Thursday, 11 February 2010 08:00
We have to recognize each other’s cultures, so we understand what pisses each other off.
—Whoopi GoldbergBack in 1974, Beverly Johnson was the first black model to appear on the cover of American Vogue. Now, as she remembers that moment, her smile suggests a mix of emotions. “At the time,” she says, “I was angry.” That is, she says, though she was celebrated for being the “first,” and proud of it, she remains frustrated that her achievement is touted as such. “I was a model,” she insists, not only or even principally an African American model. And still, here she is, in The Black List: Volume Three, going over again what it meant and means to be that first black model on Vogue‘s cover.
Friday, 29 January 2010 08:00
Mainstream movies with disabled characters follow a well-worn path that begins with an obstacle — be it a hardened heart (“Rain Man”), the inability to read (“The Miracle Worker”) or merely life itself (“Forrest Gump”) — and ends with the barrier surmounted and audience members reaching for their Kleenex.
At ReelAbilities, a festival devoted to films involving disabilities, such treacly story lines would probably not make the cut.
What is a family? Sometimes it's a mom and dad and their kids. Or it might be kids with just a mom or dad. Or it could be kids who have more than one mom or dad. While the answer varies, all families share one vital ingredient: love.
