Rel J. Dowdell, who lived his entire life in Northwest Philadelphia, is a much-honored screenwriter, director, producer and film studies educator whose critically acclaimed feature films include “Train Ride,” “Changing the Game,” and the documentary “Where’s Daddy?”
The Black Wall Street Times spoke with Dowdell about his career in filmmaking and shining a light where darkness once dwelled.
“I was in a gifted high school in Philadelphia, Central High School and then I attended Fisk University, and I wrote a paper about a film that I loved called ‘Back to the Future’“. He added, “I talked about how if I’m an African American person, going back in time, what could have changed in history to make things better for Blacks.”
“What if I was Marty McFly?” Dowdell imagined. “And I went back to the Dr. Martin Luther King era. How could I have talked to him one on one and been like, ‘you better watch out for this, or better, you better be careful going here.’ How could that have changed history?”
Dowdell credits Black film legends for creating a path forward
Crediting a professor for recommending he go to film school like Spike Lee and John Singleton, Dowdell has since created thought-provoking and culturally relevant works that speak to generations of viewing audiences.
Quoting KRS-One’s coined phrase edutainment, Dowdell says his goal is to enlighten and fascinate. “You want to make something that is not just commercial, but also uplifts your people.”
His film, “Train Ride” examines the aftermath of a sexual assault and how a group of students grapples with guilt, silence, and justice in its wake. Dowdell states, “Nobody’s made a film about the assault in a way that makes people understand that there’s consequences for your actions and accountability on a Black college campus.”
Dowdell highlights Black culture and tradition in his films
Dowdell says he is led by his propensity to highlight Black figures that have paved the way for others to follow. “We can’t make fun of anyone who has helped our race get anywhere to a progressive point, even if you think it’s funny, but those who have sacrificed and been on the front line of of these racial wars since the Civil Rights era, even until today, leave jokes about those trailblazers out of your scripts.”
“I love films that show redemption. I love ‘Rocky.’ I love that movie because first of all, I love the fact that it showed that the person did not have to win in order to win in life.” Dowdell added, “Rocky, even though he’s an Italian man, you can relate to him on any level, because this is a guy whose got a once in a lifetime opportunity to be great, and even if he loses, he’s going to do the one thing that he knows is right, and that’s giving his very best effort.”
The cinema historian stated, “you have to make sure that all your characters, even the supporting characters, are three dimensional. No role in your film, even for one scene, is a throwaway, treat the lead actor with as much detail as your supporting actors. And put as much love into those characters that are on the screen for one scene, the same way you do the person on the screen for the whole movie. And that way you know your film is going to be something very special.”
Legendary films impact Black representation for all ages
Citing James Earl Jones’ iconic Darth Vader character in “Star Wars”, this film buff says great characters blur the lines between good and evil. “He’s methodical, he’s manipulative, he’s also very smart. The best villains are smart, like Hannibal Lecter. When you make your villain a brilliant person, now you got a great movie because the audience will root for the villain just like the hero.”
Dowdell mused, “Imagine [as a kid] seeing ‘Black Panther’ who was ultra cool and well-dressed. His mother and family run this Wakanda country that’s so affluent and historic that leaves a really good impression for representation.” He continued, “I’m just sad that Chadwick Boseman did not live long enough to see the impact of what ‘Black Panther’ had for the generations that will see that film years from now.”
Speaking on the responsibility of Black filmmakers, Dowdell stated, “when the elevator goes up for yourself, it’s our duty to send it back down and bring somebody else up.”