The discussion of female and minority ethnic film-makers must continue, but the industry must also do more to formalise plans that can make concrete change.
The plan is to put black-theme movies in commercial theaters, initially from the independent film program recently begun by the AMC theater chain, for a two-week run supported by social networks, mailing lists and other buzz-building services at the disposal of allied ethnic film festivals.
Just think of all the permutations: the pioneering sound pictures at Warner Brothers that made stars of Robinson and Cagney; the advent of film noir post World War Two; the heist film, the private eye film, the prison drama, and later, the ethnic gangster films, portraying the Mafia or organized criminal elements tied to other races and nationalities.
Said writes that Andjar was forced to follow the whims of the ethnic Chinese film moguls, which resulted in the films' shift toward commercial orientation, rather than the prioritisation of artistic merit.
But perhaps the most influential figure for ethnic minority film-makers was a teacher named Elyseo Taylor.
The multicultural committee of the Greater Boston Convention and Visitors Bureau has created a guide to ethnic neighborhoods, film festivals and tours, and it is developing programs to educate local concierges and tour guides about Boston's black history and attractions.
Cheryl Boone Isaacs, president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences AMPASS), which organises the Oscars, has said she's "heartbroken" by the lack of diversity and that AMPAS will be taking "dramatic steps" to adjust the balance of its membership to include more black and ethnic minority film-makers.
It remains, however, only the glorious centrepiece of a small-scale but, in the long term, highly influential revolution in ethnic and minority film-making at UCLA.
Another tourist-board offshoot, they will help you choose from 25 neighborhoods and 40 popular interest areas, including fashion, film, ethnic Chicago and public art.
In the Un Certain Regard sidebar, there is more ethnic variation, with film-makers such as Mohamed Diab, Behnam Behzadi, and the Chad director Mahamet Saleh-Haroun.
