Destined

DestinedRelease Date:  11/17/17; TBA (Original Release Date:  2016)
Genre:  Drama
Rating:  NR
Running Time:  95 mins.
Director:  Qasim Basir
Studio(s):   Confluential Films, Lola’s Productions, Tilted Windmill Productions,
Whitewater Films.

Cast:   Cory Hardrict (Rasheed), Jesse Metcalfe (Dylan Holder), Hill Harper (Mayor Jones), Margot Bingham (Maya), Zulay Henao (Giselle Porter), Mo McCrae (Dontay), Robert Christopher Riley (Calvin, Jason Dohring (Nathan Miller), La La Anthony (Jada), Paula Devicq (April Smith), James McCaffrey (Bill Holder), Curtiss Cook (Mr. Davis).

Story:   In one world, Rasheed Smith is a hardened criminal who has spent years building his drug empire. In another, he is an ambitious architect who has been working his way up the corporate ladder. Illustrated through parallel lives, Rasheed faces everything from street violence to corporate corruption, demonstrating that regardless of which path his life takes, there is no simple journey toward fulfilling one’s destiny.  Source:  L. A. Film Festival.

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Destination:  Planet Negro!

Destination Planet Negro!Release Date:  6/10/16; VOD, Digital HD; (2015)
Genre:  Comedy
Rating:  NR
Running Time:  Unknown
Director:   Kevin Willmott
Studio(s):   Candy Factory Films, Ninth Street Studios.
Cast:   Tosin Morohunfola (Captain Race Johnson), Danielle Cooper (Beneatha Avery), Kevin Willmott (Dr. Warrington Avery), Trai Byers (B-12), Walter Coppage (Dr. Horn / Howard Horn), Samra Teferra (Karen Wilborn).

Story:   Destination: Planet Negro! follows influential African American figures, W.E.B DuBois and George Washington Carver, as they time warp to the present to discover unbelievable developments. It all starts when a group of black leaders during the 1930s gather for a secret meeting to discuss the “Negro Problem” in America at the time, when they decide that the only real solution is for black people to, not only leave America, but the planet altogether.  They build a rocket ship that they plan to use to take an exploratory group to Mars, to research the possibility of such a bold undertaking.  Carrying a crew of three, the spacecraft vaults into a time warp, landing its brave scientists in present day America.  A smart satire that sports a wicked streak of goofball humor, Destination: Planet Negro! has the feel of low-budget 1950s sci-fi, and when the crew find themselves in a contemporary Midwestern metropolis, this comedy takes on the look of a reality show as the astonished adventurers discover unbelievable developments like young men with drooping pants and the election of a black president.  Source(s):  Official site – Planetnegro.com; Shadow and Act.

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The Fits

The FitsRelease Date:  6/3/16 Limited; (2015)
Genre:  Drama
Rating:  NR
Running Time:  72 mins.
Director:  Anna Rose Holmer
Studios:   Yes, Ma’am!; Oscilloscope
Cast:   Royalty Hightower (Toni), Alexis Neblett (Beezy), Antonio A.B. Grant, Jr.  (Donté), Inayah Rodgers (Karisma), Lauren Gibson (Maia), Makyla Burnam (Legs), Da’Sean Minor (Jermaine).

Story:  The Fits is a psychological portrait of 11-year-old Toni, a tomboy assimilating to a tight-knit dance team in Cincinnati’s West End. Enamored by the power and confidence of this strong community of girls, Toni eagerly absorbs routines, masters’ drills, and even pierces her own ears to fit in. When a mysterious outbreak of fainting spells plagues the team, Toni’s desire for acceptance is twisted.  Source:  IMDB.

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Showing Roots

Showing RootsRelease Date:   5/26/16; Lifetime
Genre:   Drama
Rating:  NR
Director:  Michael Wilson
Studio(s):   Michael Mailer Films, Upload Films
Cast:   Uzo Aduba, Maggie Grace, Adam Brody, Elizabeth McGovern, Viva Bianca, Cicely Tyson.

Story:   Set in 1977, Showing Roots explores the pent up racial tensions of a small town through the eyes of two women (Maggie Grace and Uzo Aduba), who work together at the local beauty parlor.  They forge an unlikely friendship and become inspired to integrate their town when the miniseries Roots hits the airwaves – much to the dismay of those around them.  Source:  Lifetime.

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All The Way

All The WayRelease Date:  5/21/16; HBO
Genre:   Drama/Biography
Rating:  NR
Director:  Jay Roach
Studio(s):   Amblin Entertainment, HBO Films, Moon Shot Entertainment, Tale Told Productions

Cast:  Anthony Mackie (Martin Luther King, Jr.), Bryan Cranston (Lyndon B. Johnson), Bradley Whitford (Hubert Humphrey), Stephen Root (J. Edgar Hoover), Frank Langella (Senator Richard Russell), Melissa Leo (Lady Bird Johnson), Joe Morton (Roy Wilkins) Ethan Phillips (Joe Alsop), Toby Huss (Governor Johnson), Aisha Hinds (Fannie Lou Hamer), Mo McRae (Stokely Carmichael).

Story:   All The Way offers a riveting behind-the scenes look at President Lyndon B. Johnson’s tumultuous first year in office after the assassination of John F. Kennedy.  Staking his presidency on what would be an historic unprecedented Civil Rights Act, Johnson finds himself caught between the moral imperative of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the expectations of the southern Democratic Party leaders who brought Johnson to power. As King battles to press Johnson while controlling more radical elements of the Civil Rights Movement, Johnson navigates the bill through Congress, winning a landslide victory against Barry Goldwater, but causing the South to defect from the Democratic Party.  Source:  HBO.

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The Real MVP: The Wanda Durant Story

The Real MVP The Wanda Durant Story

Release Date:  5/7/16; Lifetime
Genre:  Drama/Biography
Rating:  NR
Running Time:  Unknown
Director:  Nelson George

Cast:  Daniel Bellomy (Kevin Durant), Cassandra Freeman (Wanda Durant), Romuald Hivert (Joel), Tracie Thoms (Demetria), Pauletta Washington (Barbara).

Story:  Basketball great Kevin Durant of The Oklahoma City Thunder captured the hearts of the nation when he accepted the 2014 NBA Most Valuable Player Award with his emotional speech crediting all of his success to his mother, Wanda, naming her “the real MVP.”

Executive produced by Queen Latifah and her Flavor Unit team, the inspiring true story of The Real MVP begins with Wanda, a single mom of two by the time she was 21, working tirelessly to make ends meet and put a roof over the heads of her young sons. With the support of her mother and her best friend, Wanda focused all her energy on keeping her boys out of trouble and on the basketball court, selflessly putting aside her own dreams and desires to make sure their goals could be achieved. Her hard work paid off as her son Tony earned basketball scholarships and graduated from college while Kevin pursued his dream of playing in the NBA.  Source:  Lifetime.com.

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