AMERICAN FICTION PRODUCTION
WORDS Adrian Pennington
I n the mode of Mel Brooks’ The Producers, the struggling author at the centre of American Fiction writes a book so deliberately full of Black stereotypes that he is aghast when it actually goes viral. Writer and director Cord Jefferson’s withering satire skewers the hypocrisy and myopia at the centre of Hollywood’s reaction to movements like #BlackLivesMatter and #OscarsSoWhite by highlighting how the industry limits Black storytelling to narratives of poverty and violence. “Nobody is safe,” announces cinematographer Cristina Dunlap of the
Cristina Dunlap catches the tonal shifts in Cord Jefferson ’s stinging riposte to Hollywood
film’s targets. “It pokes fun at everybody and leaves room for them to identify with it. We all expected it might take a while for people to know it’s okay to laugh, but it’s been great to see audiences cracking up from the beginning.” Dunlap’s credits include 2022 festival hits Cha Cha Real Smooth and Am I OK? starring Dakota Johnson, as well as music videos for Lizzo, Coldplay and Katy Perry. Most recently, she worked with Taylor Swift and her creative director Ethan Tobman to film all the on-stage visuals for the Eras Tour. A mutual connection on one of those promos helped land
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