Have any of the commenters criticizing Slave Play actually seen it? Or just read about certain imagery or moments out of context, and hopped on a bandwagon? I feel like it’s similar to criticizing Bamboozled just because of the poster.

“Helmed” means directed, not acted in...That’s a pretty basic thing to know for entertainment reporting. 

WOC filmmaker here as well. You just have to be twice as good to go half as far.

True...but listing that fact as a short parenthetical, two thirds into the article - as opposed to just describing the full sequence of events, in the order they actually occurred - is a pretty leading way to write the piece. But then it wouldn’t really work with the clickbait and outrage take. 

Regardless of the awards’ actual credibility - they’re pretty important to the career trajectory of the filmmakers, and to the visibility of their films. Especially if you’re an indie filmmaker of color. The average American who doesn’t watch indie films will probably only be exposed to them via watching the Oscars or…

So...doesn’t it sounds like your sister has some pretty bad body dysmorphia? And that she’s precisely the kind of person who’d benefit from learning how to not obsess about her body? 

“has been co-opted recently by women of totally socially-acceptable, skinny shapes and sizes who think the movement is just for anyone who feels good or wants to show off their armpit hair”...You guys know that Jameela has a history of eating disorders since childhood, right? And that she was severely fat-shamed by…

By making that sentence your headline, you’re giving that idea way more promotion than that piece does. There’s way less click-baity ways to make your point. 

It isn’t the character’s first time having sex - she has it with an older guy at a baseball field near the beginning of the movie.

Yeah, that’s still hate speech. Especially with the spelled out double R’s. Not necessary or okay at all. 

Bianca Lawson been playing a highschooler for 25 years

Agreed. Also, I’m biased as a filmmaker - but it could have been much better produced too.  Like, can y’all keep the camera steady, and cut more directly to the B-roll of who you’re talking about?