Salamo, who prefers to go by Sal, got his first break in the film industry with a well-received documentary. This time, however, he has reappeared in a different incarnation with a comedy. "Actually, when I first set out to make this film, I wasn't thinking, 'I'll make a comedy' or 'This film will be a documentary.' But I think this film does show my documentary filmmaking background, and people who see it wonder whether the events in the story happened or didn't happen, whether it could have happened, that kind of thing, which is something I learned to put into stories when I was making documentaries." 'Black People Hate Me…' has certainly put Sal on the world map. "Yeah, this film has screened in England, Canada, Spain…it's also on the web, and for some reason I'm not sure, it's been a big hit among French Canadians. I'm kind of famous with them," he laughs. He thinks that part of the appeal of the film is its title and the way it appears on the film's posters: an illustration of a man's head, with a big afro-style do, and those glasses… "I think the poster alone elicits various reactions. Some people just stop and stare in shock at it. There are some who burst out laughing at the title, it's just so ridiculous. I think it's pretty interesting to me to see people's reaction to it. But you know, at film festivals, there are so many films in all of the programs, and this one stands out, people really notice that," he states proudly. We asked Sal, who lives in New York and loves the city, if there's a relationship between nationality and filmmaking. "I think there's a very strong relationship between the two in almost any film. If you look at my film, you instantly feel New York coming out at you. Just from the colors of the city. New York is a very colorful city. That's a stark contrast to Los Angeles, which I don't think is very colorful. Now, I don't think that this film couldn't have been shot in another location, but, I learned how to make films in New York, and Woody Allen (as well as other directors well-known for their New York stories) has always been a big influence on me as a director. The surroundings in New York are very influential, and it's only natural that they come out in the story. I think that's one of the reasons why so many directors like to film in New York." What's next for Sal? "I'm working on a feature-length script, another comedy that takes place in New York, which I've tentatively called 'Party Guy.'" Sal didn't want to give away too many details about his project except that he thinks a lot of people in New York could use a Party Guy. Okay, Sal. We'll just have to wait for the film to come out!