Director of Tyler Perry Documentary ‘Maxine’s Baby’ Shares Why He Chose to Film His Mentor
variety.comAddie Morfoot Contributor Writer, actor, filmmaker, studio head and media mogul Tyler Perry is the latest celebrity to be the subject of a documentary, “Maxine’s Baby: The Tyler Perry Story.” The title nods to Perry’s late mother, Willie Maxine Perry, who died in 2009.
Directed by Armani Ortiz, the documentary is a revealing look at the entertainment behemoth’s abusive childhood, his time as a homeless playwright and his rise to media superstar.
Ortiz began filming Perry in 2016, just a year after moving to Atlanta from New York to work at Tyler Perry Studios. To date, Ortiz’s directorial credits span more than 100 episodes of televised content.
In the doc, Ortiz and co-director Gelila Bekele (Perry’s former partner) chronicle not only Perry’s road to the top but also his battle with Hollywood naysayers, the 2019 opening of his eponymous 330-acre studio in Atlanta, as well as the ongoing debate about Perry’s work, which some critics believe perpetuates negative images of Black people.
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