Black Art/Independent Films

[loyola llothta]

Watch the Electrifying First Trailer for Don Cheadle's 'Miles Ahead'
opens theatrically on April

 

[loyola llothta]

So what happened with that Bilal joint? Anyone seen it?

@loyola llothta

no, it haven't been release in the USA yet

 

[Sane]

Watch the Electrifying First Trailer for Don Cheadle's 'Miles Ahead'
opens theatrically on April

Looking forward to it. Ordered a copy of his Autobiography as well

 

[malbaker86]

sets up shop*

 

[loyola llothta]

Spike Lee's 'Chi-Raq' Is Now Streaming on Amazon Prime

For Netflix competitor Amazon Prime subscribers, Spike Lee's hotly-contested latest joint, "Chi-Raq," is now available to stream on Prime as of today, February 5. For non-Prime members who want to check it out, the film is available for purchase at all Digital HD retailers and On Demand on select digital platforms such as Amazon, iTunes, Vudu, Xbox, Playstation, Google Play and MGO. It's also on Blu-ray and DVD, for those who prefer hard copies.

 

[loyola llothta]

Film Based on Riveting Account of Haitian-American Nazi Prisoner on Clandestine Mission, in the Works

Pras Michel of the Fugees has re-teamed with producer Karyn Rachtman (the duo last worked together on the award-winning feature documentary "Sweet Micky for President" which was released in 2015) on what will be an adaptation of a book by co-authors Hugh Wray McCann, David C. Smith, titled "The Search For Johnny Nicholas: The Secret of Nazi Prisoner No. 44451," which tells the relatively unknown story of Haitian-born Jean Marcel “Johnny” Nicholas, a downed black American pilot who parachuted into France on a secret intelligence mission during WWII.

Born in 1918, Nicholas was a young Haitian dilettante and member of the French Resistance during the Nazi occupation of Paris. He spent the last year of his life at the Dora concentration camp in Germany, where the Third Reich was developing its V2 rocket. Nicholas survived Camp Dora and the war by working undercover as a doctor, as an assistant to Dr. Karl Kahr at the camp infirmary, but he died shortly thereafter of tuberculosis.

From the description of the book that Pras has optioned: "To others he was a key player in the French Resistance and a doctor who’d set up a practice in Paris as a cover for his clandestine activities. At a well built 6 feet, he was abon vivant who loved the high life, and a film producer with a penchant for boldly thumbing his nose at the Nazis in World War II Paris. To Florence, his blonde girlfriend, he was an enigma who cheated on her; she betrayed him to her German handlers. Nicholas was arrested by the Gestapo and wound up in 1943 in Buchenwald as a slave laborer, later working with thousands of other prisoners to hollow out a secret underground plant under construction at Camp Dora where V-1 and V-2 rocket bombs were built. He was the only black and only 'American' at Dora. Who was Johnny Nicholas and how did he survive four death sentences? What was his real mission and ultimate fate? More than 20 years and 600 contacts worldwide have gone into 'The Search for Johnny Nicholas,' the dramatic untold story of an unsung hero."

I picked up a copy of the book on Amazon. You can do the same here.

 

[LezJepzin]

Looking forward to it. Ordered a copy of his Autobiography as well

Enjoy it breh Made me appreciate the trailer alone a lot better.

 

[loyola llothta]

An African City

Created by Ghanaian-born entrepreneur, writer, executive producer and director Nicole Amarteifio, An African City is a web series that follows five African women who have returned back to their home continent after living in the States. We get to know Nana Yaa, Sade, Ngozi, Makena, and Zainab as they experience the joys along with the trials and tribulations of moving to Accra.

This series may take place in a city on a different continent, but it is immediately reminiscent of New York’s Sex and the City and L.A.’s Girlfriends in that it chronicles the lives of modern women looking for love, success, and happiness. And in the same way the aforementioned shows offer ladies with distinctly varying personalities, An African City does the same. Some might argue that Sade would be the Samantha of the group and perhaps, Nana Yaa as Carrie, narrating the experiences of all the girls.

But comparisons aside, An African City has a story of its own to tell and it offers a look into an Africa many have never seen. And for the African women in the audience, it’s simply something relatable to revel in.

Subscribe here for access to the show’s second season, which just premiered last month.

 

[loyola llothta]

From the mind of Nigerian-American writer, blogger, and filmmaker Antonia Opiah,Pretty is a web series that goes from city to city asking the provocative question “What is pretty?” to black women around the world.

Pretty has interviewed women in Paris, Milan, London, and most recently, Tel-Aviv. It is self-described as a “digital postcard from women around the world to women around the world as told through a weekly documentary series. It explores just how nuanced beauty can be by not only taking a look at how beauty standards vary from country to country but also how they might vary within a city.”

This web series interviews women who share what makes them feel beautiful and reflect on finding self-love when home is a place where they don’t necessarily fit the traditional Eurocentric ideals of beauty. Pretty challenges these ideals by showcasing and celebrating women who break the mold.

Follow the series here. And for more on beauty, check out Antonia’s site Un-ruly, a place for Black hair and women.

 

[loyola llothta]

Polyglot

Rwandan-German visual artist and self-taught filmmaker Amelia Umuhire shares the experiences of young creatives of color in Berlin in the scripted web series, Polyglot. The first episode of the series premiered last April and it features Amelia’s sister, Amanda Mukasonga, playing a rapper, poet, and actress who goes by Babiche Papaya. While Polyglot is fictional, it isn’t too far off from the lives of the Umuhire sisters who are polyglots themselves–fluent in German, English, French, and Kinyarwanda.

The third and latest episode brings us to London, where we are introduced to 21 year-old Roger, who receives a phone call reminding him of a minor offense from the past that has now cost him the job he’d just interviewed for. This episode showcases experimental camera angles and a moody tone that unpack that feeling of isolation that comes with living in a new place that doesn’t always feel like home.

With big-screen worthy cinematography and a soundtrack that lingers long after the viewing of an episode, Polyglot makes for a beautiful love-letter to refugees who find solace in creativity.

Follow the series on Facebook and Instagram.

 

[loyola llothta]

Sorry We Don't Help Darkies

Titled "Sorry We Don't Help Darkies," the short film centers on a Caribbean family living in London's Notting Hill during the tension and violence that led to the 1958 race riots. The family comes to a brutal realization that life in post war Britain is far from the warm welcome they thought they'd experience, as they had been told, in order to get them aboard the Empire Windrush boat to help England.

In brief, the Empire Windrush's voyage from the Caribbean to the so-called "Mother Country" took place in 1948. Very few of the migrants intended to stay in Britain for more than a few years. If it hadn't been for the Second World War, the Windrush and its migrant passengers might not have made the voyage at all. During the war, thousands of Caribbean men and women had been recruited to serve in the British armed forces. After the war, as Britain was starting to recover from the ravages of WWII, housing was a huge problem and stayed that way for the next two decades. Caribbeans first clashed with the natives over the issue of accommodation. But alongside the conflicts and the discrimination, as they were excluded from much of the social and economic life around them, they began to adjust the institutions they brought with them. And eventually, they began to also participate in institutions to which they did have access: trade unions, local councils, professional and staff associations.

June 22nd 1948, the day that the Windrush dropped off its passengers in Essex, England, has become an important date in the history of modern Britain. Since then, Caribbean migrants have become a vital part of British society and, in the process, transformed important aspects of British life.

Travis Watson is the writer, director and editor of "Sorry We Don't Help Darkies."

 

[loyola llothta]

Queen Latifah Exec Produced Indie Drama 'Brotherly Love' (Starring Cory Hardrict, Keke Palmer) On Netflix Now

The Queen Latifah/Flavor Unit-produced drama, "Brotherly Love," is written and directed by Jamal Hill, with Eric D. Hill Jr., Cory Hardrict, and Keke Palmer starring.

The Overbrook High School, Philly-set film follows basketball star Sergio Taylor (Eric D. Hill Jr.) and his struggles navigating the fame that comes with being a star athlete.

Hardict plays his older brother June, and Palmer plays his sister Jackie - both siblings who saw their own dreams and ambitions sidetracked by their father's death.

 

[loyola llothta]

Watch 'A Ballerina’s Tale' On Netflix Now

PBS' INDEPENDENT LENS film series, Nelson George's “A Ballerina’s Tale”

The film explores the rise of Misty Copeland, who made history as the first African American female principal dancer with the prestigious American Ballet Theater. It gives audiences an intimate look at a groundbreaking dancer during a crucial period in her life, as she makes the transition.

On June 30, 2015, Copeland became the first African American woman to be promoted to principal dancer in ABT's 75-year history.

After it made its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival last spring, Sundance Selects acquired U.S. rights to George's documentary last year, and released in a limited theatrical and on VOD in October.

It's produced by Leslie Norville and executive produced by Dorria L. Ball, Ingrid Graham and Copeland.

It's just one of a handful of upcoming Misty Copeland film/TV projects. Last year, New Line Cinema optioned film rights to Copeland's memoir, "Life In Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina," which recounts her early struggles as a young dancer living in a welfare motel with her family. The book provides an insider’s look at the cutthroat world of professional ballet, telling a moving story of dreams and perseverance. Also announced, the Oxygen network plans "The Misty Copeland Project," a series that will follow the star ballerina as she trains and mentors talented hopefuls from diverse backgrounds, who descend upon New York City to take on the next major step in their ballet careers.

 

[loyola llothta]

Yohance & The Ekangeni Crystal. African Space Opera

Yohance is an upcoming graphic novel completely inspired by Ancient Africa — the cultures of Bambara, Benin, Hausa, Tuareg and Zulu to be exact — and according to its artist, Paul Louise-Julie, it’s “the first of its kind.” The three-part series revolves around Yohance, “a notorious thief with a shadowy past.” But as the story goes on, Yohance will find himself in a centuries-old intergalactic conflict that will force him to face villains he never imagined and venture into places he’s never dreamed.

We spoke with Louise-Julie about his ongoing series The Pack in an interview last week and while the comic, which follows a set of werewolves, has some fantasy elements, Louise-Julie wanted to flex his space opera muscles with Yohance. And luckily, there was a demand for it — especially from black nerds. Yohance gained over 2,000 likes on Facebook almost immediately after the announcement of the series came about.

Check out our interview with Louise-Julie here and get a first look into the world of Yohance below with a sprawling set of concept art shared by the artist.

Yohance is my Upcoming Space Opera Graphic Novel series aesthetically inspired by African Cultures. The adventure begins in April. The series will run parallel to the Pack. Check out the Facebook Page for more info: www.facebook.com/YohanceComic Be sure to catch Issue 3 of The Pack coming soon.

In the meantime, Any more news or updates will be provided on the Yohancé Official Facebook Page” via ThePackComic

You can get “The Pack: A Wolf in Egypt” here

 

[.r.]