Film title ignites controversy in community
A controversial film has caused some Syracuse residents to re-evaluate the way they use their words.
A movie called ‘Nigger or Not’ has been chosen as one of many films shown at Syracuse International Film and Video Festival from April 29 to May 3. The film, which was directed by black filmmaker Ken Wyatt, is a documentary based around discussions from both black and European-American communities.
The film festival organizer’s decision to show the movie, though, has received some negative criticism from residents in the downtown Syracuse area because of the controversial title.
The conflict began when a Syracuse organization printed a schedule of the film listings without including a summary for each movie, said Owen Shapiro, the director of the film festival, as well as the head of the SU film program in the department of art and media studies.
Because the schedule lacked an explanation of the content of ‘Nigger or Not,’ some residents in the city were disturbed by the use of such a word in the title, Shapiro said.
‘They rightly were upset with it,’ Shapiro said.
‘Nigger or Not’ offers discussion of the controversial word through interviews from rapper Q-Tip, poet Sonia Sanchez and comedian Paul Mooney.
The film received awards for best documentary at the 2003 Athens International Film and Video Festival, best independent documentary at the 2003 Canadian International Annual Film Festival, and first place at the Third Annual Chattahoochee Film and Video Competition.
The Syracuse International Film and Video Festival plans to screen films at various Syracuse locations including the Landmark Theatre, the Westcott Theater and Watson Auditorium in the Menschel Media Center on campus.
Bringing up discussions on such a heated topic, though, has lead some individuals on campus to reveal their thoughts on whether a discussion about this matter should occur.
‘(A discussion) has to be done with the right atmosphere,’ said Omanii Abdullah, an African-American studies professor. ‘Young people and the hip-hop generation take this vile word (and try) to make it positive.’
‘I think it can and should be done,’ he added.
Jasmeen Davis, a senior marketing major, said she believes that simply discussing the word without relating its historical background is not enough.
Discussions on the word should be focused on a professional, historical aspect because everyone may not understand the importance of the word, Davis said.
‘The history of the word has a negative connotation,’ Davis said, adding how use of the word is often misunderstood or offensive. ‘They need a professional prospective.’
