--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: While the documentary community is way…" description: "\"While the documentary community is way ahead of Hollywood, it is still nowhere near where it needs to be. Filmmakers of color rarely get hired by the p..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15d/roger-ross-williams-5118_ahead_while-the-documentary-community-is-way-a_601988.jpg" --- # While the documentary community is way ahead of Hollywood… ![“While the documentary community is way ahead of Hollywood, it is still nowhere near where it needs to be. Filmmakers of color rarely get hired by the powerful production companies, and they are not getting supported enough by broadcasters and funders to tell their own stories.” quote by Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15d/roger-ross-williams-5118_ahead_while-the-documentary-community-is-way-a_601988.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15d/roger-ross-williams-5118_ahead_while-the-documentary-community-is-way-a_601988.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/15d/roger-ross-williams-5118_ahead_while-the-documentary-community-is-way-a_601988.jpg) > “While the documentary community is way ahead of Hollywood, it is still nowhere near where it needs to be. Filmmakers of color rarely get hired by the powerful production companies, and they are not getting supported enough by broadcasters and funders to tell their own stories.” [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Documentary filmmakers of color face systemic hiring barriers and lack of funding compared to mainstream Hollywood. **In simple terms:** Colorful voices are under‑supported in film. Key Takeaway Advocate for equitable funding and hiring. Themes diversity media systemic bias Mood critical determined Type advocacy industry When to use this quote - film festivals - grant applications - studio hiring panels Key Concepts film studies social justice industry dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How can broadcasters increase support? - What policies ensure fair hiring? A Different Perspective Change requires structural industry reforms. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ahead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ahead/) [Community](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/community/) [Documentary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/documentary/) [Documentary Community](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/documentary-community-3054061/) [Filmmakers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/filmmakers/) [Filmmakers Color](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/filmmakers-color-4812855/) [Hollywood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hollywood/) [Needs Filmmakers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs-filmmakers-4906434/) [Powerful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/powerful/) ## Related quotes > [We need more filmmakers of color telling the story. I'd like to see more filmmakers take their products out independently, put together a good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-packer/we-need-more-filmmakers-of-color-telling-the-story-i-d-like-to-see/) [Will Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-packer/) > [I don't know the facts surrounding Andrew Jarecki's work. I think it's a triumph of television. But it does raise troubling issues that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-berlinger/i-don-t-know-the-facts-surrounding-andrew-jarecki-s-work-i-think-it-s/) [Joe Berlinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-berlinger/) > [I want to say documentary filmmakers are some of the most conscious media makers, the most empathetic, though sometimes empathy is the problem. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramell-ross/i-want-to-say-documentary-filmmakers-are-some-of-the-most-conscious/) [RaMell Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramell-ross/) > [My hat's off to documentary filmmakers. I don't know if I'm ever going back to it. You're treated like a second-class citizen at most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-zwigoff/my-hat-s-off-to-documentary-filmmakers-i-don-t-know-if-i-m-ever-going/) [Terry Zwigoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-zwigoff/) > [I wanted to describe the world at the same time, through image, express what I felt. It was the time of the great documentary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krzysztof-kieslowski/i-wanted-to-describe-the-world-at-the-same-time-through-image-express/) [Krzysztof Kieslowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krzysztof-kieslowski/) > [All too often, white documentary filmmakers are the ones telling the stories of people of color.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/all-too-often-white-documentary-filmmakers-are-the-ones-telling-the/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [I will always make films that champion outsiders, because I still feel like one, even though I'm now governor of the documentary branch of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-will-always-make-films-that-champion-outsiders-because-i-still-feel/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [ I've known Owen's father Ron \[Suskind\] for years, and this was based on his best-selling book \["Life, Animated"\]. We worked together as journalists at… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-ve-known-owen-s-father-ron-suskind-for-years-and-this-was-based-on/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [I'm transitioning to television and film, but ultimately, I want to have a stronger presence on the web and be able to curate the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/issa-rae/i-m-transitioning-to-television-and-film-but-ultimately-i-want-to/) [Issa Rae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/issa-rae/) > [The people of U.P. are very simple and grounded. They take pleasure in admiring arts and cinema. This is why it is emerging as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hiten-tejwani/the-people-of-u-p-are-very-simple-and-grounded-they-take-pleasure-in/) [Hiten Tejwani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hiten-tejwani/) > [I guess it's easier to get things made when you know the story you want to tell, you know the characters you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-mara/i-guess-it-s-easier-to-get-things-made-when-you-know-the-story-you/) [Kate Mara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-mara/) > [You know, I feel like my job is to write a book. Then filmmakers come and they make a movie. And they're two really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayelet-waldman/you-know-i-feel-like-my-job-is-to-write-a-book-then-filmmakers-come/) [Ayelet Waldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayelet-waldman/) > [What I would say to filmmakers, if I may be so bold or so arrogant, is to draw inspiration from other filmmakers, but go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-bender/what-i-would-say-to-filmmakers-if-i-may-be-so-bold-or-so-arrogant-is/) [Lawrence Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-bender/) > [I don't think filmmakers want me in their projects.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/urfi-javed/i-don-t-think-filmmakers-want-me-in-their-projects/) [Urfi Javed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/urfi-javed/) > [France has not only built a bureaucratic barrier against American culture, it has constructed a notorious intellectual case against it as well. The French…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-cowen/france-has-not-only-built-a-bureaucratic-barrier-against-american/) [Tyler Cowen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-cowen/) ## More by Roger Ross Williams > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [I think what was special about 'Music by Prudence' was the classic story of the title subject's life path - from being an outcast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-think-what-was-special-about-music-by-prudence-was-the-classic/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [I didn't have a lot of exposure to films as a kid, and I never went to the cinema. I had a single mom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-didn-t-have-a-lot-of-exposure-to-films-as-a-kid-and-i-never-went-to/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [While shooting in Uganda in 2011, the conservative evangelical pastors I was filming - the most ardent supporters of the country's now infamous Anti-Homosexuality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/while-shooting-in-uganda-in-2011-the-conservative-evangelical-pastors/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [I grew up in a Southern Baptist-style church with a choir, a band, and music, but I've been asking myself my whole life, 'Why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-grew-up-in-a-southern-baptist-style-church-with-a-choir-a-band-and/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [My mother worked as a maid, cleaning the fraternity dorm of the local college.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/my-mother-worked-as-a-maid-cleaning-the-fraternity-dorm-of-the-local/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [As Mike Bickle said to me, there is a spiritual battle going on in the world, and he believes that in America marriage between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/as-mike-bickle-said-to-me-there-is-a-spiritual-battle-going-on-in-the/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [I agree that Scott Lively is marginal, and that is exactly why evangelicals must not let him speak for them. But in Uganda, Scott…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-agree-that-scott-lively-is-marginal-and-that-is-exactly-why/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [Racism is a global problem and it is as damaging to Whites as it is to non-Whites. Everyone must fight against it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/racism-is-a-global-problem-and-it-is-as-damaging-to-whites-as-it-is/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [ I both didn't know Owen \[Suskind\] beforehand and didn't have any connection to the autistic community. But Owen wasn't really a problem, because he… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-both-didn-t-know-owen-suskind-beforehand-and-didn-t-have-any/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [I grew up in the church, and I went into the production of 'God Loves Uganda' intending to raise awareness of the abuse of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-grew-up-in-the-church-and-i-went-into-the-production-of-god-loves/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [I began filming 'God Loves Uganda' by first meeting some of the Ugandan and American missionaries who have helped create Uganda's evangelical movement. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-began-filming-god-loves-uganda-by-first-meeting-some-of-the-ugandan/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [Even after I won the Oscar, my phone did not ring. No one called me to fund films or offer projects.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/even-after-i-won-the-oscar-my-phone-did-not-ring-no-one-called-me-to/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [Racism was never acceptable to the people who suffer from it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/racism-was-never-acceptable-to-the-people-who-suffer-from-it/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [While growing up, I lived in my own fantasy world. I had kind of a rough childhood, so I created my own reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/while-growing-up-i-lived-in-my-own-fantasy-world-i-had-kind-of-a/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) [Explore all 103 Roger Ross Williams quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) ## More Ahead quotes > [Anybody who thinks that they should lead the country should go ahead and put their hat in the ring. I am not among them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-schatz/anybody-who-thinks-that-they-should-lead-the-country-should-go-ahead/) [Brian Schatz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-schatz/) > [If I have a problem with somebody, I go ahead and say what's on my mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nico-hulkenberg/if-i-have-a-problem-with-somebody-i-go-ahead-and-say-what-s-on-my-mind/) [Nico Hulkenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nico-hulkenberg/) > [I once invested in a risky business. Quite a few people warned me not to do so, but I still went ahead and invested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gautam-rode/i-once-invested-in-a-risky-business-quite-a-few-people-warned-me-not/) [Gautam Rode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gautam-rode/) > [“What lies behind us is nothing compared to what lies within us and ahead of us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-r-covey/what-lies-behind-us-is-nothing-compared-to-what-lies-within-us-and/) [Stephen R. Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-r-covey/) > [In Life, We May Never Get The Same Opportunity Again, But There's Always Something Better Ahead...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pacifiersucker/in-life-we-may-never-get-the-same-opportunity-again-but-there-s/) [Pacifiersucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pacifiersucker/) > [Makeup is only fun if it's occasional and capricious - just like it's a treat to have an empty day ahead, but it wouldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-coren-mitchell/makeup-is-only-fun-if-it-s-occasional-and-capricious-just-like-it-s-a/) [Victoria Coren Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-coren-mitchell/) > [There is no such thing as disposable time if you want to stay ahead of the game](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-is-no-such-thing-as-disposable-time-if-you-want-to-stay-ahead/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm the kind of guy who comes home and checks scores for everything. I'm a sports fan in general, so I pretty much keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chadwick-boseman/i-m-the-kind-of-guy-who-comes-home-and-checks-scores-for-everything-i/) [Chadwick Boseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chadwick-boseman/) > [People are flying you places in business class. Everyone wants to take pictures of you and find out information about you. It's a freak-out.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yolandi-visser/people-are-flying-you-places-in-business-class-everyone-wants-to-take/) [Yolandi Visser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yolandi-visser/) > [I wasn't putting my all into it and I was still managing to score goals, and that gave me something to dream about, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-gray/i-wasn-t-putting-my-all-into-it-and-i-was-still-managing-to-score/) [Andre Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-gray/) > [There's no limit to what you can accomplish, but there's always someone one step ahead of you, so it's a constant uphill battle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-mary-stewart/there-s-no-limit-to-what-you-can-accomplish-but-there-s-always/) [Catherine Mary Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-mary-stewart/) > [I was never bothered about my position in the industry. If I had believed in it, I wouldn't have allowed anyone to get ahead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dharmendra/i-was-never-bothered-about-my-position-in-the-industry-if-i-had/) [Dharmendra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dharmendra/) > [I don't want to look too far ahead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jofra-archer/i-don-t-want-to-look-too-far-ahead/) [Jofra Archer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jofra-archer/) > [“one who takes the first step always remains one step ahead”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabi-shaheen/one-who-takes-the-first-step-always-remains-one-step-ahead/) [Rabi Shaheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabi-shaheen/) > [I am not interested to sing in Bollywood. I sing for only those actors whom I admire. I sing free of cost for them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yo-yo-honey-singh/i-am-not-interested-to-sing-in-bollywood-i-sing-for-only-those-actors/) [Yo Yo Honey Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yo-yo-honey-singh/) [Browse all 1,773 Ahead quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ahead/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "While the documentary community is way ahead of Hollywood, it is still nowhere near where it needs to be. 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