black filmmakers
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'None of My Favorite Artists Are Humble': Issa Rae Refused to Play Insecure at the 2019 Women in Film Awards
“As women, we tend to downplay ourselves, to dim our light, and we’re kind of conditioned, socially, to be humble….I grew up being a huge hip-hop fan, and none of my favorite artists are humble,” said Issa Rae as she accepted the inaugural Women In Film Emerging Entrepreneur Award at the 2019 Women In Film…
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Sony Honors John Singleton by Renaming One of the Biggest Theaters on Its Movie Lot After the Filmmaker
Sony Pictures on Friday honored John Singleton by renaming one of the biggest theaters on its Hollywood movie lot for the filmmaker, who made his first feature film, the iconic Boyz n the Hood, with Sony and Columbia Pictures. The Backstage Theater located on Sony and Columbia Pictures’ Culver City lot is now the John…
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Steve McQueen, on the Blackest Soundtrack of America and Music’s Impact on His Filmmaking
It’s African American Music Appreciation Month and filmmaker extraordinaire Steve McQueen certainly has an appreciation for music. In fact, he proved it by directing an entire Soundtrack of America. Presented by the Shed, The Soundtrack of America showcased “emerging musicians and performing artists celebrating the unrivaled impact of African-American Music on contemporary culture” on Manhattan’s west…
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AAFCA and Revolt TV Partner For New Culture Series, Short and Fresh; Announce Call For ‘Hip-Hop Identity’ Films from Young Creatives
There’s always room for fresh voices and the African American Film Critics Association and Revolt TV seem to agree. The leading black film critic organization and broadcast network have partnered up with new series, Short and Fresh. Per the official press release, “each one-hour episode of Short and Fresh provides audiences with a lens into…
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2019 Cannes Film Festival: Atlantique Is the First Film By a Black Female Director to be Selected in the Competition Section
The 72nd Cannes Film Festival (formerly known as Festival International Du Film Cannes or Festival de Cannes) has officially announced its selections for 2019. According to Variety, female filmmakers make up 21 percent of the total selections, up from 14 percent in 2018 and 16 percent in 2017. There are four women directors amongst the…
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Angela Bassett and DeWanda Wise Named as Jurors For the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival
The historic New York neighborhood known as Tribeca is gearing up for the 18th edition of its annual popular film festival. In addition to showcasing their hard-earned work to eager audiences, filmmakers are also excited about competing for coveted awards and honors. Of course, we need a team of jurors to make that decision, and…
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Numa Perrier's Jezebel Transforms the Exploitation of Black Girl Sexuality in the Most Tender, yet Powerful Way
When a black girl is seen—truly seen—its effect lingers on my skin like the warmest hug. With her feature film debut, Numa Perrier presents Jezebel, a strikingly beautiful coming-of-age exploration serving as a love story to the free agency of a black girl’s sexuality. Written and directed by Perrier, Jezebel also introduces us to the…
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Us Broke a Big Box Office Record—Consider It the Umpteenth Reminder that Black Narratives Are Marketable
The movie that had one of the best marketing campaigns known to man (shout-out to the scissors and fan art, just to name a couple), was helmed by a man debuting a highly anticipated follow-up to his first feature (a huge hit!), and dominated every social media feed for the past few months since its…
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What About Us?
“What the fuck did I just watch?” If The Root’s delightfully crass language was allowed on TV spots, that would be my one-sentence review during the new promo trailer for opening weekend. And I wasn’t asking this question in a disparaging way—trust me, knowing Jordan Peele’s intention, it’s a good thing. I had the horrifying…