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A STATEMENT FROM THE DIRECTOR I have never understood racism. And I have never understood why our country is so gripped with the fear that fuels racism, nor the phenomenon of how cruel we can be to each other, sometimes without even being aware of it. Growing up as a caucasian male in Council Bluffs, Iowa, I did not have much opportunity to meet many people of color, but I was raised to be kind to people of all races, whether they lived in our community or not. Ironically, when I moved to NYC over ten years ago, along with experiencing the rich diversity of the city, I also began to witness the kind of stereotyping which inspired the making of ALL AMERICAN EYES. My wife, screenwriter/actress Christine Toy Johnson, is Asian American. Watching her cope with both inadvertent and blatant discrimination in the entertainment industry on a daily basis is what made me encourage her to write ALL AMERICAN EYES. Together, we collaborated to tell a tale which is highly personal, yet universal in meaning. It has been so moving to see people of many different ethnicities view the rough cuts and identify with it on such a deep level, and others tell us how it inspired them to be more aware of the power of their words. We are hopeful that the humor and candor of ALL AMERICAN EYES will also shine light on our ability to persevere, no matter what anyone else says. Bruce
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