Black Panther is the MCU’s most significant cultural endeavor to date. Marvel Studios went to great lengths to ensure the film felt authentic and representative of the essence of Africa and its people. With Hollywood under such intense scrutiny for its historical pattern of whitewashing in films, it’s exhilarating to see a mainstream project featuring a majority black cast paint such a bold, beautiful, unapologetic representation of African culture. Yet, for a film that is so culturally significant, does the fact that Marvel Studios didn’t film Black Panther in Africa detract from the movie’s impact?
Celebration of African Culture
While Marvel Studios may not have filmed Black Panther in Africa, the film is nothing less than a celebration of African culture. It is a celebration that embodies the pride and essence of a culture that is often misrepresented. Before production, Black Panther director, Ryan Coogler spent weeks on a pilgrimage to South Africa. This was important as it allowed him to experience life on the continent and engage with its people. Coogler didn’t want to approach the film just from the standpoint of being an African-American filmmaker, he wanted to truly understand the culture and accurately depict it in his film.
Coogler’s African research trip helped him forge a vision of the mythical Kingdom of Wakanda. He created a nation that was symbolic of the prosperity that African nations could have achieved if colonialism hadn’t unduly pillaged them. He devised a technologically advanced, Afrofuturistic society whose wealth stemmed from its resources, but whose power came from embracing its heritage. Though the film wasn’t shot in Africa, Coogler never overlooked the significance of positively portraying African culture as the soul of Wakanda.
Authenticity
It’s no secret that production companies often shoot in locations different from what is depicted in the movie. Marvel Studios primarily shot Black Panther in Atlanta and South Korea. In fact, the studio has shot a lot of recent movies like Guardians of the Galaxy 2 and Avengers Infinity War in Atlanta. While it’s obvious that shooting in space is not a viable solution, the decision to not to film a movie about Africa in Africa is not as cut and dry. Despite whatever factors drove Marvel Studios to not actually film in Africa, the focus remained on producing Black Panther in a way that truly felt authentic.
Outside of location, Marvel Studios went all-in to ensure this. Besides having Coogler at the helm, the film features a majority black cast consisting of an all-star ensemble of African and African-American actors. Attire for Wakanda’s inhabitants was also designed by two-time Oscar-nominated costume designer Ruth Elaine Carter whose inspiration for the costumes came from native garb and art from various regions throughout Africa. Marvel Studios did its best to tell its story about African culture through the eyes of people whose unique experiences helped them connect with it the most.
Bold First Step
Black Panther represents a bold first step by Marvel Studios in trying to change Hollywood’s approach towards diversity on the big screen. Studios have long shied away from featuring black superheroes in major productions for fear that there wasn’t a big enough audience. The strong pre-release fan engagement and record-breaking advance sales for Black Panther prove that an audience does exist.
Marvel Studios and parent company Disney seem to have embraced the fact that representation does matter in film. The mere thought of seeing a superhero on screen that looks like them has many African-American boys and girls more eager to see this Marvel Studios film than any of its predecessors.
Unfortunately, we do live in a world where some people still aren’t ready for what Black Panther represents: the advancement of women and people of color into roles equivalent to that of their white, male counterparts in film. These people will use whatever attacks they can in their efforts to derail this important movement. One group went as far as to coordinate an attack on Black Panther’s Rotten Tomatoes review score. Hopefully, despicable acts of this nature will not dissuade other studios from increasing inclusion and representation in future projects.
Black Panther’s Impact
Ultimately, Black Panther is a film that embraces diversity and celebrates the contributions of African culture to our society. The movie represents a huge step in proving that mainstream films that are inclusive and representative of all types of people can still generate demand from large audiences. While it would be nice if the Black Panther sequel (yes, there should definitely be one) could incorporate some filming in Africa, at the end of the day, this is not a point that should detract from the impact that a film of this magnitude has in positively portraying the culture, pride, and prominence of black people.
