Release Date: 5/11/18; In Theaters Genre:Drama/Crime Rating:NR Director:Trey Haley Studio(s):Urban Books Media, Tri Destined Studios Running time: Unknown
Cast:Ernie Hudson (L.C. Duncan), Valarie Pettiford (Charlotte Duncan), Darrin Dewitt Henson (Orlando Duncan), Armand Assante (Sal Dash), Nicholas Turturro (Councilman Ronald Sims), Emilio Rivera (Alejandro Zuniga), Miguel A. Núñez, Jr. (Harris Grant), Clifton Powell (Uncle Lou), Tami Roman (London Duncan), Javicia Leslie (Paris Duncan), Christian Keyes (Niles Monroe), Sean Ringgold (Junior Duncan), Sebastian Siegel (Tony Dash), Michael Jai White (Vegas Duncan), James Black (Rob).
Story: Based on Carl Weber’s The Family Business, first in a series of eight novels, about the travails of the Duncan family. Ernie Hudson portrays L. C. Duncan, patriarch of the family, who runs a thriving exotic car dealership. When he thinks about passing the leadership reigns to one of his sons, the Duncans quickly come under siege from some of the Top Politicians, Mafia and Drug cartels in the city. The Duncan’s will have to stick together–or die separately. Source: Deadline; IMDB.
Story: Dmitri is a pizza guy who would rather smoke weed and suffer for his art, but his mom and his girl won’t stop nagging him to get a real job. When he’s offered a gig mouthing off to tourists behind the wheel of a Hollywood “star tour” bus, it looks like everyone might get what they want. Trouble is, our man can’t seem to step out the door to get to the interview without endless complications: busted radiators, simple weed scores gone sideways and LAPD cruisers seemingly everywhere. Dmitri’s skill at going unnoticed by cops is honed by painful experiences growing up Black in L.A., but even his keen survival instincts won’t save him from the week from hell. Source: Movie Insider.
Release Date: February 2018; TV One Genre:Drama Rating:Unknown Director:Aric Avelino Studio(s):Swirl Films, TV One Running time: Unknown Cast:Meta Golding as Rosa Parks, Roger Guenveur Smith as Raymond Parks, Loretta Devine as JoAnn Robinson, Isaiah Washington as E.D. Nixon, Shaun Clay as Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Derek Roberts as Fred Gray, Keith Bolden as Rev. Ralph Abernathy.
Story: Behind the Movement is a fast-paced retelling of how Rosa Parks’ refusal to give up her seat launched the history-making Montgomery Bus Boycott. The film reveals the untold story of how a group of everyday people decided this incident was the right time to take a stand for their civil rights and demand equal treatment. Source: TV One.
Release Date: 1/12/18; In Theaters & VOD Genre:Drama Rating:NR Director:Damon Cardasis Studio(s):Spring Pictures, Round Films, Samuel Goldwyn Films, West End Films Running Time:82 mins.
Cast: Luka Kain, Margot Bingham, Regina Taylor, Marquis Rodriguez, MJ Rodriguez, Indya Moore, Alexia Garcia, Kate Bornstein, Jaylin Fletcher.
Story: Saturday Church tells the story of 14-year-old Ulysses, a shy and effeminate boy, who finds himself coping with new responsibilities as “man of the house” after the death of his father. Living alongside his mother, younger brother, and conservative aunt, Ulysses is also struggling with questions about his gender identity. He finds an escape by creating a world of fantasy filled with dance and music. Ulysses’ journey takes a turn for the better when he encounters a vibrant transgender community, who take him to Saturday Church, a program for LGBTQ youth. Ulysses manages to keep his two worlds apart; appeasing his aunt and discovering his passion for the NYC ball scene, and voguing, until his double life is revealed. Ulysses must find the courage to be who he truly is, all the while risking losing those he cares about most. Source: Samuelgoldwynfilms.com.
Story:Brian Banks was a promising football player at a Long Beach, California, high school when he met a female student in a secluded hallway for a rendezvous. Their encounter never went very far, but she charged him with rape, and he was arrested. His lawyer persuaded him to accept a plea deal, but he was shocked to receive a six-year prison term, followed by the requirement to register as a sex offender and wear a monitoring device for the length of his parole. Since this drastically limited his employment opportunities and also scotched his dreams of a pro football career, Banks decided to approach attorney Justin Brooks of the California Innocence Project to clear his name. In the film, Brooks informs Banks that he will need new evidence to persuade the courts to reopen the case. This proves to be challenging, but when the woman who accused him contacts him on social media, he realizes that he may be able to persuade her to revise or recant her original testimony.
Although some of these events may sound improbable, most of them are true (though the name of the female accuser has been changed). Banks was eventually exonerated and even managed to fulfill his dream of playing pro football, becoming the oldest player ever to join the NFL. No doubt the film takes a few liberties with history, but the important point is that it plays convincingly and compellingly. Source: The Hollywood Reporter.
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Update 11/21/17– Sherri Shepherd, actress and Emmy-Award winning former co-host of ABC’s The View, has joined Aldis Hodge and Greg Kinnear to co-star the biopic Brian Banks which is being directed by Tom Shadyac. The biopic tells the story of Banks (Hodge), an All-American high school football player committed to USC by his junior year whose life was upended in 2002 when he was falsely accused of rape. Despite maintaining his innocence, Banks was railroaded through the system and sentenced to a decade of prison and parole.
With the help of the California Innocence Project, spearheaded by Justin Brooks (Kinnear), the criminal defense attorney and CIP co-founder, Banks’ conviction was overturned in 2012. He briefly played with the Atlanta Falcons in the 2013 preseason. Shepherd will portray Banks’ mother, Leomia, who was the strength that helped her son get through his traumatic trial. Source: Deadline.
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Drama recounting the true story of the wrongful imprisonment and exoneration of the one-time high school football prodigy. Aldis Hodge stars as the titular football player in the Tom Shadyac film which will also feature Tiffany Dupont and Greg Kinnear. The project was originally incubated through Amy Baer’s development fund Gidden Media, and Baer will produce alongside Shivani Rawat and Monica Levinson. Banks, Justin Brooks and Neil Strum are executive producers.
Brian Banks centers on the titular high-school football player who was committed to USC by his junior year. His life was upended in 2002 when falsely accused of rape. Despite maintaining his innocence, he was railroaded through the system and sentenced to a decade of prison and parole. With the help of the California Innocence Project, his conviction was overturned in 2012 and he achieved his NFL dream with the Atlanta Falcons’ preseason squad in 2013. Source: The Hollywood Reporter.
Release Date: 12/1/17; In Theaters Genre:Drama/Musical Rating: NR Director: RZA Studio: Codeblack Films, Lionsgate, Spoken Productions
Cast:Azealia Banks (Coco), Lorraine Toussaint (Nichelle), Common (Coltrane), Lucien Laviscount (Derek), Hana Mae Lee (Julie), Jill Scott (Professor Dixon).
Story:When struggling rapper Coco enrolls in a poetry class, she thinks her rhymes will impress her teacher, Professor Dixon. Instead, Dixon challenges Coco to seek real meaning in her lyrics, setting her on a journey of discovery that takes her through rap clubs and poetry slams, leading her to find her true voice and true love. Source: Flickering Myth.
Release Date: 5/11/18; In Theaters
Black Cinema Connection 