce the stereotype because I need the work, or do I not take on the job.”

Writer Lady J. came aboard for the second season of Transparent, at a juncture when the trans movement has attained more traction in mainstream culture, most recently with the Bruce Jenner/Caitlyn Jenner story. “It’s on every magazine cover,” said Lady J, who observed, “It’s hard to tell if art is reflecting life or life is reflecting art because it’s happening so quickly.”

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