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基督教Yosef grew up watching films directed by some of the great American filmmakers of our time, including Ryan Coogler (Creed, Black Panther) 和 George Lucas (Star 战争). This fall, 基督教 will enroll in the same film program at the University of Southern California (USC) that launched their careers.

 

基督教, an international studies major with a minor in  communication & 媒体研究, wants to make films that counter anti-Black racism in Hollywood films. 受欢迎的电影 often perpetrate racial stereotypes that reflect common prejudices in our society, he 说, 和 movies about American slavery remain quite popular in the film academy.

“One of my goals is to talk about the Black identity, but not through a stereotypical 克里斯蒂安说. He points to the Fred Hampton biopic, Judas 和 the Black Messiah, the 2021 film that was nominated for five Oscars. Daniel Kaluuya won the Best Supporting Actor category for his portrayal of Hampton. The film was notable, too, as the first with an all-Black production team. But it’s not the movie 基督教 would have made.

“This was a movie about the person who betrayed 和 killed Fred Hampton,” 基督教 说.  I’d rather make a movie with the focus on the man who stood up for poor whites, poor blacks, 和 poor Latinos. That’s the movie I want to make.”

Born in Ethiopia, 基督教 also wants to change the way Africa is depicted in film.

“故事 set on the African continent portray Africa as a terrible place, full of violence 和 poverty,” he 说. “Hollywood directors are influenced by colonialist depictions of Africa as the dark continent. 血钻, for instance, the 2006 film set during the Sierra Leone Civil War, juxtaposes a wild 和 brutal Africa with the stable 和 distanced influence of the Europeans in 负责.”

基督教 credits Alicia Kozma, the chair 和 assistant professor of communications & 媒体研究, with helping him get into graduate school. “我一直想去 be a filmmaker, 和 I was exposed to a lot of great films through her. 当我 studying abroad in Turkey, I reached out to her 和 told her I was thinking about 去电影学院. She encouraged me to apply to USC.”

Christine Wade, professor of political science 和 international studies, was also in his corner, encouraging him to travel, helping him find the funding for internships, 和 supporting his application to USC.

He also believes his Explore America internship at The Apollo Theater in New York City helped bolster his application.

“我爱那个城市. 太有趣了. And not only did I learn how to podcast through my internship at the Apollo, I got to meet Spike Lee. He was having a block party 为了他的一部电影. 做正确的事 和 马尔科姆曾经 are two Spike Lee movies that I’ll watch again 和 again.”