Category Archives: Features

Viola Davis and George Clooney on cover of Entertainment Weekly

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Viola Davis –long the darling of Black magazines– is finally being recognized for her achievements and talent as an actress!

As an Oscar® contender for her role in “The Help,” she and another contender –namely, George Clooney– are gracing the cover of Entertainment Weekly magazine.

As few actresses of her caliber dare to speak up about the dearth of roles for Black actresses, let alone why Hollywood seems transfixed by hiring Black entertainers, rappers and singers for acting roles, but don’t do that for white actors.

According to Ms. Davis:

“Only one black actress in history has been back [at the Oscars] more than once, and that’s Whoopi Goldberg,” Davis told Entertainment Weekly. “But that’s only because there aren’t a lot of roles out there that are going to bring you back. Say if you have two great roles for an African-American actress in a year — one actress can cover it. So if there’s five really good black actresses out there, and that one actress gets it all, then the other four can sit for the next three years.”

Pick up a copy of Entertainment Weekly or read more at Clutch Magazine…

The Negro Soldier and Preminger’s Porgy and Bess Added to the National Film Registry

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The Washington Post announced the new list of recently inducted films into the National Film Registry in Washington, D.C.

Otto Preminger’s film version of Gershwin’s “Porgy & Bess” (starring Dorothy Dandridge and Sidney Poitier) and “The Negro Soldier” were included in a notable list of films.

Other films included “Forrest Gump”, “Bambi” and “The Lost Weekend”.

According to the Washington Post’s Ann Hornaday:

Librarian of Congress James H. Billington personally selects which films will be added to the National Film Registry, working from a list of suggestions from the library’s National Film Preservation Board and the general public. ‘What it’s proven to me, having done it now for a number of years, is the continuing inventiveness and diversity of how moving images and the film industry have flourished in this country,’ Billington said. ‘There’s just terrific variety and richness.’

Kickstarter Campaign: An Oversimplification of Her Beauty

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Filmmaker Terence Nance has filmed a beautiful, creatively dynamic film called “An Oversimplification of Her Beauty.” He has (as of today) 22 days left to receive pledges to complete his film and deliver it to the 2012 Sundance Film Festival for screening.

Animation, stop-motion, claymation, performance…what more could you ask! Pledge today! (Remember, if he doesn’t make his goal of $7,675, you will not be charged…but that’s not gonna happen, is it?)

Donate by going to: http://kck.st/sbYUBK

British actress/writer/director Amma Asante to direct Belle

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Shadow and Act reported that British actress/writer/director Amma Asante (“A Way of Life”) is set to direct a film she co-wrote called “Belle.”

“Belle” is the story of a mixed-race girl who is adopted into an aristocratic white family and eventually falls in love with the vicar’s son, an abolitionist.

Budgeted at $10.1 M, the film is set to production for summer 2012.

To date, no one has been named for the lead roles.

Sundance announces 2012 film program

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The pinnacle of independent film festivals –the Sundance Film Festival– has released the list of its 2012 films, including shorts, features and documentaries!

Notable selections include:
2 Days in New York / France (Director: Julie Delpy, Screenwriters: Julie Delpy, Alexia Landeau) — Marion has broken up with Jack and now lives in New York with their child. A visit from her family, the different cultural background of her new boyfriend, her sister’s ex-boyfriend, and her upcoming photo exhibition make for an explosive mix. Cast: Julie Delpy, Chris Rock, Albert Delpy, Alexia Landeau, Alex Nahon. 

Red Hook Summer / U.S.A. (Director: Spike Lee, Screenwriters: James McBride, Spike Lee) — A young Atlanta boy spends his summer in Brooklyn with his grandfather, who he’s never seen before. Cast: Clarke Peters, Jules Brown, Toni Lysaith, James Ransone, Thomas Jefferson Byrd.

FISHING WITHOUT NETS (Director: Cutter Hodierne, Screenwriters: Cutter Hodierne, John Hibey) — A story of pirates in Somalia, told from the perspective of the pirates themselves.

LUV / U.S.A. (Director: Sheldon Candis, Screenwriters: Sheldon Candis, Justin Wilson) — An orphaned 11-year-old boy is forced to face the unpleasant truth about his beloved uncle during one harrowing day in the streets of Baltimore. Cast: Common, Michael Rainey Jr., Dennis Haysbert, Danny Glover, Charles S. Dutton.

Middle Of Nowhere / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Ava DuVernay) — When her husband is incarcerated, an African-American woman struggles to maintain her marriage and her identity. Cast: Emayatzy Corinealdi, David Oyelowo, Omari Hardwick, Lorraine Touissaint, Edwina Findley.

About Face / U.S.A. (Director: Timothy Greenfield-Sanders) — An exploration of beauty and aging through the stories of the original supermodels. Participants including Isabella Rossellini, Christie Brinkley, Beverly Johnson, Carmen Dell’Orefice, Paulina Porizkova, Jerry Hall and Christy Turlington weigh in on the fashion industry and how they reassess and redefine their own sense of beauty as their careers progress.

The Words / U.S.A. (Directors and screenwriters: Brian Klugman, Lee Sternthal) — The Words is a layered and haunting tale about a celebrated novelist who must learn to live with the consequences of his undeserved success, and the inescapable consequences of stealing another man’s life and work. Cast: Bradley Cooper, Jeremy Irons, Dennis Quaid, Olivia Wilde with Zoe Saldana. (*This is the closing night film)

The House I Live In / U.S.A. (Director: Eugene Jarecki) — For over 40 years, the War on Drugs has accounted for 45 million arrests, made America the world’s largest jailer and damaged poor communities at home and abroad. Yet, drugs are cheaper, purer and more available today than ever. Where did we go wrong and what is the path toward healing?

Untitled Paul Simon Project / U.S.A. (Director: Joe Berlinger) — Paul Simon returns to South Africa to explore the incredible journey of his historic Graceland album, including the political backlash he sparked for allegedly breaking the UN cultural boycott of South Africa, designed to end Apartheid.

The Hidden Smile (El somriure amagat) / Spain (Director: Ventura Durall, Screenwriters: Ventura Durall, Miguel Llansó) — Following a 10-year-old kid who arrives at the Ethiopian capital after escaping from his home and his misfortunes to integrate into a street children group, The Hidden Smile constructs a realistic tale on the values that flourish in a society formed by children.

As the Sundance Film Festival draws closer, there are sure to be more stand-outs that will also be featured!

For more information, visit the Sundance Film Festival at http://www.sundance.org/press-center/release/2012-festival-program-announcement/

New Bond movie to star Naomie Harris

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According to Entertainment Weekly, after much ballyhoo and discretion, fans finally find out the name of the new Bond movie: “Skyfall”. The spy thriller will bring back the sexiest bond since the original Sean Connery, Daniel Craig. The film –23rd in the series– will also star Javier Bardem (Biutiful, No Country for Old Men) and the beautiful Brit actress Naomie Harris (28 Days Later, Pirates of the Caribbean, The First Grader).

Ms. Harris was long rumored to be in the film, but wasn’t confirmed until recently. She will star alongside the star studded cast of Dame Judi Dench, Ralph Fiennes, Albert Finney, and, of course, Daniel Craig and Javier Bardem.