Movies
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Halle Berry Expresses Disappointment in the Best Actress Oscar Category and Its Continued Lack of Diversity
In 2002, Halle Berry became the first Black woman to win an Academy Award for Best Actress, thanks to her work in the film Monster’s Ball. In the speech, she thanked Dorothy Dandridge, Lena Horne and Diahann Carroll for paving the way for her, and said she hoped that “every nameless, faceless woman of color”…
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Want a Best Picture Oscar Nomination in 2024? The Academy Requires You to Step Up Your Inclusion Game
The Academy is changing—and we don’t just mean its members. As part of its Academy Aperture 2025 initiative, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced on Tuesday that it will be enacting new representation and inclusion standards for Oscars eligibility in the Best Picture category. That’s right, if you want the biggest and…
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We May Not Have New Rihanna Music, But We’re Getting a New Rihanna Documentary Next Year
While Rihanna’s Navy could very well be awaiting the mythical ‘R9’ album until…Heaven only knows…at least they’ll have a new documentary about the superstar to hold them over. The long-awaited Rihanna documentary, directed by Peter Berg (Battleship, Friday Night Lights), will be hitting our television screens in summer 2021. According to a new Collider interview…
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Regina King Says Her Feature Directorial Debut Could 'Open Doors or Close Doors for More Black Female Directors'
I don’t know if you know this, but Regina King is kind of a big deal. The Oscar-winning actress is specifically a big deal at the 2020 Venice Film Festival having made history as the first Black woman director to have a film selected for the prestige festival with her feature directorial debut, One Night…
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John Boyega's Experiences With Racism Throughout His Star Wars Journey Made Him 'Much More Militant'
Like his Star Wars character Finn, John Boyega is a trooper in the midst of the storm in that he’ll get his work done—but best believe, he’ll fight for what is right, even if it means ruffling a few establishment feathers (also like Finn). What wasn’t right (and downright disgusting) was the racist treatment he…
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Chinonye Chukwu Is Directing a Film About Mamie Till Mobley's Relentless Pursuit of Justice Following Emmett Till's Brutal Murder
We will never forget the image of Emmett Louis Till’s grotesquely disfigured face, after his mother Mamie Till Mobley decided to intentionally leave his casket open so the nation could reckon with the hateful evil that caused it. Additionally, we shall never forget the stark pain on her face as she stood over her son’s…
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Gabrielle Union Noticed Isis Was a 'Bad Stereotype' in the Original Script for Bring It On—So She Made Changes
Hey, Hollywood! You want to continue with the lazy Black stereotypes? Well, bring it on—because folks like Gabrielle Union will call you out for it and make sure it’s changed. In a recent interview with Vogue, Union reflected on her experience on the set of Bring It On, where she played the iconic head cheerleader…
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8 Reasons Why The Five Heartbeats Are the Best Fictional Black Movie Music Group of All Time
The Five Heartbeats, the 1991 movie written and directed by—and also starring—Robert Townsend (Keenan Ivory Wayans was a co-writer) is easily one of my favorite movies of all time. For my money, The Five Heartbeats is the greatest fictional Black music group of all time, and that is indisputable. Sure, there are other fictional groups…
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Toronto International Film Festival Taps Denzel Washington, Ava DuVernay and Barry Jenkins for Virtual Conversations
Like many other hallowed Hollywood events, the 20th anniversary of the Toronto International Film Festival will look very different this year. The popular festival is expected to be held virtually from Sept. 10-19 and will hold several virtual conversations with industry heavyweights. According to The Hollywood Reporter, TIFF booked Denzel Washington, Ava DuVernay and Barry…
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Black Is King Director Blitz Bazawule to Direct The Color Purple Musical Film
Samuel “Blitz” Bazawule is booked and busy. Naturally, having your name in the directing credits of Beyoncé’s Black Is King automatically increases your profile to astronomical levels, causing everyone to want to work with you. Well, Blitz already has an upcoming huge project in the works and it’s a beloved classic. According to Deadline, he…