Dear White People is a satirical comedy-drama set in an American college about how our multiple identities come into conflict when placed alongside the expectations of our peers and wider society. Director Justin Simien came out as gay at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, which puts him in a very small league of out gay black men working in the US film industry. This in itself highlights how relevant the film is. Pleasingly, it’s been a critical hit, winning him the U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Breakthrough Talent at Sundance and seeing him jump onto Hollywood bible Variety’s list of one of their 10 Directors to Watch.
It may have a typical American college setting but Simien says his debut feature is a reflection of what it’s like in society to be thought of as different or ‘other’. “Even in a society where we have rights and it’s not as bad as it was, you’re never quite let off the hook for being different than the majority,” he says.