The exceptionalism of a black U.S. President is not important to me. It's what he does - and who he has at the table.

Hollywood is designed to check the box office on Monday morning and see: "How'd we do? How much?" It's another facet of this whole culture of accumulation and consumption. Black people are caught up in it, white people are caught up in it, white actors, black actors, female actresses - everybody's caught up in it.

Did you know a child is orphaned by AIDS every 15 seconds. Millions of children are going it alone. Missing their childhood. Missing their mother. Missing their father. AIDS is devastating families around the globe. Children are missing your support. Unite for children. Unite against AIDS.

Today's cinema is a proliferation of comedies, which are in some ways creating caricature images. They're one-dimensional.

Popular literature and culture used to reflect people's aspirations, pain, and passion. All those particular things are no longer available to us.

My Toussaint [Louverture] film is in limbo. We still hope after all this time that we can find another way to get this film done.

We have to be that wedge that drives the question and asks the hard questions