Director Justin Simien on 'Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One'

This week, we're throwing it back to one of our favorite interviews! When writer/director Justin Simien (Dear White People, Haunted Mansion) first saw William Greaves' groundbreaking 1968 film, Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One. He was mad. Not about the film's avant-garde style (part fiction, part documentary, part  performance art) but about the fact that he hadn't seen it sooner -- it might've saved him a lot of trouble as he found his way in a challenging, second-guessing industry. Now Justin is introducing more people to the contributions to cinema made by Black creatives like Greaves, through his series Hollywood Black, now streaming from MGM+. Then Jordan has one quick thing about the politics of horror! It's a terrifyingly good take.  Feeling Seen is hosted by Jordan Crucchiola and is a production Maximum Fun.  Need more Feeling Seen? Keep up with the show on Instagram and Bluesky.