Black Art/Independent Films

[loyola llothta]

"Home,"

2 - Writer/director/producer Jono Oliver's drama, "Home," which stars Gbenga Akinnagbe, Tawny Cypress, Danny Hoch, James McDaniel, Joe Morton, and Isiah Whitlock.

The film tells the story of a man (33 year old Jack Hall, played by multi-hyphenate Akinnagbe) suffering from mental illness, who is trying to rebuild his life, make peace with the wife he was once married to, and be a father to the child they had together, before his mental collapse.

A heartwarming and inspiring drama about hope and determination that I think will resonate universally. Akinnagbe carries it with a strong performance as a man who simply wants nothing more than to live as any other man would - with dignity.

Check out the first trailer below:

 

[loyola llothta]

Abducted: The Carlina White Story

3 - Following the production of the all-black cast remake of "Steel Magnolias," Lifetime also produced this other all-black cast original movie tiled "Abducted: The Carlina White Story," which stars Aunjanue Ellis, Keke Palmer, and Sherri Shepherd in the true story of Carlina White (played by Palmer), who, after being abducted as an infant from a New York hospital, solved her own kidnapping and reunited with her biological parents 23 years later.

Vondie Curtis Hall directed the telepic.

The case was said to be the first known infant abduction from a New York hospital. In August of 1987, new parents Joy White (Shepherd) and Carl Tyson (Roger Cross) took their 19-day old daughter Carlina to Harlem Hospital in New York with a high fever. Ann Pettway (Ellis), who had suffered a series of miscarriages and was desperate for a child of her own, posed as a hospital nurse and befriended Carlina’s parents, even offering to watch over their daughter. But shortly after Carlina was admitted, Pettway removed the child’s IV line, placed her in an oversized handbag, and walked out of the hospital with Carlina hidden from view. While Joy and Carl desperately searched for their daughter over the years, Pettway was raising Carlina as Nejdra “Netty” Nance in Bridgeport, Connecticut. As Carlina grew older she began to suspect Pettway was not her birth mother and launched her own investigation.

Check out a clip below:

 

[loyola llothta]

Generation Iron

4 - A documentary project titled "Generation Iron," which is something of a sequel to "Pumping Iron," the 1977 film about the world of bodybuilding, focusing on the 1975 Mr. Universe and Mr. Olympia competitions, which was maybe Arnold Schwarzenegger's introduction to the world, or at least, the USA.

"Generation Iron" was directed by Vlad Yudin, and was produced by the same folks who brought us "Pumping Iron" - Jerome Gary, Edwin Mejia, Robin Chang, Eric Weider, and Jim Manion.

"Generation Iron" examines the professional sport of bodybuilding today and gives the audience front row access to the lives of the top 7 bodybuilders in the sport as they train to compete in the world's most premiere bodybuilding stage - Mr. Olympia.

Some of the names who appear in front of the camera include Phil Heath (photo above), a current 2x Mr. Olympia champion, and is a key focus of the film, as you'll see in the trailer below; as well as Kai Greene, Branch Warren, Dennis Wolf, Ben Pakulski, Hidetada Yamigishi, Roelly Winklaar, and Victor Martinez, amongst others.

Even Michael Jai White makes an appearance.

Watch the trailer:

 

[loyola llothta]

Z Nation(i don't co-sign this as black art but they have two black co-stars )

5 - Season 1 of Syfy's ensemble cast zombie series, "Z Nation," which debuted just last fall, which Harold Perrineau and Kellita Smith co-star in.

From production company The Asylum ("Sharknado"), the 13-episode action-horror series starts 3 years after a zombie virus has gutted the country, as a team of everyday heroes must transport the only known survivor of the plague from New York to California, where the last functioning viral lab waits for his blood. The ragtag band embarks on a journey of survival across three thousand miles of rusted-out post-apocalyptic America.

Perrineau plays Hammond, the leader of the group, as they head west, from New York to California. Meanwhile, Smith plays Addy - a disparate wanderer drawn to the team, to survive.

Tom Everett Scott, DJ Qualls, and Michael Welch also co-star in the drama, which debuted on Syfy last September.

Watch the first trailer below:

 

[loyola llothta]

A feature documentary we first alerted you to 3 years ago, is scheduled to screen at the Pan African Film Festival in Los Angeles, - February 5 - and runs through the 16th.

If you've ever wondered what happened to the young actors in Fernando Meirelles' and Kátia Lund's 2002 Brazilian crime drama "Cidade de Deus" (or "City Of God"), here's a film that should satisfy your curiosity.

Titled "Cidade De Deus - 10 Anos Depois" ("City Of God - 10 Years Later"), the documentary shows what exactly has changed in the lives of the actors from the 2002 feature film.

According to the film's description, 10 years after the Rio de Janeiro slum burst into the world's consciousness with the hit film of the same name, very little has changed for the residents as well as the actors, who have enjoyed mixed fortunes. We'll learn all about those "mixed fortunes" in the film - like Leandro Firmino who played Li'l Ze, and who still lives in the favela, and shows few signs of the fame he achieved back in the earlier years of this century, when the film was all-the-rage - now 35 and father to a 21-month-old boy.

On the other hand, Alice Braga has made a more successful crossover to Hollywood movie-making, co-starring in blockbusters like "I Am Legend" opposite Will Smith, "Redbelt" opposite Chiwetel Ejiofor, and most recently, "Elysium" opposite Matt Damon. She was also in "Predators," "Repo Men" and more.

The original film, telling a story of the evolution of organized crime over 2 decades, became an instant classic in the USA. It was adapted from a 1997 novel of the same name written by Paulo Lins, with the plot based loosely on real-life events.

The cast also included Alexandre Rodrigues, Jonathan Haagensen, Douglas Silva, and Seu Jorge.

Most of the actors were recruited directly from the favelas in which the film's story unfolds.

In the end, it received 4 Oscar nominations in 2004: Best Cinematography, Best Directing, Best Editing and Best Adapted Screenplay.

It gave birth to a TV series titled "City of Men," and a filmed version of that, also called "City of Men."

LA readers, here's an opportunity to catch up with the stars of the film, a decade later, in "City Of God - 10 Years Later," when it screens, starting this week, at the PAFF in LA. Screening times are: Friday, February 6 @ 1:15pm; Sunday, February 8 @ 9:45pm; Friday, February 13 @ 3:45pm

Here's a trailer for the film:

 

[loyola llothta]

Here's a first-look at the Sundance 2015 documentary selection "Fresh Dressed," from director: Sacha Jenkins, which centers on the history of hip-hop fashion, from its birth in the South Bronx, to its rise as a billion-dollar global industry.

Supported by plenty of archival materials, in-depth interviews with individuals crucial to the evolution, and the outsiders who wrote about and even admired them (and continue to do so), the film has been picked up for North American distribution by Samuel Goldwyn Films and StyleHaul for a theatrical release later this year (specific dates haven't been announced yet).

A Mass Appeal production, in partnership with CNN Films, "Fresh Dressed" includes contributions by the likes of Damon Dash, Daymond John, Karl Kani, Nas, Pharrell Williams and others.

The film comes after what seems to be a rush of hip-hop-related documentaries in recent years - "Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest," "The Carter," "Nas: Time Is Illmatic," "Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap," and others, to name a few.

But while the majority have focused on the artists who created the music, or on the history of the music itself, "Fresh Dressed's" contribution goes to the core of where style was born, on the black and brown side of town. I'm looking forward to checking it out eventually!

Watch 2 clips from the film below:

 

[loyola llothta]

"Losing Ground" (1982) Opens today

Initial release (1982), made the rounds of some film festivals during the early 1980’s but the film was never screened in New York City. The film, "Losing Ground" can legitimately be called a landmark film in the history of black independent cinema. Written and directed by Kathleen Collins, was one of the first features by an American black woman(died at the age of 46, in 1988).

The woman at the center of the narrative (Sara, played by Seret Scott) is an academic - a priggish philosophy professor in search of an "ecstatic experience" - further distinguishes her eventual unraveling, and thus the film, creating a uniquely satisfying experience.

Along with her bohemian husband, an artist of highly provoking disregard, the couple, at a crossroads, rent a summer country house to celebrate his museum sale. But what was to be an idyll summer (she, researching "ecstatic experiences," and he, living them) is challenged where their conflicting intellectual and orgiastic pursuits collide. Chaos and confusion disrupt her carefully ordered, distinguished, middle-class life, when her painter husband, maybe experiencing a mid-life crisis of his own, takes interest in one of his young subjects. Sara gradually drifts even further into herself, into her search for what at first is evasive, if only to escape the realities of a seemingly crumbling marriage


"Losing Ground" was revolutionary in its time (and is still very much today), being the first film that was set in the world of the well-to-do black intelligentsia, not far removed from Collins' life. And, in fact, many have speculated that the film’s refusal to succumb to the usual black stereotypes and negative imagery, is what caused it to be ignored by the media (including the black media), and was never released theatrically, except for a one time only showing on a local New York PBS station.

Now, almost 30 years after Ms. Collins' death, a new restored print of "Losing Ground" is ready to be discovered by a new audience. The filmmaker’s daughter, Nina Collins, along with Milestone Films, have worked with DuArt Film to rescue the original 16MM negatives, and remastered the original soundtrack to create new digital masters.

And for the first time since its initial 1982 release, "Losing Ground" will be given what it wasn't allowed before - a limited theatrical run, courtesy of Milestone Films, that begins today, Friday, February 6, in New York City, as part of The Film Society of Lincoln Center's groundbreaking series, "Tell It Like It Is: Black Independents in New York, 1968 – 1986," programmed by Michelle Materre and Jake Perlin, and co-presented by Creatively Speaking.

Tickets can be bought here.


Milestone is preparing to release the film on DVD shortly after its N.Y. screening.

 

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Looks interesting.

 

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[loyola llothta]

'Crumbs' - "The First Ever Ethiopian Post-Apocalyptic, Surreal, Sci-Fi Feature Length Film"

New feature film 'Crumbs'. The film is directed by Miguel Llansó (a Spaniard based in Ethiopia) and is the first Ethiopian film of it's kind, centred on a sci-fi romance. Shadow and Act say the film "tells a story of diminutive superhero Gagano (played by Daniel Tadesse), a junk collector, who embarks on a "surreal epic journey" that's set against "post-apocalyptic Ethiopian landscapes". He's had enough of collecting "valuable crumbs of a decayed civilization," when a spaceship that has been hovering high in the sky for years, starts showing signs of activity, and Gagano has to overcome his fears - which includes a witch, Santa Claus and second-generation Nazis - to find out that the world isn't quite what he thought it was." Watch the trailer, below.

 

[loyola llothta]

Goran Olsson’s “Concerning Violence” screens at the Pan African Film Festival in Los Angeles, which kicked off on February 5, and will run through February 16th.


In recent times there have been uncomfortable but absolutely necessary conversations about race in this country, sparked by incidents of police violence against unarmed black boys and men. There have been many voices - some calling for America and its apparent false promises of freedom and equality to be burned to the ground, others insisting that peace, nonviolence, and earnest attempts at compromise and reconciliation are they only way to move forward.

And so it somehow doesn’t feel coincidental that now, Goran Olsson’s “Concerning Violence” is out. It’s a documentary film that doesn’t speak directly to the events in Ferguson, New York, Mexico City, or Hong Kong, but still presents questions and ideas that apply to oppressed peoples here and across the globe.

Best known for 2011’s explosive “Black Power Mixtape,” Goran has here crafted a kind of adaptation of Martinique-born, French-Algerian writer and activist Frantz Fanon’s “The Wretched of the Earth.”

Highly controversial upon its 1961 publication, the piece argued that the only way to bring about revolution, the only true answer to colonization and oppression, is through violence. This concept is explored thoroughly in the documentary, with its nine chapters, its preface (featuring Columbia University professor Gayatri Chakovorty), and rousing conclusion.

Narrated by the clear, powerful voice of singer Lauryn Hill, the film sets Fanon’s own words, superimposed onto the screen in big white letters, against never before seen 16mm archival footage of oppressed rebel fighters in several African nations including Angola, Burkina Faso, Liberia, and Mozambique. The effect is striking - words condemning the colonizers of these countries juxtaposed with stark and brutal imagery: women and children with missing arms and legs, injured soldiers in the throes of agonizing pain, harrowing night time raids filled with seemingly never-ending gunfire.

But it isn’t just the physical violence done to these people that Olsson focuses on, but also the spiritual violence - there’s footage from Swedish documentaries of the 60s and 70s showing the colonizers expounding all kinds of despicable and dehumanizing opinions about the oppressed. One segment shows a Swedish missionary who has no qualms with expressing his disgust and disrespect for the Africans he has so benevolently come to save - to him, the only infrastructure they need or deserve is a new church.

Much like Fanon’s work, this is an at times dense and challenging film to get through - but its rewards are many, and deeply gratifying. The rewards being a deeper understanding of the reasoning behind violent revolution, a genuine look at the humanity of those who take part in revolution, and the chance to thoroughly examine why violent uprisings are so often thought of as irrational and unnecessary. “White people, stop mentioning MLK,” one Twitter user wrote as the recent protests in Ferguson reached a boiling point, “He was peaceful, and y’all shot him too.”

It’s obviously a matter of control. The concept of “peace,” the film via Fanon’s word suggests, is a huge part of that control. And while the film ultimately doesn’t leave off with any concrete answers about what to do going forward, its ideas and its indictment on the West are at the very least a catalyst for deeper reflection on the state of present-day Africa nations and other countries affected by colonialism and oppression. Steady, controlled, and unapologetic in its point of view, this film is required viewing in the current climate of unrest around the world.

 

[loyola llothta]

The Long-in-Development (7+ Years) Buddy Bolden Biopic Is Finally Nearing Completion

It's a project that's long been in development (at least 7 years) - first with Anthony Mackie attached to star, but he eventually exited, telling us when we interviewed him 2 years ago, while he was on "Pain & Gain" press junket duties: "I'm not sure what's going on with 'Bolden.' It's been 6 years, so I've decided I was finished."

I can't blame him for that. But he's certainly not desperate for work, given how busy he's been over the years - although that leading man role in a major Hollywood motion picture all his own (something that "Bolden!" may have provided), continues to elude him.

Mackie was eventually replaced last year, by the British actor who played "Downton Abbey's" first black character, Gary Carr. Later in the year, Yaya DaCosta and Nelsan Ellis were added to the project's cast, but it still wasn't clear that production on the film would begin anytime soon, given how long it had been in Limbo - especially when the director of the film, jazz lover, musician and Hyatt hotel heir, Dan Pritzker, said in an interview a couple of years ago, that he was in no rush to complete the film, adding that it was (is) a passion project for him, and his goal is make the best film possible.

"If I were doing this to make money, I wouldn’t have made a movie. I’m not a filmmaker," he said at the time, adding that, if the film doesn't make any money, "It won’t affect my life."

Easy to say when you're heir to billions of dollars!

This is Pritzker’s third attempt to get the film made. “I'm trying to do something I hope is worthy of the subject,” he said in an interview with Newsweek last year.

Nelsan Ellis
In 2007, he did begin filming, with Anthony Mackie, Wendell Pierce and Jackie Earle Haley starring. But, apparently unhappy with the results, he undertook extensive reshoots in 2009, 2 years later. Still unhappy, and, in addition, with on-set conflicts due to him not being able to capture the movie he had in his head, Pritzker put the project aside. And years later, he came back to it with a fresh outlook, and cast Carr as the title character.

I can only imagine how much money has been poured into this over the years.

But it appears that principal photography is in its final days, which is obviously a good thing for all those involved, and for audiences who've been waiting for the film! I received a casting notice for the project, calling for African American men for an asylum scene, that will be filmed in North Carolina. Marty Siu Casting is looking for strong character faces and actors ages 20 to 70.

Check out the details below (I should note that I received this late last week, so it may already be too late):

We need a few AFRICAN AMERICAN MEN who are NEW FACES to our film, to work along with a few who’ve already been selected, in our ASYLUM SCENES. We need strong character faces. This dates back to the late 1800s/early 1900s. We welcome applicants with missing teeth, a lazy eye, scars, wild hair, etc… the more character, the better; ages 20 – 70. These scenes will start this Monday and we will need you for multiple days throughout the next couple of months.

*Pay rate for background actors in BOLDEN, is $112.00 for up to 12 hours of filming; overtime after that.

*Location: Rocky Point, N.C. (about 25 min outside of Wilmington).

*Instructions for submitting:

#1. Create an account on www.makescenes.com, using the activation code, “buddy”. Make sure your picture uploads. If you have trouble, resize your photo to a smaller size, and try again.
#2, email us at: Boldenwilmington@gmail.com, (once your makescenes account is active) with the heading “Asylum Men”.

Apparently shooting actually wrapped last fall, and what they are filming now are pick-ups - some exteriors, club scenes in Preservation Hall, the asylum, etc; and once that's all done, post-production will begin, as this long journey finally comes to its end.

Alongside Gary Carr, DaCosta and Ellis, 'Bolden's' cast also includes Ian McShane and Michael Rooker, although no word on what roles exactly each of them has signed up to play.

Pritzker said he first heard of Buddy Bolden through a radio station manager back in 1996, and was inspired by his life then and there.

I'd expect this to debut later this year, although, given that director Pritzker isn't apparently in much of a rush, it could be 2016, or, who knows, 2020!

But, assuming he does make, as he previously stated, "the best film possible," this could very well be Gary Carr's breakout role Stateside, so kudos to him!

 

[loyola llothta]

Thanks to our friends at Okay Africa for the heads-up on this one...

Actor Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje has partnered up with Barajoun Entertainment, a Dubai-based animation and visual effects studio, to produce and star in its first feature film production.

The "Lost," "Annie" (and more) star voices the lead character in an animated feature film titled "Bilal," which will be unlike anything produced in the region to date.

"The movie tells the story of a real superhero, an African slave who was brought to Arabia 1,000 years ago and fought for his freedom," the actor says. "He became an inspiration to generations and we’re retelling his story 1,000 years later."

The short synopsis reads: A thousand years ago, one boy with a dream of becoming a great warrior is abducted with his sister and taken to a land far away from home. Thrown into a world where greed and injustice rule all, Bilal finds the courage to raise his voice and make a change. Inspired by true events, this is a story of a real hero who earned his remembrance in time and history.

As Okay Africa notes, the story is based on the true story of Bilal Ibn Rabah, a freed slave of Ethiopian origin who converted to Islam and became a trusted companion of the Prophet Muhammad after he gained his freedom (more here).

Ayman Jamal, the screenwriter and founder and managing partner of Barajoun Entertainment adds: "We’ve pulled around 80 different animation and CGI talents from around the world to work with us on this. We’re talking with people who worked on '300,' 'Shrek,' 'Lord of the Rings,' that sort of caliber. It’s a really strong team and many of them are in Dubai for first time to make this movie."

The project has been in development for 8 years and is nearing completion.

As Jamal explains: "We’ve paid serious attention to detail. We hired 11 researchers, including doctors from universities, to research the history of the story, and we’ve taken all the characters’ descriptions from at least 17 different historical sources. We hired two forensic scientists to model the characters based on these descriptions and what we know about the tribes of the time. It took six months to design each character and we’re really proud of it. We’re showing the characters exactly as described in historical texts, not just using our imagination. We’ve spent 5,000 hours of research to develop clothes and props too."

The 105-minute feature, currently in post-production, is set to be released during the latter half of this year.

It sounds quite an epic undertaking, one that Jamal says was financed by a number of local private equity investors.

This is certainly a project to keep track of, and I'll be doing just that going forward.

In the meantime, check out a trailer for the upcoming film below:

 

[Box Cutta]

This looks amazing!

Mr. Eko....

 

[NZA]