HIP HOP ART HOUSE CINEMA by KANYE WEST, AUTEUR and SELITA EBANKS with RUNAWAY

Artists of the world, will always respond to an auteur. The Arts are always created when we cross cultures, to the center and push back in creative response. In this moment, we are the center of the world’s pop culture creation too as artists. We are creating the future by speaking back in response to the present in expression with our unique worldviews and artistic reo (voices) and vision too. Let’s go Maori and Polynesian filmmakers, musicians, artists and entertainers – Horiwood

Who: Kanye West

What: Hip Hop Art House Cinema as a new genre of filmmaking.

Title Work: Runaway, a short film

Duration: 34 mins, 32 secs aprox.

Starring: Selita EBanks and Kanye West

Key Themes: A commentary on America’s nationhood, in Kanye’s lifetime. The rise and fall and what is the rise back up again of the USA. Decadence fused with decay of empire.

The Michael Jackson death of the King of Pop reference, is both respectful and a little spooky in the form of a military like national guard parade, and a blown up head of MJ. The golden phoenix references are powerful. Selita Ebanks is pure art in this role. Naive, beautiful, out of place, learning of a new world–a metaphor of a nation rebuilding, and representing a younger generation in it–as also reflected in a gaggle of strong, youthful ballet-swans, depicted as youthful potential turned statues with their economic? wings ripped off by resulting circumstances of unwise political/ banking leaders of the past. Selita plays the role, of someone being introduced to America now as shown by Kanye, an auteur. She asks: how is it possible to be authentic and survive in your world, when most are cast in stone of economics/ current politics?

Perhaps indicating, patriarchal culture, Kanye’s response is: just stay with me anyway and make love to me. An interesting political commentary, when no one really has an answer to this question Selita posits.

Anyway, it’s a little weird for me, but I love the fact that Kanye has created the Hip Hop Musical, Art House short film genre of cinema. Not enough can be written about that. It’s revolutionary in African-American cinema that he’s done this. Creative plus!!!

Enjoy. And in honor of Taika Cohen‘s artistic filmmaking abilities – who could do the same, for Maori down under, I post this Korowai cloak, as a challenge (or take in Maori) to pick up in future years and do the same as an artist. Maori Art House Cinema, let’s go, thinking outside of commercial, Hollywood narrative structures too – into more artistic expression of Maori cinematic arts. Artists should always respond across cultures to other artists. It’s cultural manners and is also what true artists are about if we hail from centuries-old traditions of artists – which we do as Maori. Any culture with authentic artist will respond from their nation as global artists.

As Maori we are not passive. American culture is boring if it’s monologue. What we need is dialogue for US culture to even be relevant in our Maori mix at all. We don’t just consume from America, we speak back like mature adults, and put our own spin on our own future – as teachers (not children) of America too. So, where’s our film texts (musicals on cinema, please).

Who in New Zealand wants to respond to this, in cinema? I ask. Taika is a good start, with Awanui Reader writing the film’s score and starring in the lead. Ainsley Gardiner, an award winning film producer and Oscar nominated producer, as producer of such a project, showing the strength of good female leadership from New Zealand – would be hot.

But let’s get back to Kanye West’s brilliance and budget spend here. His interweaving on a sound sonic-scape with international accents (German and European) as well as importing the class of Rihanna ‘s hip hop and r n’b proven sound globally via Barbados of the Commonwealth (UK tributes and associations) show’s an American artist seeking cross-cultural ties and connections with a place for Americans in the world. Amidst the American ego–that his nation expects in their pop culture to fuel their own sense of identity, Kanye shows humility too for other nations cultures he’s learned and gleaned from as one of the 30% of Americans who have traveled outside of US borders and dared to be an American minority in another nation’s cultural life–and position himself as a student of the world. I like it that he has and it reflects in this film, from what he’s borrowed and interwoven into his art.

In particular, Kanye uses the elements a lot, of the sky. Perhaps indicating a future where, manipulating the earth’s elements (whether in visual depiction via news footage) or for real, will be common. An oil spill, was the last example of this we witnessed by a multi-national corporation in Mexico’s gulf for example. Oil from depth in the earth’s crust became vapor that filled the sky like a column of smoke. The world had never seen that before, as elements burned from the sea.

Kanye’s film is a version of a vision of America today. Powerful as art and social commentary. He raises the bar of hip hop artists and most music artists too, with this contribution. It’s his version, of “I am King” of pop culture and the arts eg: Muhammad Ali via cinema. Or, his version of “Presidential vision” or “if I was President” in that The Thompson Twins 80′s kinda statement way. Smile America. It does get better, is what West says here. :)

~Posted by Horiwood.Com, Hollywood California USA. 10.24.10~

October 25, 2010 | Categories: America, Art, artist, Awanui Reader, Barbados, Directors, Entertainment Celebrity News, Germany, Hip Hop Community, Hollywood Entertainment News, Hot Chocolate, Kanye West, Leadership, Maori, New Zealand, Oscars, Polynesian, Producers, Rihanna, UK, Women | Tags: Ainsley Gardiner, America, Art, Art Galleries, artist, Auteurs, Awanui Reader, Ballet, Barbados, Commonwealth, Cross-cultural Narratives, Directors, Enoch, Entertainment Distribution, Germany, Hip Hop Art House Cinema, Hip Hop Community, Hollywood Entertainment News, Hollywood Maori Kings, Hollywood Today, Hot Chocloate: African American News on Horiwood.Com, Hot Chocolate, Kanye West, Leadership, Maori, Maori Art House Cinema, Maori Filmmaking, Maori Television, Maori Television Service Hollywood, Muhammad Ali, New Zealand, Oscars, Polynesian, Pop Culture Commentary, Producers, Projects, Rihanna, Selita Ebanks, Swans, Taika Cohen, Taika Waititi, The Thompson Twins, UK, Women | 3 Comments »