‘Am I Racist?’ Star Matt Walsh and Director Justin Folk on Getting Exhibitors to Take a Chance on Controversial Doc and Whether or Not They’re Trolling Hollywood

As a lifelong cinephile with a knack for sifting through the cinematic landscape like a seasoned prospector panning for gold, I must admit that “Am I Racist?” has certainly struck a chord with me. This documentary, though seemingly an unlikely subject for a box office hit, has proven to be just that – a surprising success story in the world of documentaries.

Workshops focusing on diversity, equity, and inclusion might not appear as a typical setting for a documentary. However, Matt Walsh and Justin Folk cleverly explored this subject in their film “Am I Racist?”. Initially, it was challenging to persuade exhibitors to screen documentaries, particularly those dealing with sensitive topics. But the unique satirical approach of the film managed to win over audiences, making it the highest-grossing documentary since 2018.

Walsh stated during an EbMaster-led panel on December 3rd for the film, ‘We aimed to make it entertaining and amusing, which seemed to generate a lot of curiosity about this movie.’ This intrigue, he believes, encouraged exhibitors to take a risk with us, and it proved successful. A significant factor behind this success was our readiness to tackle a highly debated topic in an unusual manner.

The dialogue, featuring both Walsh and facilitated by Tatiana Siegel, who serves as executive editor for film and media at EbMaster, took place within the FYC Streaming Room – an event organized by Red Dresser Productions.

As a strong believer in the allure of documentaries, I found myself needing to demonstrate their draw for cinema-goers, given some doubts held by others.

In this movie, a $3 million production distributed by Daily Wire, I had the opportunity to immerse myself in diverse roles, one of which was serving as a waiter at an exclusive dinner where affluent white women from Los Angeles gathered to discuss their journey towards overcoming racism. As a well-known conservative podcaster, I’ve been asked about the motivations that drove some of the film’s participants to take part in this project.

Walsh suggested that perhaps they were more focused on potential financial gains and chose to ignore issues that would typically concern them, which he referred to as ‘red flags’. As an illustration, Robin DeAngelo, the author of ‘White Fragility’, publicly distanced herself from a movie she was involved in before its release, criticizing it. However, she claimed that during her interview, she noticed the interviewer was wearing a poorly fitting wig, according to DeAngelo herself. Walsh added that he didn’t find the wig to be ill-fitting, but rather quite nice. Interestingly, if she indeed noticed this detail as she stated, it seems unusual that she didn’t ask about it.

There’s been talk that the “Am I Racist?” team might be trying to get their film nominated for awards as a prank. However, Walsh clarified this misconception.

Walsh further stated, “It’s absolutely not a hoax, and we’ve decided to put it forward for award nominations because we genuinely believe it merits such recognition. Simply being financially successful in its genre compared to other films doesn’t automatically warrant awards. However, I do think that its success should at least prompt some thought about potential nominations.

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2024-12-11 20:47