Category: Upcoming Films

Queen of Katwe

Queen of Katwe posterRelease Date:  9/23/16
Genre:  Biography/Drama
Rating:  PG
Running Time:  Unknown
Director:  Mira Nair
Studio(s):   ESPN Films, Walt Disney Pictures, Walt Disney Productions.

Cast:  Lupita Nyong’o (Harriet Mutesi), David Oyelowo (Robert Katende), Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine (Tendo), Madina Nalwanga (Phiona Mutesi).

Story:  Queen Of Katwe is the true story of a young girl, Phiona Mutesi selling corn on the streets of rural Uganda whose world rapidly changes when she is introduced to the game of chess by Robert Katende a soccer player turned missionary.  As a result of the support she receives from her mother, her family and community, Phiona pursues her dream of becoming an international chess champion.  Source(s):  Deadline; IMDB.

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Sunshine Day 

Sunshine DayRelease Date:  8/26/16; Chicago Black Harvest Film Festival (2015)
Genre:  Crime, Drama
Rating:  NR
Running Time:  100 mins.
Director:  Lawrence Lee Wallace
Studio:  Tylon Warren Productions
Cast:  Carly D. Anderson (Sunshine/Teenager), Edward Williams, III (Josh, Jr./Teenager), Kimberly Washington (Sunshine/Adult), Brian C. Green (Josh Jr./Adult).

Story:  Based on Chicago author April Tylon-Warren’s novel, this complex and passionate coming-of-age story is set entirely on Chicago’s South Side in the Seventies, where the changing fortunes of families and friendships impact the tumultuous life of a young woman. Attractions, jealousies, breakups, and bonding mark the relationships of a close-knit group of neighborhood teens, until Sunshine settles down with Josh, but marriage and motherhood bring challenges that include infidelity, mental illness, addiction, and the escalating violence of the streets.  Source(s):  Siskel Film Center; IMDB.

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To Sleep With Anger 

To Sleep With AngerRelease Date:   8/28/16; Chicago Black Harvest Film Festival (1990)
Genre:  Drama
Rating:   PG
Running Time:  102 mins.
Director:  Charles Burnett
Studio(s):   SVS Films; The Samuel Goldwyn Company

Cast:  Danny Glover (Harry), Paul Butler (Gideon), DeVaughn Nixon (Sunny), Mary Alice (Suzie), Reina King (Rhonda), Cory Curtis (Skip), Richard Brooks (Babe Brother), Sheryl Lee Ralph (Linda), Carl Lumbly (Junior), Vonetta McGee (Pat).

Story:  Danny Glover stars as Harry Mention, a mysterious drifter from the South who visits an old acquaintance (Paul Butler), now leading a middle-class life with his family in South Central Los Angeles.  Though imbued with charm and traditional manners, Harry has a knack for mischief that creates powerful rifts throughout the family.  Source:  Film Society Lincoln Center; IMDB.

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Compensation

Compensation stillRelease Date:   8/27/16; Chicago Black Harvest Film Festival (1999)
Genre:  Drama, Romance
Rating:  NR
Running Time:  95 mins.
Black & White
Director:  Zeinabu Irene Davis
Studio:   Wimmin with a Mission Productions

Cast:   John Jelks (Arthur Jones/Nico Jones), Michelle A. Banks (Malindy Brown/Malaika Brown), Nirvana Cobb (Tildy Evans/Children’s Library Reader), Kevin L. Davis (Tyrone), Christopher Smith (William Young /Dancer), K. Lynn Stephens (Aminata Brown).

Story:  Two unique African American love stories, each involving a deaf woman and a hearing man, play out in this moving drama.  Inspired by a poem written by Paul Laurence Dunbar, the narrative shares their struggle to overcome racism, disability and discrimination.  This important film on African American deaf culture innovatively incorporates silent film techniques such as title cards and vintage photos to make the piece accessible to hearing and deaf viewers alike, and to share the vast possibilities of language and communication.  Source:  Siskel Film Center; IMDB.

 

 

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Jeremy Brooks 

Jeremy BrooksRelease Date:  8/23/16; DVD (2015)
Genre:  Drama
Rating:  NR
Running Time:  Unknown
Director:  Kyle T. Miller
Studio(s):   PIC Films, KTM Productions, MetroWest Media, Maverick Entertainment.

Cast:  Simeon Henderson (Jeremy Brooks), Niya Davis (Ashley Singleton), Antisha Anderson-Scruggs (Tia), Victoria Fox (Vanessa), Jamie Jones (Trey).

Story:   Jeremy Brooks is an ambitious professional seeking to hit it big in the newsroom and become a leading anchor.  During his journey he lets his personal life and bouts between friends hold him back and lose his focus on who he is and what his goals are. Struggling within himself, his life becomes a holding pattern until his focus and ambition is realigned with a new found faith in God and himself.  Source(s):  Metro West Media, Official site; Maverick Entertainment; IMDB.

Trailer:

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Mr. Church

a/k/a Cook

Mr. ChurchRelease Date:  9/16/16; In Theaters
Genre:  Drama
Rating:  PG-13
Running Time:  104 mins.
Director:  Bruce Beresford
Studio(s):  Cinelou Films, Envision Media Arts, Shenghua Entertainment, Voltage Pictures, Cinelou Releasing, Warner Bros.

Cast:  Eddie Murphy (Henry Church), Britt Robertson (Charlotte), Natascha McElhone (Marie), Lucy Fry (Poppy), Thom Barry (Frankie Twiggs).

Story:  Eddie Murphy is back in his first live-action performance since 2012’s A Thousand Words with Mr. Church.  Rather than much of his past work, the film is not a comedy, but a drama concerning the titular Henry Church (Murphy), a talented cook with a love of jazz who is hired by a dying mother as help for her six year old daughter.  While the arrangement is set for six months, it develops into a 15-year journey of friendship and care.  Source:  The Film Stage; IMDB.

Trailer:

 

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