Justin Simien

“I want to make movies in every genre.”

“The way Hollywood and TV is, black people don't have any choice but to see ourselves in white-dominated television shows and stories and movies.”

“Basically, the system works to my disadvantage for no other reason than that I am a person of color, and I am telling stories about people of color.”

“If I just wanted to put clean, perfect images of black people on the screen for an hour and a half, first of all, there are other people already doing that, and they're making a lot of money doing it.”

“Shows like 'Empire'... one of the most profound powerful things is that there's a gay male character who is loved. That character is going to save a lot of people's lives. Black families are confronting the idea that a gay black character can be human.”

“I think unless we have an honest conversation about race and identity in this country, we're never going to get anywhere.”

“Black people are experiencing a systemic disadvantage, and it goes back to slavery, which was not that long ago.”

“I'm not a big fan of shooting something that looks like it could belong in any movie. I'm not a fan of, okay, 'wide shot, wide shot, medium shot, close-up, close-up - we'll figure it out in post.' I hate that.”

“If you walk out of a movie that's meant to be about race in our country, and you're feeling good and happy, then that movie didn't tell you all of the truth. It's too big of an issue, and it's too complicated for you to feel good. It's something you should feel like you need to talk about.”

“I saw 'Beauty and the Beast' at eight years old in theatres and spent hours trying to recreate the majestic imagery of that story in a drawing notepad at home.”

“For me it's just, I have too many ideas, man. It's a problem, actually.”

“I think we all have identity crises throughout our lives.”

“The thing about TV is you kind of have an endless canvas. You can always keep going.”

“Racism is over in the 'Star Trek' future, but they found a way to comment on sexism and racism in the present day in such a subversive and smart way, you know?”

“Racism is systemic: It's oppression that's built into the laws, legislation, into the way neighborhoods are policed, and into job opportunities and health care and education.”

“It occurred to me that by naming the film itself 'Dear White People,' I could tap into the burgeoning meme culture as well as make a meta-commentary about the controversies within the film.”

“It is frustrating having to walk through America having to bob and weave people's impressions of me because they see a tall black guy walking down the street. That is frustrating.”

“I was blessed enough to know that I wanted to be a filmmaker when I was a kid, the first time I realized that that was something people did for a living.”

“I remember the first time that I realized that being black meant that I wasn't allowed certain things. It was in the fourth grade, and it was who I thought was my best friend not inviting me to his birthday party because I would be the only black kid there. It was the first time I ever felt restricted, and it certainly wasn't the last time.”

“America is a different country, and it will forever be a different country after the election of Donald Trump.”