Mary J Blige hopes Mudbound makes audience ask questions

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Mary J Blige hopes her new movie 'Mudbound' will make the audience ask questions about racism.

The 46-year-old singer-turned-actress admits some people will want to "hide" from the tough topics tackled by director Dee Rees in the film - which follows the unlikely relationship between two men, one white and one black, as they find common ground after they return from World War Two - but she wants others to delve deeper and explore wider societal issues.

Speaking about her new film at the 61st BFI London Film Festival at the Odeon Cinema, in London's Leicester Square, on Thursday (05.10.17), she said: "This is going to have audiences asking themselves some questions, the ones that are ready to face it, not the ones who are ready to hide or continue to hide.

"I think people are far beyond wanting to hide now, it's all out there and the discussions need to be had, what are we? Who are we? At the end of the day, we are one."

The 'Family Affair' singer hopes the film will have an even greater impact now, in the wake of events such as the ongoing Black Lives Matter campaign and the violent clash between white supremacists and anti-protesters in Charlottesville in the summer.

She said: "I'm very conscious of that, when we were shooting the movie there were a lot of things going on that make you say 'you've got to be kidding me' but now it's even gotten worse.

"So I'm really happy that this movie is about how love can actually be the thing, and is the thing, that is going to save us if we let it.

"When I saw it at Sundance [Film Festival] it was urgent, it was urgent right away, and when I was watching it I was like wow this is going to be, I hope, something that really helps people."

Blige stars alongside Carey Mulligan, Jason Mitchell, Garrett Hedlund and Jason Clarke in the movie, which is based on Hillary Jordan's novel of the same name.