Ryan Coogler, director of the highly awaited black superhero movie Black Panther, paid a surprise visit to the Ghetto Film School Fellows program in Los Angeles, California on Jan. 27 to interact with the next generation of filmmakers. Marvel Studios’ promotional partner on Black Panther, Synchrony Bank, reportedly donated a $50,000 grant to the Film School Fellows as part of the Synchrony Families That Work charitable program.
The Synchrony Families that work charitable program provides childcare responsibilities to working families’ children by supporting after school, summer and weekend programs for kids. Coogler interacted with the class of 30 students.
At the end of his visit, he even invited them to attend Black Panther’s Jan. 29 Hollywood premiere in Los Angeles giving them an opportunity to meet with Black Panther stars Chadwick Boseman, Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong’o, Michael B. Jordan, Mike Colter and Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige among others.
“Stay you. This industry is a strange one in that it can change you,” Coogler advised the students. “Find out who you are first, ’cause y’all probably don’t even know yet. And once you find that, hold onto it, and be unapologetic about it, because it’s going to make your perspective unique.”
A girl asked Coogler if he ever feels lost or overwhelmed while directing a film to which he replied, “You feel that every day. For me, what I found that works [is] get a crew around you that’s supportive of you and understands what it is that you’re trying to do, and believes it. ‘Cause the job’s incredibly hard.” You can watch the entire interview below.
The Disney and Marvel Studios’, Black Panther, which has a black man at the forefront, is opening in theaters on Feb. 16, Friday. The film stars Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, and Martin Freeman in the lead roles. Black Panther is estimated to earn around $165 million in ticket sales in its opening four-day Presidents Day weekend.
Do you think Black Panther will be able to earn more than $165 million in the opening weekend? Let us know your views in the comments below.
Also Read: Black Panther: 52 Years of History From Comics To The Big Screen Infographic
Source: Marvel Entertainment
