Project Detail

Colouring the Media

Synopsis

Coloring the Media begins with the premise that since the invention of the camera, Native Americans were the very first people to be documented either in photographs or in moving pictures. This film explores this journey as European Americans used the camera as a propaganda tool to depict native peoples in America as less than human. Through the development of stereotypes, and inadequate research, early films depicting native peoples set into motion a language of film that is still being used today. This language came to affect all peoples of colour around the world as they were often portrayed as ignorant or noble savages whose only good was to make the European look superior, civilized and just in their cause - which was more often than not the civilization of the savage.

By using contemporary films such as Smoke Signals; and documentaries such as Healing the Hurts and Spirit combined with interviews with Native people, Coloring the Media takes us on a journey and asks how the past can affect the present and shape the future for Native Americans and also for people of color. As Black and Asian people living in Britain speak about their experiences and the struggles they face today, we see how the language of film set into motion in the early 20th century still plays an important part in the portrayal of people of colour.
Coloring the Media offers a refreshing investigative insight into the past and present. For future generations it offers a solution of change through the voices of people, and asks one important question: 'What is it going to take to make this change happen, now, today?'
 

Details

Year
2005
Type of project
Features
Running time
47 mins
Format
DV
Director
Carlisle Antonio
Producer
BBC, Skillset, Millennium Commission
Co-Producer
BBC, Skillset, Millennium Commission
Editor
Carlisle Antonio
Screenwriter
Carlisle Antonio
Director of Photography
Mike Catherwood
Sound
Mike Catherwood, Nik Mather, Carlisle Antonio
Composer
John Trudell, Peter Buffet
Principal cast
Several contributors

Production Status

Production Company

american.indian@blueyonder.co.uk

Page updates

This page was last updated on 12th May 2025. Please let us know if we need to make any amendments or request edit access by clicking below.

See also

You may also be interested in other relevant projects in the database.

Bandit Michele Di Gè, as an old man reflecting on his outlaw life. Diary of a Bandit (Diario di un brigante)

Director: Henry Worsley

Year: 2027

Italy, 1866. Michele Di Gè, a young shepherd, leads a monotonous life, but dreams of the bandit-filled mountains on the horizon. When he helps his friend flee conscription, Michele sees an opportunity to leave home and prove himself as a man, joining a band of brutal outlaws. But this is not the adventure Michele bargained for – and behind every myth, there hides a stranger and more terrible truth. Shot by an international crew of young independent filmmakers, this film transports you to Italy's own Wild West -- a world never seen before on screen.

blurred out image of a face Hello You

Director: May Abdalla, Barry Gene Murphy

Year: 2026

Hello You is an autopsy of your reflection. This mirror has two sides: one that observes, and another that follows. Exploring stories of altered perception, from phantom limbs to the feeling of being a stranger in your own body, the experience stretches the split-second act of self-recognition into something you can watch unfold. Here you are asked not to look at yourself, but at the lenses through which you look.

Man wearing shirt exhausted on a blue coloured lounger, in a warm country. Sun umbrellas, pool and palm trees out of focus in the background. The sunlight hits him from the left-hand side. Your Sweet Home

Director: Nataša Cordeaux

Year: 2026

Bill, a timid and overworked Brit, impulsively books a beach escape in the hope of unwinding. On arrival, he's greeted by a mysterious Balkan baba and follows her into the flat of her daughter, Sunny - an eccentric former travel agent. “Welcome to paradise, my darling,” Sunny beams, rebranding their small home into a VIP holiday experience. Out of his depth, Bill is soon commandeered by Sunny’s persuasive upselling and is roped into a unique beach excursion - pay per hour. Each day brings another increasingly absurd encounter: a coffee-cup fortune becomes a massage sales pitch, while an innocent nap takes a strange turn. Yet amidst the oddness, Sunny and Baka’s boundless hospitality and growing fondness for having a man around the house begin to make Bill feel at home. On his final morning, Bill discovers that his bed is actually Baka's bed. Sitting together on the balcony, he confesses his deep dark secret: he’s never been on holiday before and worries he’s doing it wrong. “What a silly thing to worry about,” Sunny says. Bill decides it’s a great day for the beach. Business is back on as Sunny and Baka bicker about how many sandwiches they can sell.