Dustin Lance Black Quotes

It can't change anything immediately, but films can absolutely be catalysts for conversation.

I wanted to make films that were culturally relevant in my own country, that challenged people, and that people talked about.

Film can be a tool for change; it can start a debate.

Films can't change the society; they can simply open the space for the discussion which can lead to social change and can start new forms of social activism.

I think I have a responsibility as a film-maker to bring not only controversial subject matter to the screen but also to inspire a thought process.

People like me in the entertainment industry can contribute to social change through our work.

I would say that Pixar is doing for animation what Chaplin did for film, infusing it with heart and characters that you care about and stories that you lose yourself in. They are similar revolutionaries and changing a medium.

It's always interesting to me to tell stories that come from difficult political climates.

Now, I don't know whether a film can change the world, but I know that it starts - I know the power of it - I know that it starts people thinking about how to change the world.

I think that in the realm of commercial, popcorn cinema, the amount of message or smuggling of ideas you can get in there is quite limited. Like, if you think you're going to make a difference or change anything, you're on pretty dangerous thin ice.

I don't think an actor's job is to be recognized. I think an actor's job is to facilitate the writing in a way that changes the way people think. No other business does that.

Any form of art is a form of power; it has impact, it can affect change - it can not only move us, it makes us move.

I do not make movies to send any message, but my treatment makes my viewers think on the subject.

Actors are agents of change. A film, a piece of theater, a piece of music, or a book can make a difference. It can change the world.

Art, a book, a painting, a song, can definitely inspire change, whether it's a small change or a big change but you know there's novels I've read or a scene in a film that I've seen where I definitely inspired something and made a change or addressed an issue in my life or done something cliche like make a phone call.

Technical skill counts for nothing if it is used only to manufacture films which have little to do with humanity.

We didn't start out to make a protest record at all. That would have been too shallow. As usual, it was simply a case of absorbing what's going on around us.

I don't see making films to entertain and making films to inform as separate things.

I'm always interested in looking - historically - at how theater can animate history and how all of that can make us engage with our lives in an enriching way.

The day Obama got into office, rap was less important because Obama gave kids an alternative. But will rap ever go away? No. There will always be a need for poets.

We remain committed to inspiring and compelling social change to the world's most pressing problems through the power of great stories and engaging our audiences to take meaningful action.

The best songs/films/collections expose truths about life and make them universally accessible; they progress humanity.

I always wanted to make films that might change or at least focus people's views.

Not all our movies have a social message, but I love the ones that do, and I'd love to do more of them.

We go to the theater to be entertained, but if what is left after you watch the movie is a sort of eye-opening perspective on some social issues, then it can be a really powerful piece of art.