Martinique: “Think Like A Man”, Just Not in France
UPDATE: May 23, 2012, 9:20 pm We understand from the Allo Ciné cinema website that the status of the film “Think Like a Man” is “prochainement” (coming soon), as it has been for quite some time. Sony, the film's distributor, just issued a statement here, saying that there were never any plans for a French release date for the movie. Thus, while Afro-American films are generally not “cancelled”, strictly speaking, they are often not released, with no explanation. One possible reason for this could be the nature of the film distribution system in the country: major companies do not customize releases; they release a film in hundreds of movie theaters, or not at all. Smaller companies may release “arty” films that are likely to attract a niche audience in independent movie houses. The Afro-French community does not, by and large, have specific movie houses or distribution systems in France, perhaps because census, geolocalization, surveys and marketing based on racial standards and statistics are strictly forbidden in the country. Thus, movie-goers interested by Afro-american films usually have to wait for their video release.
Just weeks after the debate surrounding the election of Miss Black France 2012, another question is being discussed by French people of African descent: the cancellation alleged [fr] cancellation of the release of the American movie “Think Like A Man” in French movie theaters.
How does an American movie find a place in the French social debate?
Surprising as it may be, the answer lies in the fact that the film has an all-black cast. French cinema is often pointed at for not fairly displaying all components of the country's multiethnic population. Although the recent success of the movie Les Intouchables, which earned French African actor Omar Sy the Cesar award for Best Actor in 2012, caused great pride and hope among French nationals from Africa and the Caribbean, it was not to be the turning point for a deep and lasting change.
Movie Poster for "Think Like a Man"
Martinican blogger Bondamanjak is very cynical after this tainted victory, as he explains [fr] that Omar Sy's award nomination did not come all naturally, but was rather due to the great number of viewers in theaters.
Et la France comme un seul homme oublie que Omar Sy ne figurait pas sur la liste des nominés aux Césars […] Il a fallu que ‘Intouchables’ touche la barre des 19 000 000 d'entrées que ça râle un peu beaucoup pour que ce flagrant délit de mauvais scénario soit reconnu par l'immonde monde du cinéma français. Mais qu'on se rassure, cette récompense n'est qu'une opportuniste goutte d'eau dans un désert qui avance.
How can racial profiling in cinema be explained?
Martinican blog People Bo Kay reposts a note published [fr] on the Facebook page of Negro News, entitled “France does not want all-black couples in movies”. This analysis, which has now gone viral, develops ideas about communalism and politics in France, which are supposed to explain the rejection of the movie.
Il faut rappeler qu'il y a dans l’État français, une stratégie socio-politique qui tend à prôner le métissage plutôt que la valorisation des communautés. Dans la comédie ‘Think like a Man’, les couples noirs sont mis en avant.
According to this note, the other explanation to the blocking of African-American films in France (despite their profitability) is that:
À noter, les films de l'acteur et producteur noir Tyler Perry ne sont jamais programmés dans les salles françaises ou alors ils sortent directement en DVD. Pourtant ce producteur a pour habitude de dominer le box-office américain avec des films comme ‘Why did I get Married’ et “For Colored Girls”. La société française dans toute son hypocrisie ne veut surtout pas diffuser des films de producteurs noirs qui gagnent des millions de dollars en faisant passer un message positif pour la diaspora africaine grâce à leurs films.
In the same vein, other French Afro-Caribbean netizens, like the collective of female bloggers at La Scandaleuse condemns [fr] how some well-known French movie magazines and websites have openly underrated the movie and its cast:
Première.fr ne comprend pas comment un film avec une majorité d’acteurs noirs peut-être premier du box office! Ne connaissant aucun acteur, ils se permettent alors d’écrire «cette comédie au pitch classique et sans tête d’affiche (le chanteur Chris Brown est le nom le plus connu du générique).» Faut il vous faire la filmographie de tous les acteurs ? Non car cela est votre travail !
This lack of knowledge about African-American actors, even when they are world-famous, echoes, according to La Scandaleuse, a French trend:
Mais peut-être que dans un pays comme la France où on a du mal à faire tourner des acteurs noirs, la surprise ne peut-être que grande face au succès de «Think Like a Man» ! Qui, d’ailleurs, n’est pas présenté comme un film afro par ses acteurs ni par son réalisateur, c’est un film universel, ce qui explique son succès au box office!
African diaspora-oriented Afrik.com weighs in by adding [fr]:
Si l’article de Première.fr semble certainement mal documenté, c’est avant tout un exemple parmi d’autres du refus des diffuseurs et du milieu du cinéma français de miser sur des films dans lesquels la majorité des acteurs sont noirs ou même de miser sur leur éventuel succès. Sous couvert de logiques économiques frileuses, ce «genre» de films, qu’ils soient américains ou français, n’existent quasiment pas dans les salles françaises.
29 comments
maybe you should know that your unfounded assumptions and allegations have started a pointless debate here in France.
Think Like A Man was not banned, there wasn’t even a plan to screen the movie in France. you need to get your fact straight. there is not one African American movie that has ever made it to French theaters because people simply don’t identify with the storyline. if the movie came out, it wouldn’t make big numbers.
we are very few to watch AA movies and it’s generally through dvd rentals.
if the agency in charge of regulating movie releases in France comes across these accusations, which is very likely to happen, I DO hope they sue the person who started the rumor.
there is not a single press entity that has heard of a date of release in France for the movie, let alone a ban order.
it is one thing to be an absolute paranoid seeing racism everywhere, but talking without even understanding realities of a country is irritating. this kind of BS hurts minorities more than anything.
“the unfounded assumptions and allegations” you are talking about are some French bloggers ‘opinions and reactions. Our goal at Global Voices is to relay what more than 1 blogger say and share on a specific topic on the web, by always being clear that it rests on opinions and subjective viewpoints. Any thorough reading of this post, as any of mine, shows that the focus is on what individual bloggers say, and in this case, the fustration of potential viewers.
obviously these are more than opinions. stating that the movie was banned is a bold statement. did he say by who? do you have actual sources? wouldn’t you want to post a story with all the facts? there should at least be a copy of the official statement of the CSA saying why the movie would be banned.
we work in the press and we never even heard about a release date to begin with.
I might come off as harsh, but you have started something that goes way beyond a movie screening. blogs and sites are repeating the story, adding more personal opinions based on nothing. the country just walked out of presidential elections that highlighted the level of racial tension. we don’t need this!
Be careful about what you are putting out there.
maybe this one time you should pay attention to the reactions in France as a result of this post. social climate is tense enough to add more nonsense. And maybe you should consider withdrawing the story. or better yet, go and ask the producers if they planned on releasing the movie in France, if yes why it didn’t happen.
In all honesty, what I think happened is that the blogger misunderstood the reasons why no promoter was interested in distributing the movie on the territory and overreacted.
I apologize if I offend anyone.
@Absatou-How can you not “identify” with a romantic comedy? You people are amazing…lol