Melina Matsoukas’ first feature film, Queen and Slim, starring Daniel Kaluuya and Jodie Turner-Smith of Get Out as a couple forced to pursue after killing a police officer in self-defense, is elegant, sexy and impeccable in her portrayal of American racism. . The November 2019 film was inspired, after all, by videos of Sandra Bland and Eric Garner about their fateful clashes with the police and feels even more applicable today. “I watched [Sandra’s] self-defense video and told it a lot,” says Matsoukas, once known for her high-profile music videos and HBO’s Insecure, of which she is executive producer. “It’s a delight that many other black people can identify with.”
Fast Company: How did you become a director?
Melina Matsoukas: I come from a political family and grew up to give back and [fight] for people’s rights. The weaponry you chose was up to you. I felt the movie could be my weapon. I also grew up in the ’80s and ’90s and was an MTV baby. While everyone creates short films in film school, I make music videos for my friends.
FC: You made beyoncé’s “Formation” video, which is full of references to institutional racism and black pride. Did you have a film awareness as a form of activism?
MM: Then I sought to constitute the [black] culture in a way we’ve never noticed before, in a festive way. I also sought to communicate about the struggle and the trauma. It’s exciting for any of us to get into that visually. Beyoncé brave with masses of images. I’ve never seen her as a political artist before, and I’ve never done it before in my own paintings. It’s a turning point.
FC: What attracted you to Insecure?
MM: One of my agents sent me the pilot script and I without delay thought, I’m there. [The screen reflects] my story in some ways: I was a black woman navigating the world, I had to replace the code and I struggled to locate my identity, but also, and at the same time, I was looking for strong relationships with black women. She used to be the only black woman in the room and, for once, [when directing episodes of the first season of Insecure] she wasn’t. It was exciting. I think that’s the subject of this exhibition.
FC: Did you, queen-Slim and co-producer Lena Waithe win any complaints from production managers about the film’s political nature?
MM: Hollywood is starting to see the price of brave stories and other people of color. We worked with an [independent studio] called Makeready and were able to maintain artistic control. Lena and I got the final drink. We don’t take notes from anyone but ourselves.
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