Photo Courtesy of Lions Gate Films
Hollywood, CA — The controversial, but hilarious film Dear White People tells the story of a riot that breaks out after white Ivy League college students throw a party mocking African Americans. Directed by Justin Simien, the film was recently shown at the Los Angeles Film Festival and earlier this year actually won the Sundance Film Festival’s Special Jury Award for Breakthrough Talent.
The film stars Tyler James Williams (“Everybody Hates Chris”), Tessa Thompson (“Veronica Mars”), Kyle Gallner (“Veronica Mars” and “Smallville”), Brandon Bell (“Mission Impossible III”), Teyonah Parris (“How Do You Know?” and “Mad Men”, and Dennis Haysbert (“24” and “The Unit”).
Dear White People has already stirred up social media and has created somewhat of an uproar because of it’s controversial topics. According to Variety.com, the premiere “evoked a mix of raucous laughter and uncomfortable silences” at the Los Angeles Film Festival. Even just the trailer by itself lightly attacks recent films about race relations such as “The Help”, “The Blindside”, and “The Butler.”
It also pokes a little fun at the movie “Gremlins” with a scene where one student explains how the movie is about suburban white fear of black culture. In the scene, she says: “The Gremlins are loud, talk in slang, are addicted to fried chicken, and freak out when you get their hair wet.”
Director Simien, however, insists that the racial themes aren’t the ultimate driver of the film’s message. “The conflict of who you are and who you show to the world — that’s a universal situation,” he comments.
Produced by Duly Noted and Homegrown Pictures, Dear White People will be released by Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions on October 17th.
For more details, visit the official web site at www.dearwhitepeoplemovie.com
Watch The Trailer Below: