American Santa | L.A. Times Short Docs
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- Опубліковано 9 вер 2024
- Black Santas are local heroes, spreading joy and love to children and families at a bustling mall during the Christmas season. But even during this special time, the ugly shadow of bigotry falls on the season’s true spirit. Watch "American Santa," directed by Avi Zev Weider. (This film contains language that may be offensive to viewers.)
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Hello! I'm Avi Zev Weider, director of 'American Santa' and I'd like to say thank you for taking the time to watch the film! If anyone has any questions about the film please leave them in the comments and I will gladly answer them.
This was absolutely wonderful and haunting. How did you come across your characters?
@@Jcop815 Thank you! I heard a story on NPR's "All Things Considered" about Stafford Braxton, the owner of Santas Just Like Me. His description of the kinds of pushback he receives sparked the idea for the film and from there I got in touch.
@@loopfilmworksIncredible--great work! Would love to work with you someday!
Why you being such a c u ....nt ??
Hi Avi! This cultural appropriation is ok, but whites wearing the wrong Halloween costumes are not. Thanks for reminding us!
I am in love with the guys that are filling this role... So much hate in return for so much love... It breaks my heart!
This documentary is another example of how kids learn to become racist. Because of stupid adults. Loved Santa Claus, they all showed that good comes in many different packages.
Thank you for this documentary-I wish everyone could see it and realize that it’s not the color of Santa it’s the spirit! You’ve done important work
Santa ain't black, end of
That's funny, appropriating a myth as your own while saying the appropriation doesn't matter. If his race didn't matter they wouldn't appropriate, LOL
@leewatts1570 Santa can be whatever...you act like Santa is real, lol. But you really are a 🤡.
Even though I cried at different places and was disgusted by the voice mails, I LOVE THIS! Such a great documentary!
Same here. Cried with utter Joy, and cried with utter disgust and pain. And cried in sorrow for the children being taught to be virminius racists just like their parents.
This film brings tears to my eyes. You know, they still say "Merry Christmas" in China so I'm waiting for Asian Santa! I love this and I'd take my kid to Black Santa and White Santa too. Maybe one day the grandkids will have an Asian Santa. Or at least one of the 3 Kings of whom Orient are....
God bless all of the Black Santas❤❤❤❤❤.
And also, I can't help but to feel the wonderful power and love in them that I've actually never felt listening to other "Santas"...just keeping it real and honest here.
Wonderful it’s long overdue.😍
Keep doing the lords work godwilling guys. Your perseverance will continue to change the world's mind and educate the masses. God bless and merry Christmas everyone!!❤❤❤
What a handsome, warm and gleeful ho ho ho Santa🌟
So Corny and cringe....dear God.
WOUNDERFUL VERY MUCH ENJOYED IT MAY US ALL HAVE A THE BEST CHRISTMAS EVER AMEN🙏👍💯
Am sick to my stomach with such hate. I know racism exist in this country, else where to but to see it in its true form, it's quiet telling. This documentary really opened my eyes, They truly don't like black folks. The hate runs so deep it's unbelievable. My goodness for a fictional character who just want to put smiles on kids faces. It shouldn't matter what color you are.Big ups to the brave brothers who's doing a fantastic job. God bless you. ❤
Ahut up ya twaaaaat
This is an incredibly powerful and poignant film analysis that reflects the current condition of America’s political culture. What is distressing is that the film highlights or rather magnifies that if this was produced at the height of Jim Crow segregated south in the 1950s ironically here we are in 2023 and the spirit of that era is still present. Thank you for showing demonstratively how far we still need to rise in our human consciousness in order to see one another as fellow human beings. This is a powerful film. I truly appreciate it seeing black Santas.
Ok, I get it. Pale male superheroes, myths & cartoon characters are bad. You know, to be kind, loving & inclusive toward all of humanity...in the Christmas spirit.
Hate is stupid.
@andrewtaylor7269What's your point?
Makes sense because people who espouse hate are stupid, so ...
Shows that the obscene spectre of racism is still alive and well. Thank you Mr. Trump for keeping it alive and helping it grow.
This video stole a piece of my innocence today which I didn't even know I had, and I'm not a child at all. I knew black folks went though many more trials than white folks, but to see this context wipes my heart away even more.
How about the trials the Jews, native Americans, Vietnamese....and every other race on the planet has went through? Lol do you even know history. Does that make blacks better than them because they went through slavery...everyone went through slavery
Keep doing it❤❤❤❤❤
Mehgan Kelly wouldn't like it 😂❤
Excellent. Merry Christmas to each and every one of you.
I appreciate you Santa !
Aww here he comes …
Wow, an excellent and powerful documentary!! It did break my heart, but also filled with some balance of touching moments of hope. May we someday rid the world of hate and treat each other with love. Will be sharing, thank you for the work!
This hurts my heart 😢, why oh why can't people love each other
This is so beautiful and sad that some people still have these racist eyes! Just keep up the good work!❤❤
How is it racist? America is a white place only
They are Santa's, its a character to play. Its about the idea. Its about children being children. Keep moving forward. I truly believe in enough time. With enough positive efforts like this. We will transcend the color of our skin. I hope some day it truly truly wont matter. Remember, you wont change the real bigots. You keep doing your thing, they will die off along with their ideas. As long as we don't give up or give in.
I just LOVE HIM
I would love to have my kid take a pic with any of these awesome Santa’s…. Compared to that drunk Santa at our local mall.
😂 Drunk? On the job?! 🤦🏽♀️
Brilliant and touching movie. I told someone about it (white) and they said “I’m so sick of this DEI stuff!” Geez. People don’t get it.
They sound like trash
Loved it & the santas all looked fabulous!
It's hard hearing so much hate for Santa! Come on! I hope that these Santa's will continue to spread the Christmas spirit and that more will follow in their bootstraps. Also shout out to Mrs. Claus!
All my Santas were white but i didn't care I was caught up in the magic and enjoying it all.Growing up in Tuskegee Ala i like many other children loved to go to the malls and shopping centers in Montgomery and Auburn Alabama in the 1970s and eighties. And at Christmas time i always visited Santa .Sometimes twice
People can be slow to change. I remember people losing their minds over starbucks changing a cup colour.
I think people want attention so when they can shout and scream about something so they get attention.
Yeah which is very stupid for doing stupid things for only attention
Wow you are doing a great thing, People can be sooooooo stupid in their ways and thoughts!!!!
Ignorance is pretty sweet if you ask me.
Would be cool to have Kwanzaa represented.
You mean that wack holiday created in the 60s that no one cares about? No.
The real Santa St Nicholas was Greek or Turkish in 280 A.D, I would have beat he would have been very Golden in completion and far from white. White people have taken a Mediterranean/Anatolian person, whitewashed him and moved him to the North Pole, and whinge in 2023/2024 of a black man playing Santa? 280 A.D Turkey or Greece, these people would have seen more Africans than white people that is for sure. St Nicholas was neither white nor black, so either playing him is factually incorrect, making it something white people shouldn't feel victimized about. St Nicholas weren't white and never spoke English.
When did this start that kids need the character to be the same race or gender or ethnicity as them? Kids identify with animal cartoons, kids identify with SpongeBob. They don’t need the characters to be the exact race as them. There’s a Meijer commercial where I live and there’s a little black girl, she looks up at Santa and my instant thought is, “daddy why doesn’t Santa look like me?”, but we’re shocked now as a society that it’s just a normal commercial, there is no mention of race in the commercial it’s just a Santa but that’s how warped our society is that the instant thought I have is her thinking why Santa isn’t black.
I'm not sure what you're trying to say. Are you saying "A Santa is a Santa" or are you saying " Talking about Santa's race/ethnicity is the problem" 🤔?
@@michelebradley7813 I’m saying I don’t care if there are Santas of all colors, but don’t do it solely bc black kids need a black Santa. Contrary to what a lot of insane people believe, children don’t notice race, unless they’re taught it by their parents or other adults, so I doubt one child’s going to say they saw Santa at the mall, “he was black”, and then another kid says, “no I saw Santa yesterday somewhere else and he was white.” Kids don’t notice race, until people point it out to them. The main point is what I said at the beginning, don’t do this bc you think a black kid needs a Santa that’s the same color as them, or a white kid, or Asian, or Hispanic etc. Kids don’t care what skin tone Santa is. With my original post I’m saying how ridiculous it is to keep changing the color of characters in film and movies that already exist, and changing nothing else about them, just make new different characters, originality is lacking in Hollywood, they think changing the race of an old character makes them different, just make something new. And they always say in interviews that they did it bc they want kids who look a certain way to be able to identify with the character, which is crazy, my example was kids identifying with animals and inanimate objects like a sponge, they don’t need the character in the movie to be the same race or gender as them to identify with them, that’s pretty divisive saying you can only identify with a character if they’re the same race or gender as you. I remember loving The Silence of the Lambs as a teenager and one day last year there was a movie marathon on TV, I was watching it, and a commercial break started and they said it was some type of strong woman character movie marathon and I laughed bc I never once had to think of Clarice as a woman, I just always thought she was badass for taking down Buffalo Bill, people shouldn’t only be able to identify with characters that are the same race or gender as them, they can identify with anyone.
😮
Go champs go for it, the best Christmas gifts, further sports partnerships world wide having a lot of enemies to fight against, a lot of sports competitions and a lot of datings among supporters and fans, that's what fans are for, let's invite everybody enjoy winter holidays in your home place and enjoy new business partnerships so we could raise human existance as Holy Blessing level as we should. Big loving hug all Santas of the world, Black Lives Matters, you can bet on it it matters❤🎉❤
if Santa was Black the North Pole would be the projects and ghetto.
Interesting concept. You could say the same bias goes for Asian and Hispanic Santas. Just saying. Also, it looks like it was short an IPhone. Messy cinematography.
Santa Claus is coming in brown
Okay but santa is white? Thats how he was always made. I dont agree with racism at all btw
Cultural appropriation.
What happens when he goes into the Crips side of the hood?
NOPE. My Santa and my God is white
Well I’ll give you the Santa cuz that’s just a character. But God invented the entire concept of race therefore can’t be a race. God isn’t human.
Good for you 🙄.
God is beyond race and Santa is beyond race
Just when things couldn't get any more pathetic