For many, catching a film either means “going to the movies” or renting a digital copy on-demand or from Blockbuster. Indeed, Hollywood’s domination of the motion picture industry (in terms of dollars) is virtually absolute. There is, however, an almost underground world of independent film, filled with scaled budgets and fascinating freedom of expression. That world is amazingly similar to that of the indie record company- hard work; little recognition.

With a long and storied tradition, independent filmmakers have for decades told the untold stories of humanity with an authenticity and passion rarely (if ever) found in Hollywood studios. Few filmmakers have succeeded in this industry; most end-up overshadowed by the bright lights and glamour of Tinsel Town.

One notable exception is that of acclaimed director Charles Burnett. Besides being credited with being the very first African-American Independent film director, his work has depicted and examined Black America and examined economic and class relations within African-American society for more than 30 years. Burnett is the winner of the American Film Institute's Maya Deren Award, and one of the very few people ever to be honored with Howard University's Paul Robeson Award for achievement in cinema. The Chicago Tribune has called him “one of America's very best filmmakers” and the New York Times named him “the nation's least-known great filmmaker and most gifted black director.”

In a rare and candid interview, Mr. Burnett spoke to HipHopDX about his legacy, Hip Hop on the big screen, and black filmmaking.

HipHopDX: What was it like attending the prestigious UCLA film school?
Charles Burnett: We never looked at it as prestigious, then. It was just a film school in a sense. It was a place that served its purpose. There were a lot of really interesting students there. It was very diverse. There weren’t a lot of students of color, but there were a people there from all over the world. That was a great thing. The other thing about it was that it sort of encouraged you to develop you own sensibilities and your own sense of style and vision. It was sort of anti-Hollywood.

DX: Can you go see regular movies like the rest of us?
CB: I can see some… but the problem is that when you’re an independent filmmaker you’re always trying to work on another film. You’re always preoccupied most of the time… and you’re very critical. You watch films not necessarily to be entertained but to discover things…and that’s very different than going to a screen to enjoy it.

DX: What are some of the specific challenges that independent filmmakers face?
CB: Financing the film and distribution. Just getting your story told without being affected by the conventional notions about telling a story- you know…you have to have sell-able elements in it. You have to have a star that everyone likes, you have to have some action and pacing and all that sort of thing like that. It sort of ruins your development when you have to think In terms of the conventional way of making films as opposed to discovering new techniques; not based on the box office, but on your own aesthetic. Also knowing about your audience, knowing who your audience is and writing for them.

DX: Obviously you’ve worked with Halle Barry and Danny Glover and lots of other prominent African American actors in Hollywood.…what’s your take on the current climate for African American actors (both men and women)?
CB: Well, it’s very difficult to get real material for them. Great actors, when they come in for a read, casting, it’s mind-boggling how talented they are, but they never get to show their wares. The parts they have to compete for, they aren’t very substantial roles, and they don’t really get a chance to really act. And the stories are not about them. It’s really a disservice to the community and to the actors, because their performances can lend insight and inspire and tell our stories, but they don’t get a chance to do so. Plus, in particular women actresses have a shorter lifespan.

DX: How do you feel about rappers becoming actors?
CB: I think that as long as a person has experience and talent it will speak for itself, in a sense. I like what they say: there are a lot of actors with talent who don’t get parts. But it’s a commercial thing. They (producers) know that putting a football player or rapper in a piece will draw a certain segment of the population, and that’s what they’re after.

DX: Put in perspective for me your legacy as a filmmaker. You mentioned work speaking for itself, and obviously your work does that…but where does your work stack up when we think of great filmmakers?
CB: Well I never look at it that way. You make a film; hopefully it makes it out there to the public, and then you move on. You hope it has some sort of impact, I mean that’s the whole point of making people think about something; not just to entertain but to provide some sort of function. When I first got into filmmaking it was to use film as a means of social change. I’m still shaped by that. You want to do films that sort of bridge communities and help get to the next stage and not just entertain…the whole idea is to awaken people. If you do that, then I think that’s what it’s all about. I don’t know how my films stand among the other black filmmakers. I think if you look at is as if we’re all contributing to the big picture, then it’s a part of that.

DX: Tell me about the new project Namibia: The Struggle for Liberation...
CB: That’s an interesting project. It’s about the liberation movement of southwest Africa, under the leadership of Sam Nujoma. It takes place from 1930-1999 when they gained their independence, and it follows Sam Nujoma from a young boy to when he becomes president. But its also about the people of Namibia, and how it’s their revolution. It started in the 1800s and so its an ongoing struggle. It’s an epic piece that tells the Namibian story of what happened.

DX: How important is it overall for American filmmakers to document the global political scene?
CB: I think it’s important…not just Americans…anyone who can lend their name or talents to help people to tell their story. The Namibians should have had their own directors to make the film… but the Namibians don’t have an industry. So they needed someone with experience in developing to direct…so hopefully what we did will jump start the industry. The problem is that the Namibians have like two million people and less than three multiplexes in the whole country. So it’s very difficult to make an industry commercially viable. But you can do it with smaller independent digital theaters. It doesn’t take very much to start those up. The communities are very tribal and each group wants to tell their own story. I think the only way they can do it is to have really small digital theaters and to accommodate the community and target specific films for that community.

DX: What is the most important international affair right now?
CB: I think the U.S. role in dominating the world as a whole, and these multinational companies and groups that are buying up water rights and stopping people in their own countries from making a living. The World Bank International Monetary Fund has policies that create class differences and poverty…there’s a lot of issues that have to be addressed. It’s becoming a world where the rich own everything. And AIDS in Africa. And the tribal wars in Darfur. There’s so many issues, I don’t even isolate just one; you have to have a holistic approach where there are people serving this issue and other people serving that issue. It’s a war that we’re in.