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To give you an idea of how racist and broken the screen industry is in Australia, here is an extremely current example. (TW: Contains violent imagery against Black people.)
MUKBANG, a short film directed by Eliza Scanlen (Little Women, Sharp Objects, Babyteeth) was selected by the @sydfilmfest. https://ondemand.sff.org.au/film/mukbang/
I have seen it. Beyond being profoundly problematic in the way it appropriates Korean culture in order for a White girl to find herself (it is the equivalent of EAT PRAY LOVE for teenagers), it contains the following scene. Again: content warning.
(The antagonist in the film is a Black teenage boy.)
This film was awarded Best Director. The judges were George Miller, Bryan Brown and Sophie Hyde. Eliza Scanlen won $7,000.
After the film won, this scene was EDITED OUT. If you watch the film on the SFF website now, notice the time code in that screenshot above. It's been deleted in the new edit.
Beyond the racism and violence within the film, editing a film AFTER IT HAS WON is rigging the system. It's dishonest and unfair to the other films in consideration.
This film WON Best Director - an award afforded to supposed visionaries at an internationally acclaimed festival. This happened YESTERDAY. When people ask me if the system is becoming less racist, look to this.
The people I know who have worked on this film and plugged it on social media have been very, very quiet and are perpetuating a racist system from which they benefit. I've benefited too as a model minority. Now is the time to do something. All eyes on you all.
