sundance film festival
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Sundance 2021: A List of Black Movies to Watch While You’re in the (Virtual) White Mountains
I’m salty. As The Root’s Staff entertainment writer, one of the most exciting aspects of my job is being able to travel to a lot of cool places. In fact, the Sundance Film Festival typically kicks off the year of traveling shenanigans within my beat. In 2020, I flew to Park City, Utah to cover…
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The Forty-Year-Old Version Writer, Director and Actor Radha Blank to Be Honored With 2020 Sundance Vanguard Award
The incredibly talented force known as Radha Blank is 2020’s Sundance Vanguard Award recipient. Blank’s feature film directorial debut, The Forty-Year-Old Version made its world premiere at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival and was later acquired by Netflix. The multi-hyphenate not only directed the Sundance darling but wrote and starred in it, too. The award,…
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With Selah and the Spades, Tayarisha Poe Is Capturing the 'Volatility of Being Alive'
“They always try to break you down when you’re 17.” – Selah Summers text Written and directed by Tayarisha Poe, Selah and the Spades has been on my anticipated list for a while. In fact, though I didn’t get to attend that year, it made the top of my 2019 Sundance Film Festival black-ass experience…
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Sundance 2020: Insecure Is Very Secure in How It Truly Showcases Diversity on Set
In addition to settling into a dark theater to watch a bunch of independent films, Sundance Film Festival is a time to network at a bunch of exclusive dinners and parties. Since we’re about that black-ass life over here, I decided to make sure to poke my head into events dedicated to black folks. The…
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Sundance 2020: Cuties Is a Masterful Coming-of-Age Exploration of Black Femininity
I distinctly remember the day I realized my femininity. It was our final eighth-grade luncheon and we were all in line, nervously anticipating our new journey as high school students, only to be comforted by the smell of freshly fried chicken from the restaurant our math teacher owned. Deviating from my normal baggy Tommy Hilfiger…
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Sundance 2020: Zola, the Theatrical Twitter Story of How She and ‘This Bitch Here Fell Out’ Is Wild AF
You know how folks will typically amp themselves up for a night out at the club by exclaiming, “This about to be a movie” and it is never an actual cinematic experience? Well, that is certainly not the case for one of the best Black Twitter threads in the history of the social media platform.…
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Sundance 2020: A List of Black Movies to Watch While You’re in the White Mountains
It’s a brand new decade, but we have a familiar festival season! Like last year, I’m going to give you the scoop on some black-ass films I’m looking forward to. The mountains may be white, but we are going to stay black, always. I, along with most of Hollywood, will be lollygagging in Park City,…
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Oprah, Apple TV+ Abandon Russell Simmons Accuser Documentary; Filmmakers and #TimesUp Chief Respond
Is something rotten in the cotton? After further consideration, Oprah Winfrey will not participate in a high-profile documentary focusing on one of several women who have accused hip-hop pioneer Russell Simmons of sexual violence. On Friday, the media mogul announced that she would “no longer be executive producer” on the untitled documentary, which is set…
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Seven More Women Have Accused Cuba Gooding Jr. of Sexual Misconduct, Bringing the Current Tally to 22
Trigger Warning: The following article contains graphic details of an alleged sexual assault. Seven more women have come forward accusing Cuba Gooding Jr. of sexual misconduct. According to recent court papers obtained by Page Six, Manhattan prosecutors allege the 51-year-old actor groped and forcibly kissed a woman, ripped her tights and only stopped once she…
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Report: Apple TV+ and Oprah Winfrey Announce #MeToo Documentary with Russell Simmons Accuser as Primary Subject
Trigger Warning: The following article contains details of an alleged sexual assault. The lineup for the 2020 Sundance Film Festival was announced on Wednesday and there is one particular mysterious project that stands out. According to an Apple TV+ press release, the untitled Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering documentary, executive produced by Oprah Winfrey and…