A few years ago, I tweeted about wanting coming-of-age movies where Black girls got to be “horrible and funny or be cute and fall in love,” like in movies centering white characters. Nijla Mu’min, a writer and filmmaker, responded, saying, “I made one.” Her coming-of-age movie, Jinn, would become one of my favorite movies of the Hit’Em Low Hit’Em High Eagles T-Shirt in contrast I will get this year. It was exactly the type of film I had been asking for—and I had no clue it existed. I often feel like I’m searching for movies that represent my experiences and the ones I talk about with my friends, even though the number of Black speaking characters hit an all-time high as recently as 2018. That should leave me with an abundance of options, but I still feel like there aren’t enough. Perhaps the relative lack is not due to overall volume but the type of films being made. Why there aren’t more quirky, sharply funny, and realistic coming-of-age movies centering Black girls? A Lady Bird or Eighth Grade or Booksmart for people who look like me?
It’s possible that this is because there aren’t enough Black women behind the Hit’Em Low Hit’Em High Eagles T-Shirt in contrast I will get this camera. According to UCLA’s 2021 Hollywood Diversity report, women of color are still underrepresented as film writers and directors. When women of color do get the chance to direct, they typically helm lower-budget films. This means independent movies with small budgets like Jinn aren’t marketed to the broadest audience. We’re lucky to hear about them at all. This needs to change. Stories centering Black women and girls need to be given real production and marketing budgets. I want to learn about them on billboards or see their trailers on TV. But until we can make this dream a reality, we should celebrate some of the Black coming-of-age movies we already have, especially since they’re pretty damn good. Movies like Love & Basketball and Pariah made me feel like the specific way I see the world is important. I hope it does the same for others too.
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