black films
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23 Years and Counting: 2019 Urbanworld Film Festival to Screen Harriet, Just Mercy and More
The magic number is 23 for one of the biggest festivals highlighting creators of color! That’s right, the 23rd Annual Urbanworld Film Festival is back and has announced its 78 official selections and seven spotlight selections, along with its founding partner, HBO. (Editor’s Note: The Root is a media sponsor of Urbanworld.) “Each year we…
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'She's Your Queen to Be': KiKi Layne and Leslie Jones Are the Latest Talents Coming 2 America
Looks like one of our most beloved films is getting some fresh female energy for its reboot; according to the Hollywood Reporter, If Beale Street Could Talk’s KiKi Layne and Saturday Night Live’s Leslie Jones will be joining the cast of Coming 2 America! OK, so maybe we’re jumping the gun, as Jones is reportedly…
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Watch: Black Fairy Tale Becomes Reality in Short Film, Thistles and Thorns
Imagine if the world remembered the magic, power and purpose of black women. In a mere 12-minute film, Thistles and Thorns (A Fairytale for Black Girls) brings that wonderment of the African Diaspora to the screen for our enjoyment and upliftment, Shadow and Act reports. Directed by Kalie Acheson and written by David Vieux and…
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Staycation: Donald Glover Announces Guava Island Will Stream on Amazon During Weekend 1 of Coachella
Can’t stand crowds, port-a-potties or $10 bottles of water? Never fear if you’re missing Coachella this year; at least two of its best moments will be available to stream right in your living room. Just days after Netflix announced we could all revisit 2018’s Beychella on April 17 with the arrival of Homecoming, Donald Glover…
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From Podcast Flowers to Harnessing the Wind—What’s New and Black on Netflix in March?
Sundance’s darling The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, directed by Chiwetel Ejiofor, will kick off the month of March for what’s new and black on Netflix. Juanita, starring Alfre Woodard premieres on March 8. It’s Women’s History Month, and here’s the umpteenth reminder that this includes black women. What better way to celebrate than watching…
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The Golden Glow Up: Diversity and Retro Glamour Ruled the 2019 Golden Globes Red Carpet
Bona fide blockbuster Black Panther may not have gotten the win it deserved this round, but in terms of representation—in the room and on the red carpet—the 76th annual Golden Globe Awards was one of the most diverse in recent history (at least, by all appearances). Due in large part to the success of Crazy…
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A Rosa Parks Feature Biopic May Be Coming to Theaters for the First Time
Rosa Parks’ legacy has been depicted in several forms, including the 2001 Academy Award-nominated documentary Mighty Times: The Legacy of Rosa Parks, and the 2002 TV movie The Rosa Parks Story, starring Angela Bassett. Still, we have yet to see an epic feature biopic on the big screen about the iconic civil rights activist. Winter…
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Watch: Inside the Mind of a Random Fly Director
Terence Nance is the lead visionary behind HBO’s Random Acts of Flyness and was recently named as the director for Space Jam 2. His first film, 2012’s An Oversimplification of Her Beauty, won rave reviews at Sundance and put Nance on the map in the indie film world. The film even impressed Jay-Z, who became…