Black Writers Week
“The Bear” follows a man named Carmy, portrayed by Jeremy Allen White, (who is a pro at playing a Chicago native at this point after his stint on “Shameless”) as he leaves the fine-dining world where he’s a rising star, to come back home and run the family sandwich shop after his brother’s shocking suicide. He’s trying … Read more
Why are we still having this same tired conversation repeatedly on a loop? One would have thought with the virtual conference capability introduced for interviews that studios would be ecstatic. After all, they were saving millions in hotel and flight bookings globally, premiere events, in-person press conferences, booking venues for in-person screenings, while simultaneously obtaining … Read more
In 2004, myself and a colleague came up with the idea of taking undergraduate students to the Sundance Film Festival. The original goal was to provide our students with an immersive educational experience. Neither of us had ever attended Sundance but we were convinced that if we could just get our students there something special … Read more
In my mind, “The Wolf Among Us” was going to be my claim to fame. The short was going to be my “Reservoir Dogs,” my “Blindspotting,” my “Sorry to Bother You.” I had mapped out my Sundance success story, being interviewed by IndieWire and No Film School as I explained the long four-year journey and … Read more
“Well good, it ought to be easy for you then. Go ahead, tell us about it.” Barney waffles and stalls, and the gag becomes prolonged and awkward for some to watch, given the seriousness of the topic. Andy smiles through the teasing. “Well, if you get so smart-alecky about it,” says Barney. “Maybe I’m not even … Read more
In the series, Adams stars as Max, a Black woman feeling trapped and confined in her hometown of Rockford, Illinois. Jacobson stars as Carson, an Iowa housewife torn between tradition and the future. The first two episodes of “A League of Their Own” debuted at the American Black Film Festival (ABFF), which ran from June … Read more
3. When should I try to get distribution? As an independent artist, you may need to work on a few projects or short films to demonstrate the style and direction you would like to execute. If you think you have a project that is ready for distribution, then start thinking about your plan as soon … Read more
That moment of reappraisal and reckoning has arrived for my generation, which has been known by the unusually durable moniker of Generation X. Months ago I was asked by Melissa Tamminga, the program director for the venerable Bellingham, Washington community arthouse theater the Pickford Film Center, if I wanted to guest program a monthly series. … Read more
The Antagonism of Blackness in Netflix’s Stranger Things by Kaiya Shunyata Considering Easy To Get: World War II Army Training Films, Segregation, Black Uplift and VD by Sergio Mims How We Can Use Technology to Connect with the World by Niani Scott A New Class Of Filmmakers: ABFF and HBO Short Film Award Finalists Bring … Read more
She’s gone on to a wildly successful career acting and producing film and television, landing a best supporting actress Oscar nomination for “Chicago” (2002) and winning a Primetime Emmy for producing the HBO telefilm “Bessie” (2015), which she also starred in as legendary blues singer Bessie Smith. However, her breakout big screen performance can be … Read more