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New Canadian black talent faces many obstacles to truly breaking into film and TV, some hidden and others barely acknowledged.
But film and TV director turned Julien Christian Lutz — also known as “Hotline Bling” helmer Director so they know the way. Canadian film and TV sets.
“You walk onto those sets and into those writing rooms, they are very blank spaces,” said Lutz, co-founder and managing partner of indie banner Fela. The Hollywood Reporter prior to a panel at the Toronto Film Festival on September 11, entitled Empowering Rising Voices: Advocating for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Through Film.
Training black talent is needed throughout the sector, in front of and behind the camera. “We have a talent pool that has been neglected. They haven’t had the experience they need. They didn’t have the chances. Now we need to help them gain skills and experience, the things they obviously should have had if we were to honestly hire people based on their talent,” Lutz emphasizes.
He added that the killing of George Floyd pushed the Canadian industry to make sweeping commitments to racial justice and inclusivity: “The industry continued to address what they saw as a problem, and that’s great. But the missing gap is in the training.”
Lutz argued that real change will happen when young people from underrepresented communities are exposed to an expansive field where they can achieve greatness with new roles and responsibilities, and without crashing hard.
“It’s that middle ground that’s so important to hone your craft, especially in jobs where they don’t get their full attention, where it’s not a top priority for the company. These are still important jobs, where you learn the game and can make mistakes that do not resonate in the eyes of the boss or the CEO,” Lutz emphasizes.
He said Hollywood is shifting in that direction with lower-budget films made for emerging streaming platforms. “This is a space where all young talent can learn. It’s time to go back to the low-budget film or TV show, because they are not made to become viral blockbusters,” Lutz argued.
The Toronto-based director learned his way around a film set, creating signature music videos for Rihanna, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Wiz Khalifa, Usher and Justin Bieber. He directed Rihanna’s 2016 “Work” music video, which featured Drake.
And Lutz made his feature film debut with the 2018 Great fly remake and also directed episodes of The imperfections for Netflix. He will debut his Canadian indie TV drama on September 27 Robin Hood for global television.
The one-hour action drama, also from screenwriter Chris Robert, was shot in Toronto and Hamilton, Ontario, as it offers a modern take on the Robin Hood legend. On the Robin Hood During the shoot, Lutz recalled having to provide additional training to experienced hair and makeup technicians so they could work with black actors.
“If you’re not a black person, there’s no problem telling black people they have hair. No, hair is a big problem. Makeup is a big deal. On my show it was a problem,” he said. “There is black talent coming from America, who often make black films and TV shows. We need talent who can handle hair and makeup for them. There is a gap that we need to fill.”
The Toronto Film Festival runs until September 17.