Mauli Bonner discusses his award-winning film, "Green Flake is His Name" at various international film festivals. The film was so successful, he was able to help erect a monument to black Mormon pioneers at "This is the Place" Park. We'll discuss his future plans for both movies & monuments. Check out our conversation by signing up to our free newsletter at https://gospeltangents.com
https://youtu.be/jS1oLX-iJ7g
Don’t miss our other conversations with Mauli: https://gospeltangents.com/people/mauli-bonner
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Award Winning Movie
GT 00:48 Now, I know the movie won several film festival awards. Can you talk a little bit about that?
Mauli 00:53 It did. I finished making the film. granted, I had never made a film before. I never wanted to be a filmmaker. I just knew that the story needed to be told, because I worried that other people in our church, no matter what color you are, would learn about this history. And they will learn it in the wrong way: on Google, in an argument at school or at work. And what is that going to do to their faith? What is that going to do to them? And so, I wanted to make this film so that people could learn the stories of this history while connecting to the people. So, it didn't feel like we're just talking about them like they weren't actual human beings. So, I wanted to tell that story. I made the film, I put everything together: location, and getting the actors and the contracts and all that. Then the day before we're about to film, I go to lay my head down, And I was like, who's the director? I didn't book a director. So, I did everything except for book the director for the film. And so, I was like, "Okay, I've got to direct this thing." And so, this is the night before I made the film. So, I went on YouTube, then it was like, when to say action, when to say cut. I watched this little 30-minute video. That was my little master class. I got on set. And it was awesome. Because I heard, "rolling." I'm like, Yeah, I remember that. "Sound." Yes, yes. "Speed." Okay. "And," it was just silent. And I was like, "I don't remember the silence." Then my first AD, he tapped me on the shoulder, "Sir, it's on you, sir, action." I'm like, oh, gosh. So, that's how it started. But I will tell you, I had dreamed the scenes up every night, like it was... My wife would wake me up sometimes at night saying, "You're not in a movie. You're not there." Because it was just playing in my mind. So, when I was on set, I knew every scene how it should be, how it should go. So, I directed it, threw it into film festivals. And it came back winning Best Film in every film festival that we were that we got in.
GT 03:01 LA, London.
Mauli 03:03 Yes, LA, London, Rome, Istanbul, Tampa, there were over 10. And then I turned my email notifications off, because it was just a lot of stuff happening. And so, it was winning Best Film, across the board. And this is people that weren't members of the Church.
GT 03:22 Right.
Mauli 03:22 These are people who are just hearing this history. And that told me that our history is not just black history. It's not just Church history. But this is history that connects to anyone, because stories of faith and love and overcoming the most impossible things are something that, on a human level, we can all connect with. So, yeah, it was great.
GT 03:44 So, you don't have to be LDS to like this movie.
Mauli 03:46 No, not at all. I didn't even put it into LDS films, because I wasn't sure how the Church folk were going to like it. I'm like, I don't know. I'll go out here first. But I did end up doing a screening in Utah. I just rented a big theater and just brought a bunch of people there. And after the film, everybody's in tears, and then hands are up in questions. And I was like, oh, okay. I can't just put this out, and people are left with, "What just happened?" Because it was, for a lot of people, shaking what they thought was. Like, wait, one: black pioneers, two: slavery, and members enslaving other members? It was just a lot.
GT 04:29 Yeah.
Mauli 04:30 And what I didn't want to do is just traumatize people for the sake of traumatizing them, then that's too heavy. Because I did realize, am I talking too much? I guess this is a podcast, right?
GT 04:40 No, this is why we're here. You’re supposed to talk.
Black Pioneer Monument in Utah
Mauli 04:43 I realized that my white brothers and sisters care so much about this sensitive history. I didn't know that they cared until the film. Then seeing me having to console them, they were just broken over it. And I was just like, wow, they want these truths, but it's a lot to take in. And so, we did a lot of private screenings where we do Q&As afterwards and did it that way. That was when I realized, I'm going to be rich, this movie is going to be so good, everybody loves it. I was going to be rich. I thought that was going to be it for me. I was like, Lord, you haven't forgotten me. That's what this is all about. And I actually looked up, online, monuments in Utah, because I wanted to take a picture with the cast and the crew with the film, because, you know, this is it, with the film! And I was like, [internet searching] black pioneer monument, like nothing came up. And I'm like, that's weird. [I looked up] enslaved monument. I just assumed that there's multiple, because this is Green Flake! He drove the first wagon. And to learn that I couldn't find any. And I was like, "Oh, that's what this is about: representation." Because if we don't see it, how do we know it to be true? If we don't see it, how do we know that we were here as black people? So, I changed it to my nonprofit and made sure everything went towards building a monument to recognize black pioneers.
GT 06:28 So how's that monument come along?
Mauli 06:30 It's come along to the end. It's done. It's done. But here's the process. Gosh, how much time--long story or short, medium?
GT 06:42 We've got to time.
Mauli 06:42 Okay, I'll give you medium. So, I found out there's no monument and I was like, okay. I don't know how we're going to do this. But I went and did screenings for Church departments, because this is Church history, black history, but also Church history, and getting their feedback from the History Department, communication, stuff like that. And on the way back of one of my screenings, I was able to run into an apostle, and I talked to him about the film and said, "Hey, I made this film and it's about Green Flake and enslaved and free black pioneers, but there needs to be a monument at our places. This Is the Place, Heritage Park and Temple Square, but that can't happen without you. Then he says, "Okay, well write me a letter." And I was like, no, no, no, no. We're here right now. Let's, let's seal the deal, right now.
GT 07:35 If I write you a letter, it's going to go to my stake president.
Mauli 07:39 Yeah, exactly! I'll be excommunicated before it gets [there.] Yeah. So, no. So he said, let's take a picture.” Let's take a selfie. We took a selfie, and it was Elder Rasband. And so, I ended up writing a letter to his wife, actually, because it was his wife who I talked to, at first, because he had walked away. He was walking on somewhere, and I talked to Sister Rasband. And I told her about it. And she called him over. And that was just so sweet of her. She didn't have to do that. And I'm sure he's like, "We didn't we talk about this." I mean, I imagine. But for her to do that, that was the catapult for all of this. Because a week later, seven days later, I ran into Elder Gong. Then Elder Gong, I told him on the street, randomly. I told Elder Gong, "Hey, I made this film."
GT 08:31 You ran into Elder Gong on the street?
Mauli 08:33 On the street. I mean, listen, if I'm being more specific, when we took that selfie, me and Elder Rasband, I looked at the time and it was 5:32. And I was like, that's my lucky number. I was like, 5:32. And then so the next week, seven days later, I'm in Salt Lake because I'm about to do a benefit concert to promote the release of a film. The film wasn't even out yet. Or to the public, it wasn't out. It did the circuit of festivals. I saw a man walking. I was like gosh, that looks like Elder Gong. I pull over. And I'm like “Elder Gong?”
He's, like, yes.
I was like, "Oh my gosh! Can I walk and talk with you?"
And he's like, "Sure."
So we walk and talk. And I tell him, I made this film: His Name is Green Flake, but there's no monuments. People need to know who they are. [We need monuments at] This is the Place, Heritage Park, Temple Square. And he's like, "I love what you're doing. It's great, great.”
I'm like, "Oh, you know about it?"
He's like, Yeah, I know all about it. It's wonderful. You have a concert coming up tomorrow, but the film's not out yet."
I'm like, you blew up my elevator pitch. I don't know what to say. And then he's like, "Well, keep up the good work. These things take time, but we love what you're doing."
I'm like, okay. Then I said, "Can we take a selfie?" We took a selfie. And it was 5:32 again. I was like, Oh my gosh, 5:32. Then six days later, I'm home. Granted, I live in LA. I’ve been flying back and forth, back and forth. I told my wife, I'm not flying this time. This time I'm [going to] be in town and I shouldn't have said that. Because six days later, as I'm at home, I had this prompting, this feeling, this urge that I needed to go back to Salt Lake. And so I got on my knees and I prayed. I was like, Lord, "Am I supposed to go back?"
Mauli 10:30 The Spirit, the Lord spoke to me and said, "I'm sending you someone at 5:32." It was just so clear. But I was like, but I just told my wife, I'd be in town. I'm already in the doghouse,
