film
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Watch: Yance Ford Tackles Grief and Racial Injustice in the Moving Documentary Strong Island
Filmmaker Yance Ford’s film Strong Island is a must-watch on Netflix. The documentary tells the story of the Ford family and how their lives were forever altered by the shooting death of Yance’s older brother, William, in 1992. He was killed by a white man in the Long Island, N.Y., hamlet of Central Islip, where Yance’s…
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Step: Black Girls Stomping All Over Adversity to Create a Rhythmic Safe Space
On the totem pole of society, black girls are distributed at the bottom. The magic within us is an unmatched recipe consisting of our resilience, perseverance and love. No matter the adversity and hate hurled at us, we rise from the ashes like an intoxicating phoenix. And this is the feeling you’ll get while watching…
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Tupac’s Godfather, Jamal Joseph, on His Journey From Panther to Political Prisoner to Film Director
Writer, director and activist Jamal Joseph was a member of the Black Panther Party and the Black Liberation Army. At 16 years old, he was arrested in the Panther 21 case along with Afeni Shakur, the mother of rapper Tupac Shakur. The Panther 21 case was designed to wipe out the New York Black Panther…
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Master P Biopic King of the South to Begin Filming This Summer
Filming for King of the South, a film based on the life of rapper and No Limit Records founder Percy “Master P” Miller, is scheduled to begin in New Orleans this summer. The story will go through Master P’s life, from his beginnings in one of the “toughest neighborhoods in the country, the Calliope Projects,”…
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Watch: In Focus With Moonlight Director Barry Jenkins, Who’s Vying for Oscar on Sunday
Editor’s note: In Focus is a video series showcasing the new wave of black filmmakers. Earlier this year, before Barry Jenkins’ critically acclaimed film Moonlight went on to earn eight Academy Award nominations—including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay—the writer-director sat down with The Root to discuss how he got involved with the…
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Watch: In Focus With Director Justin Tipping, Whose Film Kicks Challenges Our Perception of Manhood
Editor’s note: In Focus is a The Root TV series showcasing the new wave of black filmmakers. Justin Tipping is the writer and director of Kicks, a story set in Oakland, Calif., about a young teenager whose dream is to own a pair of fresh Air Jordans. Soon after he gets his hands on them,…
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Watch: In Focus With Director Steven Caple Jr., Who’s Set to Write HBO’s Emmett Till Miniseries
Editor’s note: In Focus is a video series showcasing the new wave of black filmmakers. Steven Caple Jr. is the writer and director of The Land, a coming-of-age tale set in Cleveland that tells the stories of four teens who aspire to be professional skateboarders. It is Caple’s first feature and stars The Wire’s Michael…