The tastes of African American audiences toward more serious fare further complicate the issue. "Akeelah and the Bee," "Talk to Me" and "The Great Debaters," dramas that featured major stars such as Denzel Washington, Don Cheadle, Bassett and Laurence Fishburne, won critical accolades but were not huge hits with black filmgoers.
Burnett, the director of the 1977 portrait of a working-class Watts neighborhood, "Killer of Sheep," which is considered a landmark of American independent film, put much of the dissatisfaction over the current black film landscape on the shoulders of audiences.
"Trying to get black people to go see 'The Great Debaters' was like pulling teeth," said Burnett, who is seeking distribution for his latest film, "Namibia: The Struggle for Liberation," about the long battle waged by the African country for independence. "Our own people don't support stories that make a difference, stories that support the independent spirit."
But observers pointed out that those films were largely marketed to art-house and general audiences, bypassing promotion in black communities. And prominent insiders downplay the dominance of Perry, saying there is plenty of room for black projects.
"Right now there isn't that balance," said Donaldson. "But I think the audience is there, and they're ready for diversity."
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greg.braxton@latimes.com
