The story of crack cocaine in the US is riddled with mistruths. Stanley Nelson’s new doc CRACK: COCAINE, CORRUPTION & CONSPIRACY explores disinformation and exaggeration surrounding the drug's legacy.
Here are 4 things to know (thread):
Black Americans were disproportionately jailed for crack. Although two thirds of crack users were white, no white person was convicted of a federal crack-related offense in LA between 1998 and 1994. Meanwhile, Black incarceration rates increased exponentially.
The media often portrayed Black users as criminals, not as people in dire need of help. Catchy, provocative headlines about Black mothers paired with images of Black children led to a false notion that there was an epidemic of “crack babies.”
Here’s a challenge — who can watch every one of these hidden gems by the end of the year? Each brings a powerful, varied voice to the stage through @ava’s production company Array, which amplifies films made by women filmmakers and people of color.
Tag us with your progress!
THE BODY REMEMBERS WHEN THE WORLD BROKE OPEN — After a traumatic event, two Indigenous women in Vancouver are brought together and form a deep bond despite leading different lives.
FUNNY BOY — A student must navigate issues of sexuality, identity, and family amid Sri Lanka’s social turmoil of the 1980s and 1980s.
RISING PHOENIX explores the legacy, intensity, and importance of the Paralympic Games. Here are five facts from the doc that are worth knowing and sharing
(thread 🦾)
The name “Paralympic” describes the movement taking place “in parallel” with the Olympic Games.
On the first Saturday in 2016, more people attended the Paralympic Games than attended the single busiest day of the Olympic Games.
After extensive hours of research and a thorough investigation, one thing has become clear: Al Pacino has never worn shorts in a movie. Hear me out. (thread)
"Oh, but Pacino has acted in over 50 feature films," you say. "He *must* have worn shorts in one of the many hot/topical locations he's been in!"
My friend, you are dead wrong.
OK, in THE IRISHMAN we all know he doesn’t wear shorts in Florida despite the daily highs of 92°F in the summer, because he “has a meeting”. Fine, fair enough. I respect it!
For years, fans of THE MATRIX have discussed the film through a trans lens. If you’ve heard the theory before or just learned about it, here’s a thread breaking down the trans allegory of the film, from trans writers and critics.
Welcome to the desert of the real. (thread)
Lilly Wachowski recently looked back on the film and confirmed the long-discussed theory of THE MATRIX as an allegory for gender transition. “THE MATRIX was all about the desire for transformation, but it was all coming from a closeted point of view."
So how is THE MATRIX super trans? Writer @andrealongchu sums it up in an excerpt from her book “Females,” for Vulture: “Neo has dysphoria. The Matrix is the gender binary. The agents are transphobia.”
Hey there! Entertainment journalist @TrevellAnderson here to discuss @Disclosure_Doc — a chronicling of trans representation on screen. Perhaps you’ve heard that this documentary is “necessary" and a “must-see.” But you may not know WHY... Well, let me put you up on game! Thread:
Inspired by THE CELLULOID CLOSET (1995), director @SamFederFilm wanted a film that charted the history of trans imagery on screen. Because while it's great to revel in the existence of shows & films like POSE, TRANSPARENT & TANGERINE, there is a lineage to which they belong.
And that lineage isn’t cute—it’s chock full of sensationalism & dehumanization, racism & anti-Blackness, homo/trans/femmephobia, sexism & misogyny. The result is a world that treats trans people the very way media has represented us, as comedic relief and disposable playthings.