Exclusive: Sharese Bullock-Bailey has been appointed as Festival Director and the first-ever Chief Innovation Officer at Urbanworld, which showcases narrative features, documentaries, short films, web originals, spotlight screenings, conversations and music performances that feature storytellers of color, including Black, Indigenous and Latinx artists.
In her new roles, Bullock-Bailey will oversee the brand, lead all key components of annual Festival planning and execution, expand Urbanworld Innovation, drive strategy and optimize assets and experiences, building upon current and potential partnerships as the festival enters its next 25 years.
“We are thrilled to have Sharese Bullock-Bailey join the Urbanworld family as the Festival Director and first-ever Chief Innovation Officer,” said Urbanworld founder Stacy Spikes. “She brings a rare blend of talents, expertise and leadership to our team as we continue to expand our impact in storytelling, technology and game-changing culture.”
“Urbanworld provides a legacy and blueprint for the future of storytelling, technology and community...
In her new roles, Bullock-Bailey will oversee the brand, lead all key components of annual Festival planning and execution, expand Urbanworld Innovation, drive strategy and optimize assets and experiences, building upon current and potential partnerships as the festival enters its next 25 years.
“We are thrilled to have Sharese Bullock-Bailey join the Urbanworld family as the Festival Director and first-ever Chief Innovation Officer,” said Urbanworld founder Stacy Spikes. “She brings a rare blend of talents, expertise and leadership to our team as we continue to expand our impact in storytelling, technology and game-changing culture.”
“Urbanworld provides a legacy and blueprint for the future of storytelling, technology and community...
- 4/7/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Array and Google have found the first recipient of their $500,000 Feature Film Grant in Hawaiian filmmaker Alika Maikau.
The award, fittingly (and coincidentally) announced on Indigenous Peoples’ Day, will include mentorship from the advisory committee that selected Maikau, including producer Gabrielle Glore, Visual Communications executive director Francis Cullado, IllumiNative founder and executive director Crystal Echo Hawk, Film Independent senior director of education and international initiatives María Raquel Bozzi and Mumbai Academy of Moving Image artistic director Smriti Kiran. Google will provide the $500,000 for Maikau’s production, which will be sourced by Array Crew, the database of below-the-line professionals from historically ...
The award, fittingly (and coincidentally) announced on Indigenous Peoples’ Day, will include mentorship from the advisory committee that selected Maikau, including producer Gabrielle Glore, Visual Communications executive director Francis Cullado, IllumiNative founder and executive director Crystal Echo Hawk, Film Independent senior director of education and international initiatives María Raquel Bozzi and Mumbai Academy of Moving Image artistic director Smriti Kiran. Google will provide the $500,000 for Maikau’s production, which will be sourced by Array Crew, the database of below-the-line professionals from historically ...
- 10/11/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Christine L. Mendoza is the new Executive Director of Urbanworld Foundation Inc.
In the role, Mendoza will oversee year-round strategy, operations and development for the foundation, as well as its Urbanworld Film Festival, which highlights the work of artists of color.
2021 marks the 25th anniversary of the festival and the last year for festival director and head of programming, Gabrielle Glore, who assisted festival founder Stacy Spikes in finding a qualified individual for the director position.
“We are thrilled to have Christine join the Urbanworld family,” said Spikes. “She brings the ideal mix of experience and passion to our team as we continue to expand our reach and impact.”
Mendoza has worked with marginalized writers and filmmakers throughout her career in film. Most recently she served as the Director of Education for Film at Lincoln Center which preceded her work as the Director of Development and Programs for the Coalition for Immigrant Freedom.
In the role, Mendoza will oversee year-round strategy, operations and development for the foundation, as well as its Urbanworld Film Festival, which highlights the work of artists of color.
2021 marks the 25th anniversary of the festival and the last year for festival director and head of programming, Gabrielle Glore, who assisted festival founder Stacy Spikes in finding a qualified individual for the director position.
“We are thrilled to have Christine join the Urbanworld family,” said Spikes. “She brings the ideal mix of experience and passion to our team as we continue to expand our reach and impact.”
Mendoza has worked with marginalized writers and filmmakers throughout her career in film. Most recently she served as the Director of Education for Film at Lincoln Center which preceded her work as the Director of Development and Programs for the Coalition for Immigrant Freedom.
- 10/6/2021
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
Urbanworld has named Christine L. Mendoza executive director of the foundation.
The newly-created role will have Mendoza overseeing year-round operations, strategy and development for Urbanworld, the home of Urbanworld Film Festival. As written in a press release, the festival “showcases narrative features, documentaries, short films, web originals, spotlight screenings, conversations and music performances that feature people of color including Black, Indigenous and Latinx artists.”
“We are thrilled to have Christine join the Urbanworld family. She brings the ideal mix of experience and passion to our team as we continue to expand our reach and impact,” Stacy Spikes, founder of Urbanworld Film Festival, said in a statement.
Mendoza, who identifies as Latinx, has made equity in the arts her mission as a filmmaker, administrator and educator. Mendoza was most recently the director of education for film at Lincoln Center and has previously worked as the director of development and programs for the Coalition for Immigrant Freedom.
The newly-created role will have Mendoza overseeing year-round operations, strategy and development for Urbanworld, the home of Urbanworld Film Festival. As written in a press release, the festival “showcases narrative features, documentaries, short films, web originals, spotlight screenings, conversations and music performances that feature people of color including Black, Indigenous and Latinx artists.”
“We are thrilled to have Christine join the Urbanworld family. She brings the ideal mix of experience and passion to our team as we continue to expand our reach and impact,” Stacy Spikes, founder of Urbanworld Film Festival, said in a statement.
Mendoza, who identifies as Latinx, has made equity in the arts her mission as a filmmaker, administrator and educator. Mendoza was most recently the director of education for film at Lincoln Center and has previously worked as the director of development and programs for the Coalition for Immigrant Freedom.
- 10/6/2021
- by Ellise Shafer
- Variety Film + TV
A day after Urbanworld Film Festival director and head of programming Gabrielle Glore bid farewell to the organization to focus on producing, the organization has announced a new addition.
Former Film Society of Lincoln Center director of education Christine L. Mendoza is joining the Urbanworld Foundation as executive director, a newly created role. In addition to overseeing the festival, which just closed out its 25th anniversary last weekend, she will also lead strategy, operations and development for the New York City-based organization as a whole. Glore, whose replacement as festival director is yet to be announced, led the search for both ...
Former Film Society of Lincoln Center director of education Christine L. Mendoza is joining the Urbanworld Foundation as executive director, a newly created role. In addition to overseeing the festival, which just closed out its 25th anniversary last weekend, she will also lead strategy, operations and development for the New York City-based organization as a whole. Glore, whose replacement as festival director is yet to be announced, led the search for both ...
- 10/6/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
A day after Urbanworld Film Festival director and head of programming Gabrielle Glore bid farewell to the organization to focus on producing, the organization has announced a new addition.
Former Film Society of Lincoln Center director of education Christine L. Mendoza is joining the Urbanworld Foundation as executive director, a newly created role. In addition to overseeing the festival, which just closed out its 25th anniversary last weekend, she will also lead strategy, operations and development for the New York City-based organization as a whole. Glore, whose replacement as festival director is yet to be announced, led the search for both ...
Former Film Society of Lincoln Center director of education Christine L. Mendoza is joining the Urbanworld Foundation as executive director, a newly created role. In addition to overseeing the festival, which just closed out its 25th anniversary last weekend, she will also lead strategy, operations and development for the New York City-based organization as a whole. Glore, whose replacement as festival director is yet to be announced, led the search for both ...
- 10/6/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Urbanworld Film Festival concluded its 25th annual edition on Sunday, a fitting milestone for its longtime festival director and head of programming Gabrielle Glore to turn the page on her own career. Glore, who arrived at the New York City-based festival in 2004 to serve as its co-executive producer, is leaving to focus on her production banner, Glorified. She previously produced last year’s Emmy-nominated romantic drama Sylvie’s Love and two seasons of BET Her’s talk show The Round and executive produced the 2006 romantic comedy Dirty Laundry. Glore also serves as a consulting producer for the artist studio WarnerMedia OneFifty and executive ...
- 10/5/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
The Urbanworld Film Festival concluded its 25th annual edition on Sunday, a fitting milestone for its longtime festival director and head of programming Gabrielle Glore to turn the page on her own career. Glore, who arrived at the New York City-based festival in 2004 to serve as its co-executive producer, is leaving to focus on her production banner, Glorified. She previously produced last year’s Emmy-nominated romantic drama Sylvie’s Love and two seasons of BET Her’s talk show The Round and executive produced the 2006 romantic comedy Dirty Laundry. Glore also serves as a consulting producer for the artist studio WarnerMedia OneFifty and executive ...
- 10/5/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Urbanworld Film Festival is set to mark its 25th anniversary with a star-studded hybrid event featuring Emmy-winning and Oscar-nominated filmmaker Ava DuVernay; “Wu-Tang: An American Saga’s” RZA and Shameik Moore; “King Richard” director Reinaldo Marcus Green and star Aunjanue Ellis; “Power Book III: Raising Kanan’s” Patina Miller; “Sankofa” filmmaker Haile Gerima and more.
The 2021 edition of the film festival will be presented virtually with on urbanworld.org, running from Sept. 29-Oct. 3, with select in-person events held at Cinepolis Luxury Cinemas, Chelsea at 260 West 23rd Street in New York. Presented by founding partner HBO and prestige partners WarnerMedia and Ally, the festival officially unveiled its slate of more than 88 official selections, panels and conversations.
A longtime supporter of and participant in the Urbanworld lineup, DuVernay will be on hand for multiple special events with the Netflix series “Colin in Black & White” featured among the virtual spotlight presentations at the fest.
The 2021 edition of the film festival will be presented virtually with on urbanworld.org, running from Sept. 29-Oct. 3, with select in-person events held at Cinepolis Luxury Cinemas, Chelsea at 260 West 23rd Street in New York. Presented by founding partner HBO and prestige partners WarnerMedia and Ally, the festival officially unveiled its slate of more than 88 official selections, panels and conversations.
A longtime supporter of and participant in the Urbanworld lineup, DuVernay will be on hand for multiple special events with the Netflix series “Colin in Black & White” featured among the virtual spotlight presentations at the fest.
- 9/21/2021
- by Angelique Jackson
- Variety Film + TV
Ava Duvernay’s distribution, arts and advocacy collective Array has partnered with Google to launch a new feature film grant benefiting emerging creatives from underrepresented communities.
The filmmaker selected for the Array + Google Feature Film Grant will receive $500,000 to fund their first full-length feature film. Additionally, the project’s production will be staffed by Array crew, the collective’s inclusive hiring database for below-the-line crew members.
“Having started my filmmaking journey by self-funding projects, this is a full-circle moment,” DuVernay said, announcing the partnership. “I’m pleased to partner with Google and Array’s grant advisory committee to identify an emerging writer/director to bring their vision to the screen. Inclusive storytelling is at the heart of Array’s mission and we’re proud to also provide access to Array Crew in order to further ensure that the set of the grantee’s film reflects the full array of the world around us.
The filmmaker selected for the Array + Google Feature Film Grant will receive $500,000 to fund their first full-length feature film. Additionally, the project’s production will be staffed by Array crew, the collective’s inclusive hiring database for below-the-line crew members.
“Having started my filmmaking journey by self-funding projects, this is a full-circle moment,” DuVernay said, announcing the partnership. “I’m pleased to partner with Google and Array’s grant advisory committee to identify an emerging writer/director to bring their vision to the screen. Inclusive storytelling is at the heart of Array’s mission and we’re proud to also provide access to Array Crew in order to further ensure that the set of the grantee’s film reflects the full array of the world around us.
- 6/2/2021
- by Angelique Jackson
- Variety Film + TV
Ava Duvernay’s Array has partnered with Google to create a new $500,000 feature film grant available to up-and-coming creatives from historically underrepresented communities.
The endowment, referred to as The Array + Google Feature Film Grant, will prove funds allowing the recipient to produce their first full-length feature. The initiative speaks to ongoing efforts, on the part of Array and Google, to help amplify marginalized voices, thereby building toward a more equitable and inclusive artistic community.
The recipient of this year’s grant will be chosen by an indie film advisory committee that includes Gabrielle Glore, Francis Cullado, Crystal Echo Hawk, María Rauqel Bozzi (Senior Director of Education & International Initiatives at Film Independent), and Jio Mami.
The production to be funded through the grant...
The endowment, referred to as The Array + Google Feature Film Grant, will prove funds allowing the recipient to produce their first full-length feature. The initiative speaks to ongoing efforts, on the part of Array and Google, to help amplify marginalized voices, thereby building toward a more equitable and inclusive artistic community.
The recipient of this year’s grant will be chosen by an indie film advisory committee that includes Gabrielle Glore, Francis Cullado, Crystal Echo Hawk, María Rauqel Bozzi (Senior Director of Education & International Initiatives at Film Independent), and Jio Mami.
The production to be funded through the grant...
- 6/2/2021
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Ava DuVernay’s Array and Google are partnering to award $500,000 in grant money to help an underrepresented artist or creator in making their debut feature film.
The half a million dollar Array + Google Feature Film Grant is meant to build a more equitable and inclusive artistic community of diverse storytellers and hopes to amplify the work of women and people of color. The partnership was brokered by UTA Marketing.
The recipient of the grant and a mentorship opportunity will be selected by people within the indie film community, including Gabrielle Glore, Francis Cullado, Crystal Echo Hawk, María Rauqel Bozzi (senior director of education & international initiatives at Film Independent) and Jio Mami.
“Having started my filmmaking journey by self-funding projects, this is a full-circle moment,” Array founder Ava DuVernay said in a statement. “I’m pleased to partner with Google and Array’s grant advisory committee to identify an emerging writer...
The half a million dollar Array + Google Feature Film Grant is meant to build a more equitable and inclusive artistic community of diverse storytellers and hopes to amplify the work of women and people of color. The partnership was brokered by UTA Marketing.
The recipient of the grant and a mentorship opportunity will be selected by people within the indie film community, including Gabrielle Glore, Francis Cullado, Crystal Echo Hawk, María Rauqel Bozzi (senior director of education & international initiatives at Film Independent) and Jio Mami.
“Having started my filmmaking journey by self-funding projects, this is a full-circle moment,” Array founder Ava DuVernay said in a statement. “I’m pleased to partner with Google and Array’s grant advisory committee to identify an emerging writer...
- 6/2/2021
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Amazon has released a new trailer for Sylvie's Love. The period-set romance stars Tessa Thompson in the leading role, with filmmaker Eugene Ashe behind the camera. In the movie, which takes place in New York City in 1957, "the jazz is smooth and the air sultry," per the studio. As we can see from the trailer, that appears to be a fair representation of the love story at hand.
The trailer starts with Tessa Thompson discussing a new boy who has just started working at her father's record store. Or rather, she is refusing to talk about him as a friend pester's her for information. Sylvie and this man bond over their shared love of culture, particularly music and TV. Romance naturally follows. Unfortunately, circumstances dictate that they must part ways. But life has a way of bringing them back together again down the line.
Nnamdi Asomugha, Aja Naomi King, Jemima Kirke,...
The trailer starts with Tessa Thompson discussing a new boy who has just started working at her father's record store. Or rather, she is refusing to talk about him as a friend pester's her for information. Sylvie and this man bond over their shared love of culture, particularly music and TV. Romance naturally follows. Unfortunately, circumstances dictate that they must part ways. But life has a way of bringing them back together again down the line.
Nnamdi Asomugha, Aja Naomi King, Jemima Kirke,...
- 10/15/2020
- by Ryan Scott
- MovieWeb
The period romance “Sylvie’s Love” is set in the New York summer of 1957 and finds Tessa Thompson discovering a summer romance and a love of sultry, smooth jazz music, both courtesy of a fling with a man played by Nnamdi Asomugha.
The first trailer for the film is elegant and colorful, but it also shows the challenges of Thompson’s own coming of age as a Black woman in the ’50s trying to sustain dreams at home and in her career.
“I didn’t know that a Negro television producer even existed, and all my life that’s all I ever wanted to be,” Thompson says in the first “Sylvie’s Love” trailer. “I can’t be the woman of your dreams while also trying to be the woman of my own.”
“Sylvie’s Love” was written and directed by Eugene Ashe, and the film premiered at Sundance where it was acclaimed...
The first trailer for the film is elegant and colorful, but it also shows the challenges of Thompson’s own coming of age as a Black woman in the ’50s trying to sustain dreams at home and in her career.
“I didn’t know that a Negro television producer even existed, and all my life that’s all I ever wanted to be,” Thompson says in the first “Sylvie’s Love” trailer. “I can’t be the woman of your dreams while also trying to be the woman of my own.”
“Sylvie’s Love” was written and directed by Eugene Ashe, and the film premiered at Sundance where it was acclaimed...
- 10/14/2020
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Amazon Prime Video subscribers will find “Sylvie’s Love” under their trees this year.
The Tessa Thompson romance has landed a Dec. 25 global premiere date on Prime, following the streaming giant’s acquisition of the project at January’s Sundance Film Festival.
Written and directed by Eugene Ashe, the film currently has a 100% fresh critics score from Rotten Tomatoes and was sold in the high seven figures, Variety previously reported.
Set in the late 1950s, Thompson’s Sylvie dreams of a career in the budding world of television while she helps out around her family’s New York City record store and counts the days until her fiancé returns from war.
A handsome saxophonist named Robert (Nnamdi Asomugha) interrupts her best laid plans, and the pair’s friendship gives way to palpable sexual chemistry and a profound love that changes them both. Winding through the decades, the film charts the...
The Tessa Thompson romance has landed a Dec. 25 global premiere date on Prime, following the streaming giant’s acquisition of the project at January’s Sundance Film Festival.
Written and directed by Eugene Ashe, the film currently has a 100% fresh critics score from Rotten Tomatoes and was sold in the high seven figures, Variety previously reported.
Set in the late 1950s, Thompson’s Sylvie dreams of a career in the budding world of television while she helps out around her family’s New York City record store and counts the days until her fiancé returns from war.
A handsome saxophonist named Robert (Nnamdi Asomugha) interrupts her best laid plans, and the pair’s friendship gives way to palpable sexual chemistry and a profound love that changes them both. Winding through the decades, the film charts the...
- 9/29/2020
- by Matt Donnelly
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: The 24th Annual Urbanworld Film Festival, which takes place on September 23-27, has unveiled their full virtual lineup of over 100 official selections panels and conversations which will be available online. The fest has also added a spotlight conversation around Amazon Studios docu All In: The Fight for Democracy, its new Creativity Uncovered series, Overstand’s virtual pitch event, their #ShareTheMic Instagram takeover as well as additional guests.
On September 23, there will be a conversation with All In: The Fight for Democracy directors Lisa Cortés and Liz Garbus along with activist DeRay McKesson and moderator Keith Boykin. The day prior marks National Voter Registration Day and to align with this, All In: The Fight for Democracy will be available on Urbanworld’s Vimeo Channel for the full day with an introduction by Fair Fight Action’s Stacey Abrams, along with directors and producers Garbus and Cortés.
The full agenda...
On September 23, there will be a conversation with All In: The Fight for Democracy directors Lisa Cortés and Liz Garbus along with activist DeRay McKesson and moderator Keith Boykin. The day prior marks National Voter Registration Day and to align with this, All In: The Fight for Democracy will be available on Urbanworld’s Vimeo Channel for the full day with an introduction by Fair Fight Action’s Stacey Abrams, along with directors and producers Garbus and Cortés.
The full agenda...
- 9/18/2020
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
The Urbanworld Film Festival will open its 24th edition with David Oyelowo’s directorial debut “The Water Man” on Sept. 23.
Oyelowo stars in the fantasy-adventure film that follows a boy who sets out on a quest to save his ill mother by searching for a mythic figure said to have magical healing powers. A conversation with Oyelowo, Rosario Dawson, Lonnie Chavis and Amiah Miller moderated by Ava DuVernay will immediately follow the screening, as well as a special music performance by Alice Smith. “The Water Man” will premiere on Sept. 19 at the Toronto Intl. Film Festival.
“In an unimaginable year of change, we remain inspired by the creativity, culture and community that prevail in this brave new virtual world,” said Gabrielle Glore, festival director and head of programming. “Powerful storytelling is now more important than ever and Urbanworld is proud to be a consistent platform that brings Black, Indigenous and...
Oyelowo stars in the fantasy-adventure film that follows a boy who sets out on a quest to save his ill mother by searching for a mythic figure said to have magical healing powers. A conversation with Oyelowo, Rosario Dawson, Lonnie Chavis and Amiah Miller moderated by Ava DuVernay will immediately follow the screening, as well as a special music performance by Alice Smith. “The Water Man” will premiere on Sept. 19 at the Toronto Intl. Film Festival.
“In an unimaginable year of change, we remain inspired by the creativity, culture and community that prevail in this brave new virtual world,” said Gabrielle Glore, festival director and head of programming. “Powerful storytelling is now more important than ever and Urbanworld is proud to be a consistent platform that brings Black, Indigenous and...
- 9/17/2020
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
Amazon Studios has picked up worldwide rights to “Sylvie’s Love,” a period romance starring Tessa Thompson, according to an individual with knowledge of the deal.
The film, which Amazon acquired the worldwide rights to for a high seven-figure price tag, premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival.
Written and directed by Eugene Ashe, “Sylvie’s Love” is a lush love story set in the cool jazz era of New York City that spans several years in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Thompson gives a powerful performance in the film as Ashe, melds music into his romance for a rich period piece. “Sylvie’s Love” played in competition in the U.S. Dramatic section.
Also Read: Sundance 2020: Streamers Spent Big and Documentaries Are All the Rage
The film follows Sylvie (Thompson) who meets aspiring saxophonist Robert (Nnamdi Asomugha) when he takes a job at her father’s record store in Harlem. After...
The film, which Amazon acquired the worldwide rights to for a high seven-figure price tag, premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival.
Written and directed by Eugene Ashe, “Sylvie’s Love” is a lush love story set in the cool jazz era of New York City that spans several years in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Thompson gives a powerful performance in the film as Ashe, melds music into his romance for a rich period piece. “Sylvie’s Love” played in competition in the U.S. Dramatic section.
Also Read: Sundance 2020: Streamers Spent Big and Documentaries Are All the Rage
The film follows Sylvie (Thompson) who meets aspiring saxophonist Robert (Nnamdi Asomugha) when he takes a job at her father’s record store in Harlem. After...
- 2/5/2020
- by Trey Williams
- The Wrap
“Sylvie’s Love,” a sweeping period romance starring Tessa Thompson, has sold to Amazon Studios out of this year’s Sundance film festival, sources close to the deal told Variety.
The sale, brokered by Endeavor Content on behalf of the filmmakers, closed in the high seven-figure range, insiders added. “Sylvie’s Love’ marks Amazon’s third acquisition at the festival, alongside Alan Ball’s “Uncle Frank” and Phyllida Lloyd’s “Herself.” It’s unclear if Amazon intends to take the title out theatrically.
Directed by Eugene Ashe, the film follows two love birds (Thompson and Nnamdi Asomugha) through a turbulent decade set to the sounds of 1960s jazz.
“They don’t make ’em like this any more, innocent and escapist and scrubbed clean of contact with real grubby life. But then, given the poor history of black representation in the Hollywood movies of the Golden Age, ‘they’ never really did,” wrote...
The sale, brokered by Endeavor Content on behalf of the filmmakers, closed in the high seven-figure range, insiders added. “Sylvie’s Love’ marks Amazon’s third acquisition at the festival, alongside Alan Ball’s “Uncle Frank” and Phyllida Lloyd’s “Herself.” It’s unclear if Amazon intends to take the title out theatrically.
Directed by Eugene Ashe, the film follows two love birds (Thompson and Nnamdi Asomugha) through a turbulent decade set to the sounds of 1960s jazz.
“They don’t make ’em like this any more, innocent and escapist and scrubbed clean of contact with real grubby life. But then, given the poor history of black representation in the Hollywood movies of the Golden Age, ‘they’ never really did,” wrote...
- 2/5/2020
- by Matt Donnelly
- Variety Film + TV
The lineup for the 23rd annual Urbanworld Film Festival was announced Friday, with Tony-award winning broadway actor Cynthia Erivo and Emmy award-winning director Roger Ross Williams making appearances at the event, which is geared towards representing and celebrating diverse, international voices in film, music videos, television, screenplays and shorts.
Director and co-writer Kasi Lemmons will open the festival Sept 18 with her Focus Features biopic “Harriet,” following the influential life of abolitionist Harriet Tubman who led slaves to freedom through the Underground Railroad. Following the screening, star Erivo, Lemmons and executive producers Debra Martin Chase and Daniela Taplin Lundberg will discuss the film with CBS This Morning Saturday’s Michelle Miller moderating. Lemmons is this year’s festival ambassador.
Other notable films include HBO’s documentary “The Apollo,” which features archival footage to chronicle the history of Harlem’s landmark venue the Apollo Theater. A Q&a with director Williams and...
Director and co-writer Kasi Lemmons will open the festival Sept 18 with her Focus Features biopic “Harriet,” following the influential life of abolitionist Harriet Tubman who led slaves to freedom through the Underground Railroad. Following the screening, star Erivo, Lemmons and executive producers Debra Martin Chase and Daniela Taplin Lundberg will discuss the film with CBS This Morning Saturday’s Michelle Miller moderating. Lemmons is this year’s festival ambassador.
Other notable films include HBO’s documentary “The Apollo,” which features archival footage to chronicle the history of Harlem’s landmark venue the Apollo Theater. A Q&a with director Williams and...
- 8/30/2019
- by Mackenzie Nichols
- Variety Film + TV
Angela Zhou has been added to the cast of the Focus Features thriller, Promising Young Woman, joining stars Carey Mulligan and Bo Burnham as well as Alison Brie, Connie Britton, Adam Brody, Jennifer Coolidge, Laverne Cox, Max Greenfield, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Sam Richardson, and Molly Shannon. Emerald Fennell is directing the film based his own screenplay. It follows Cassie, who everyone said was a promising young woman until a tragic event abruptly derailed her future. Now she’s a medical school drop-out, living at home with her worried parents and working at a coffee shop with a concerned boss. It seems like she is at a standstill, except for the double life Cassie leads at night. Zhou will play Todd, a smart and watchful cop, who has been recently promoted to detective. Margot Robbie, Josey McNamara, and Tom Ackerley are producing the project under LuckyChap Entertainment banner with Fennell and FilmNation’s Ben Browning.
- 4/2/2019
- by Amanda N'Duka
- Deadline Film + TV
Ron Funches is headed to Harlem’s Jazz Age. The comedian and actor has joined the cast of Tessa Thompson and Nnamdi Asomugha’s love story, “Sylvie.”
The film, written and directed by Eugene Ashe, is described as a love story set in the cool jazz era of New York City in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
It follows Sylvie (Thompson) who meets aspiring saxophonist Robert (Asomugha) when he takes a job at her father’s record store in Harlem. After a summer romance that comes to an end, the two fatefully reconnect several years later and find that their feelings for each other have never disappeared.
Also Read: 10 Busiest Movie Actors of 2018, From Tessa Thompson to Michael B Jordan (Photos)
Funches’ role is being kept under wraps. “Sylvie” stars Thompson (“Creed”) and Asomugha (“Crown Heights”), both of whom will also produce. Asomugha will produce through his iAm21 Entertainment...
The film, written and directed by Eugene Ashe, is described as a love story set in the cool jazz era of New York City in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
It follows Sylvie (Thompson) who meets aspiring saxophonist Robert (Asomugha) when he takes a job at her father’s record store in Harlem. After a summer romance that comes to an end, the two fatefully reconnect several years later and find that their feelings for each other have never disappeared.
Also Read: 10 Busiest Movie Actors of 2018, From Tessa Thompson to Michael B Jordan (Photos)
Funches’ role is being kept under wraps. “Sylvie” stars Thompson (“Creed”) and Asomugha (“Crown Heights”), both of whom will also produce. Asomugha will produce through his iAm21 Entertainment...
- 3/28/2019
- by Trey Williams
- The Wrap
Exclusive: Wendi McLendon-Covey, who currently stars in ABC’s long-running comedy series, The Goldbergs, is taking a trip back to the cool jazz era of New York City in the late 1950s/early 1960s in the indie film, Sylvie. Written and directed by Eugene Ashe, the romance pic stars Tessa Thompson and Nnamdi Asomugha, who is also producing under his iAm21 Entertainment banner.
Thompson stars as title character Sylvie, who meets aspiring saxophonist Robert (Asomugha) when he takes a job at her father’s record store in Harlem. After a summer romance that comes to an end, the two fatefully reconnect several years later and find that their feelings for each other have never disappeared.
The supporting cast includes Eva Longoria, John Magaro, Aja Naomi King, Lance Reddick, Jemima Kirke, Mc Lyte, Alano Miller, Erica Gimpel, Tone Bell, Ryan Michelle Bathe, and Regé-Jean Page.
Jonathan Baker, Gabrielle Glore, and Matthew Thurm are also producing.
Thompson stars as title character Sylvie, who meets aspiring saxophonist Robert (Asomugha) when he takes a job at her father’s record store in Harlem. After a summer romance that comes to an end, the two fatefully reconnect several years later and find that their feelings for each other have never disappeared.
The supporting cast includes Eva Longoria, John Magaro, Aja Naomi King, Lance Reddick, Jemima Kirke, Mc Lyte, Alano Miller, Erica Gimpel, Tone Bell, Ryan Michelle Bathe, and Regé-Jean Page.
Jonathan Baker, Gabrielle Glore, and Matthew Thurm are also producing.
- 3/27/2019
- by Amanda N'Duka
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: John Magaro (The Umbrella Academy), Lance Reddick (John Wick franchise), Jemima Kirke (Girls), Mc Lyte (Patti Cake), Alano Miller (Underground), Erica Gimpel (God Friended Me), and Tone Bell (Little) have signed on to join the cast of Sylvie, the romantic Jazz Era film which is being led by Tessa Thompson and Nnamdi Asomugha. Filming is currently underway with Eugene Ashe at the helm, directing from his own script.
Set in the cool jazz era of New York City in the late 1950s/early 1960s, the plot follows Sylvie (Thompson) who meets aspiring saxophonist Robert (Asomugha) when he takes a job at her father’s record store in Harlem. After a summer romance that comes to an end, the two fatefully reconnect several years later and find that their feelings for each other have never disappeared.
Asomugha, via his iAm21 Entertainment label, is producing the project with Jonathan Baker, Gabrielle Glore,...
Set in the cool jazz era of New York City in the late 1950s/early 1960s, the plot follows Sylvie (Thompson) who meets aspiring saxophonist Robert (Asomugha) when he takes a job at her father’s record store in Harlem. After a summer romance that comes to an end, the two fatefully reconnect several years later and find that their feelings for each other have never disappeared.
Asomugha, via his iAm21 Entertainment label, is producing the project with Jonathan Baker, Gabrielle Glore,...
- 3/8/2019
- by Amanda N'Duka
- Deadline Film + TV
Eva Longoria has joined the cast of the forthcoming Tessa Thompson drama “Sylvie.”
From writer-director Eugene Ashe, the indie follows a young woman (Thompson) who meets an aspiring saxophonist (former NFL player and actor Nnamdi Asomugha) working at her father’s Harlem record shop in the storied New York jazz age of the late ’50s.
After a summer romance, the pair meet again years later and finds their flame never wavered.
Asomugha is producing through his iAm21 Entertainment banner alongside Jonathan Baker (“The Banker”), Gabrielle Glore (“Dirty Laundry”), and Matthew Thurm (“Crown Heights”). Thompson will serve as executive producer. Declan Quinn will serve as cinematographer.
Details of Longoria’s character are under wraps. The actress, who is mostly directing for television these days, is repped by CAA and Brillstein Entertainment Partners.
After years on ABC’s pop culture phenomenon “Desperate Housewives,” Longoria has worked largely behind the scenes in women and minority empowerment,...
From writer-director Eugene Ashe, the indie follows a young woman (Thompson) who meets an aspiring saxophonist (former NFL player and actor Nnamdi Asomugha) working at her father’s Harlem record shop in the storied New York jazz age of the late ’50s.
After a summer romance, the pair meet again years later and finds their flame never wavered.
Asomugha is producing through his iAm21 Entertainment banner alongside Jonathan Baker (“The Banker”), Gabrielle Glore (“Dirty Laundry”), and Matthew Thurm (“Crown Heights”). Thompson will serve as executive producer. Declan Quinn will serve as cinematographer.
Details of Longoria’s character are under wraps. The actress, who is mostly directing for television these days, is repped by CAA and Brillstein Entertainment Partners.
After years on ABC’s pop culture phenomenon “Desperate Housewives,” Longoria has worked largely behind the scenes in women and minority empowerment,...
- 3/7/2019
- by Matt Donnelly
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Ryan Michelle Bathe and Regé-Jean Page (Roots) are set to co-star opposite Tessa Thompson and Nnamdi Asomugha in Eugene Ashe’s Sylvie, a romance film set against the backdrop of the late 1950’s/early 1960’s New York City jazz era.
It follows Sylvie (Thompson) who meets aspiring saxophonist Robert (Asomugha) when he takes a job at her father’s record store in Harlem. After a summer romance that comes to an end, the two fatefully reconnect several years later and find that their feelings for each other have never disappeared.
Bathe will play Kate, the tough but fair producer of a TV cooking show who hires Sylvie as a production assistant and becomes a friend and mentor to her. Page is Chico, a drummer with the Dickie Brewster Quartet.
Asomugha is producing the project via his iAm21 Entertainment label along with Jonathan Baker, Gabrielle Glore,...
It follows Sylvie (Thompson) who meets aspiring saxophonist Robert (Asomugha) when he takes a job at her father’s record store in Harlem. After a summer romance that comes to an end, the two fatefully reconnect several years later and find that their feelings for each other have never disappeared.
Bathe will play Kate, the tough but fair producer of a TV cooking show who hires Sylvie as a production assistant and becomes a friend and mentor to her. Page is Chico, a drummer with the Dickie Brewster Quartet.
Asomugha is producing the project via his iAm21 Entertainment label along with Jonathan Baker, Gabrielle Glore,...
- 3/6/2019
- by Amanda N'Duka
- Deadline Film + TV
Tessa Thompson and Nnamdi Asomugha are set to star in the feature film “Sylvie.”
Eugene Ashe has written the screenplay and will direct with production currently underway.
The film is described as a love story set in the cool jazz era of New York City in the late 1950’s/early 1960’s. Sylvie (played by Thompson) meets aspiring saxophonist Robert (played by Asomugha) when he takes a job at her father’s record store in Harlem. After a summer romance comes to an end, the two fatefully reconnect several years later and find that their feelings for each other have never disappeared.
Asomugha will produce through his iAm21 Entertainment banner alongside Jonathan Baker (“The Banker”), Gabrielle Glore (“Dirty Laundry”), and Matthew Thurm (“Crown Heights”). Thompson will executive produce.
Thompson will next star in “Men in Black: International” this June, and was recently seen starring in “Creed II,” “Sorry to Bother You,...
Eugene Ashe has written the screenplay and will direct with production currently underway.
The film is described as a love story set in the cool jazz era of New York City in the late 1950’s/early 1960’s. Sylvie (played by Thompson) meets aspiring saxophonist Robert (played by Asomugha) when he takes a job at her father’s record store in Harlem. After a summer romance comes to an end, the two fatefully reconnect several years later and find that their feelings for each other have never disappeared.
Asomugha will produce through his iAm21 Entertainment banner alongside Jonathan Baker (“The Banker”), Gabrielle Glore (“Dirty Laundry”), and Matthew Thurm (“Crown Heights”). Thompson will executive produce.
Thompson will next star in “Men in Black: International” this June, and was recently seen starring in “Creed II,” “Sorry to Bother You,...
- 2/22/2019
- by Justin Kroll
- Variety Film + TV
Tessa Thompson and Nnamdi Asomugha are set to star in Sylvie, a period romance film, which they are also producers on. The pic, set in the cool jazz era of New York City in the late 1950’s/early 1960’s, is currently in production with Eugene Ashe (Homecoming) directing from a screenplay that he wrote.
It follows Sylvie (Thompson) who meets aspiring saxophonist Robert (Asomugha) when he takes a job at her father’s record store in Harlem. After a summer romance that comes to an end, the two fatefully reconnect several years later and find that their feelings for each other have never disappeared.
Asomugha, who produced and starred opposite Lakeith Stanfield in the Sundance award-winning Amazon Studios film Crown Heights, is producing the project via his iAm21 Entertainment label along with Jonathan Baker, Gabrielle Glore, and Matthew Thurm.
Thompson will serve as executive producer. She can be seen next starring in Sony’s spinoff,...
It follows Sylvie (Thompson) who meets aspiring saxophonist Robert (Asomugha) when he takes a job at her father’s record store in Harlem. After a summer romance that comes to an end, the two fatefully reconnect several years later and find that their feelings for each other have never disappeared.
Asomugha, who produced and starred opposite Lakeith Stanfield in the Sundance award-winning Amazon Studios film Crown Heights, is producing the project via his iAm21 Entertainment label along with Jonathan Baker, Gabrielle Glore, and Matthew Thurm.
Thompson will serve as executive producer. She can be seen next starring in Sony’s spinoff,...
- 2/22/2019
- by Amanda N'Duka
- Deadline Film + TV
Dirty Laundry
Is there nothing new under the sun, or are today's filmmakers depressingly short of original ideas?
This question arises while watching Dirty Laundry, a comedy-drama with alarming similarities to a relic from 1976, "Norman, Is That You?" In that film, Redd Foxx and Pearl Bailey were parents shocked to discover that their son was gay and living with a white lover. That's basically the same gimmick in this new film from writer-director Maurice Jamal.
Loretta Devine plays the matriarch of a Southern clan who is blind to her son's sexual orientation when he comes for a visit. The only addition to the stew is a bit left over from The Birdcage: When Sheldon (Rockmond Dunbar), a New York magazine writer, returns to his provincial clan in Georgia, he learns that he has a son from a one-night stand many years ago. As he tries to adjust to that discovery, his lover from New York shows up to complicate relations with his unruly extended family.
It may be that Jamal, who also co-stars as Sheldon's macho brother, tries to wear too many hats. The script actually has a number of promising characters, including Sheldon's sister and her sassy daughter; a highfalutin, hypocritical aunt (Jenifer Lewis); and a bunch of local yokels. Sheldon's effeminate lover, Ryan (Joey Costello), at first seems to be a stereotypical gay character, but when he coaches Sheldon's niece for a dance recital, Ryan proves to be more stalwart than first impressions suggested.
What sinks the movie is Jamal's ham-fisted direction. Much of Dirty Laundry plays like a theater piece, with long, static scenes that are clumsily staged and poorly shot. The film cries out for cinematic energy. There's one clever structural choice, when the film at one point jumps into flashback to show Sheldon's life in New York. But even here, it misses an opportunity to skewer the chic Manhattan magazine world. Sheldon's imperious editor is a potentially amusing character drawn much too broadly.
Performances are highly uneven. Dunbar comes off best; he's the one actor who works with subtlety and manages to convey Sheldon's perplexity while always retaining a measure of dignity. Devine and Lewis are fun, but their performances need to be taken down by several decibels. In fact, most of the actors could benefit from more adept direction.
Technically, the film is crude, with black-and-white flashbacks that add nothing to the brew. The film's plea for tolerance is commendable but would have more weight if only it were executed with more panache. While some family stories aimed at black audiences (like the recent hit This Christmas) have drawn an underexploited audience, Dirty Laundry is far too primitive to match the success of its predecessors.
DIRTY LAUNDRY
Code Black Entertainment
MoJAM Entertainment, iN-Hale Entertainment, Dirty Laundry Film
Credits:
Director-screenwriter: Maurice Jamal
Producers: Rockmond Dunbar, Re'Shaun Frear, Andre Robert Lee
Executive producers: Crystal McCrary Anthony, Gabrielle Glore, Maurice Jamal, Adrienne Lopez, Nathan Hale Williams
Directors of photography: Rory King, Liz Rubin
Production designer: Norval Johnson
Co-producers: Gene Graham, Tsia Moses, La Rivers
Costume designers: Lawrence Roach, Nicholaus Stansberry
Editor: Gene Graham
Cast:
Sheldon: Rockmond Dunbar
Evelyn: Loretta Devine
Aunt Letty: Jenifer Lewis
Jackie: Terri J. Vaughn
Eugene: Maurice Jamal
Abby: Sommore
Ryan: Joey Costello
Gabriel: Aaron Grady Shaw
Running time -- 106 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
This question arises while watching Dirty Laundry, a comedy-drama with alarming similarities to a relic from 1976, "Norman, Is That You?" In that film, Redd Foxx and Pearl Bailey were parents shocked to discover that their son was gay and living with a white lover. That's basically the same gimmick in this new film from writer-director Maurice Jamal.
Loretta Devine plays the matriarch of a Southern clan who is blind to her son's sexual orientation when he comes for a visit. The only addition to the stew is a bit left over from The Birdcage: When Sheldon (Rockmond Dunbar), a New York magazine writer, returns to his provincial clan in Georgia, he learns that he has a son from a one-night stand many years ago. As he tries to adjust to that discovery, his lover from New York shows up to complicate relations with his unruly extended family.
It may be that Jamal, who also co-stars as Sheldon's macho brother, tries to wear too many hats. The script actually has a number of promising characters, including Sheldon's sister and her sassy daughter; a highfalutin, hypocritical aunt (Jenifer Lewis); and a bunch of local yokels. Sheldon's effeminate lover, Ryan (Joey Costello), at first seems to be a stereotypical gay character, but when he coaches Sheldon's niece for a dance recital, Ryan proves to be more stalwart than first impressions suggested.
What sinks the movie is Jamal's ham-fisted direction. Much of Dirty Laundry plays like a theater piece, with long, static scenes that are clumsily staged and poorly shot. The film cries out for cinematic energy. There's one clever structural choice, when the film at one point jumps into flashback to show Sheldon's life in New York. But even here, it misses an opportunity to skewer the chic Manhattan magazine world. Sheldon's imperious editor is a potentially amusing character drawn much too broadly.
Performances are highly uneven. Dunbar comes off best; he's the one actor who works with subtlety and manages to convey Sheldon's perplexity while always retaining a measure of dignity. Devine and Lewis are fun, but their performances need to be taken down by several decibels. In fact, most of the actors could benefit from more adept direction.
Technically, the film is crude, with black-and-white flashbacks that add nothing to the brew. The film's plea for tolerance is commendable but would have more weight if only it were executed with more panache. While some family stories aimed at black audiences (like the recent hit This Christmas) have drawn an underexploited audience, Dirty Laundry is far too primitive to match the success of its predecessors.
DIRTY LAUNDRY
Code Black Entertainment
MoJAM Entertainment, iN-Hale Entertainment, Dirty Laundry Film
Credits:
Director-screenwriter: Maurice Jamal
Producers: Rockmond Dunbar, Re'Shaun Frear, Andre Robert Lee
Executive producers: Crystal McCrary Anthony, Gabrielle Glore, Maurice Jamal, Adrienne Lopez, Nathan Hale Williams
Directors of photography: Rory King, Liz Rubin
Production designer: Norval Johnson
Co-producers: Gene Graham, Tsia Moses, La Rivers
Costume designers: Lawrence Roach, Nicholaus Stansberry
Editor: Gene Graham
Cast:
Sheldon: Rockmond Dunbar
Evelyn: Loretta Devine
Aunt Letty: Jenifer Lewis
Jackie: Terri J. Vaughn
Eugene: Maurice Jamal
Abby: Sommore
Ryan: Joey Costello
Gabriel: Aaron Grady Shaw
Running time -- 106 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
- 12/4/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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