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Producers Tyler Perry and DeVon Franklin are bringing the story of Ruth and Boaz into the present with Ruth & Boaz, a modern-day retelling of the biblical love story, and the chemistry is palpable in a new photo of the titular couple.

Directed by Alanna Brown (Trees of Peace) and written by Michael Elliot (Brown Sugar) and Cory Tynan (Play’d), the upcoming film is part of Franklin and Tyler Perry Studios’ creative partnership with Netflix, in which they’ll produce faith-based films under a multi-year and multi-picture first-look deal. Ruth & Boaz is executive-produced by Angi Bones, Tony L. Strickland, and Bart Lipton.

“I’m so excited to be working with DeVon on this and future projects,” Perry told Netflix. “I think in this polarizing world, and at a time when the world seems to be growing colder every day, we both share the common goal of wanting to spread some good.

It is the year of Tyler Perry on Netflix. The person who writes, directs, produces, and stars in some of your favorite films and series' ever is about to bring viewers five films or series from his production company. In every one of them, except one, Perry will direct, write, and produce.

The amount of work that Perry can churn out is impressive. The fact that nearly everything he touches is of high quality is even more impressive. Plus, he isn't locked into only comedy or drama. He can do anything.

His work has only arguably gotten better, too. Last year, Netflix released his excellent The Six Triple Eight. His series, Zatima, is fantastic. Here are five other likely great things to watch from Perry on Netflix this year.

The year of Tyler Perry on Netflix is going to give us a lot of excellenceBeauty in Black season 1 part 2 (March...

Tyler Perry has set his 2025 TV and film slate at Netflix and it includes two new projects: the film Madea’s Destination Wedding and the TV series, She the People. This is Perry’s second Madea project with the streaming following A Madea Homecoming released in 2022.

Madea’s Destination Wedding follows Brian and his ex-wife Debrah who are shocked to learn their daughter Tiffany is engaged to a rapper she met on a yacht—and the wedding is in two weeks. Madea and her crew head to the Bahamas, stirring up chaos and heartwarming fun.

The cast includes writer, director and producer Tyler Perry, Cassi Davis Patton, David Mann, Tamela Mann, Taja V. Simpson, Diamond White, Jermaine Harris and Xavier Smalls. Angi Bones and Yolanda T. Cochran also produce.

The first-look photo of the film can be found above.

She the People follows Lieutenant Governor candidate Antoinette Dunkerson, who runs...

Tyler Perry Studios and DeVon Franklin have set the cast and director of their first faith-based film for Netflix, under their deal with the streamer revealed in May.

R&b stars Serayah (Empire), Tyler Lepley (Harlem), Phylicia Rashad (The Gilded Age), Walnette Santiago (Doom Patrol), Nijah Brenea (Kold x Windy), James Lee Thomas (One Spoon of Chocolate), Kenneth ‘Babyface’ Edmonds, Jermaine Dupri (Genius: Aretha) and Lecrae Moore. Alanna Brown (Trees of Peace) will take on directing duties.

From writers Michael Elliot (Brown Sugar) and Cory Tynan (Play’d), R&b is a modern-day retelling of the story of Ruth and Boaz, a love story from the Bible. Set in Tennessee, the film tells the story of a young woman who escapes the Atlanta music scene to care for an elderly widowed woman and in the process finds the love of her life and gains the mother she never had.

DeVon...

Netflix has found its Ruth and Boaz.

Serayah, Tyler Lepley and Phylicia Rashad are set to lead the ensemble cast of “R&b,” the first film out of the streaming giant’s creative partnership to produce faith-based films with DeVon Franklin and Tyler Perry Studios.

Alanna Brown will direct the modern-day retelling of the iconic biblical love story following Ruth and Boaz. Set in Tennessee, “R&b” is about a young woman who escapes the Atlanta music scene to care for an elderly widowed woman, and in the process finds the love of her life and gains the mother she never had.

Michael Elliot (“Brown Sugar”) and Cory Tynan (“Play’d”) penned the script for the project, which will be produced by Franklin and Perry. Angi Bones, Tony L. Strickland and Bart Lipton executive produce.

Walnette Santiago, Nijah Brenea, James Lee Thomas, Kenneth ‘Babyface’ Edmonds, Jermaine Dupri and Lecrae Moore round out the cast.

When “Trees of Peace,” a drama set during the 1994 Rwandan genocide, surged into the top 10 English-language films on Netflix in June, some may have been amazed that a low-budget, albeit critically acclaimed indie was among the most-watched movies of the week. But executive producer Nicole Avant (“The Black Godfather”) wasn’t among them.

“It was incredible. I was surprised how quickly it got so much attention, but I wasn’t surprised,” Avant tells Variety about learning that the film racked up more than 9.3 million hours viewed in those first few days.

To Avant, the numbers indicated that audiences was ready for and interested in stories like this, despite its heavy subject matter.

“We’ve all felt pretty beaten up for many years, with all this social unrest happening in the United States and everywhere around the world, and just so much negativity,” she explains. “Then here comes this film about strength,...

Photo: ‘Trees of Peace’ Netflix has just released its next gem of a film - and it is not for the faint of heart. Nowadays, films are praised for their blockbuster appeal and star quality, however, writer/director Alanna Brown has snuck under the radar and onto the scene to present the world with this must-see story of survival and sisterhood, ‘Trees of Peace.’ Set in 1994, Rwanda, during the genocide against the Tutsi, the film centers around four women from different walks of life who must hide together in a cramped storage room. Inspired by true events, the film does not shy away from the horrors these women endure, yet it also emphasizes the need for peace and love in the world. Related Video: Full Commentary on 'Top Gun: Maverick': Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer, Jennifer Connelly, Miles Teller Related video: 'Top Gun: Maverick' Full Premiere Reactions: Tom Cruise,...

"It feels like a lifetime in this room, but I have never known..." Netflix has debuted a trailer for Trees of Peace, a true story film available for streaming later this summer. Four women from different backgrounds forge an unbreakable sisterhood while trapped and in hiding during the genocide in Rwanda. Inspired by true events. This premiered at film festivals last year, including at the American Black Film Festival in the fall, where it won the John Singleton Award for Best First Feature Film. In April of 1994, four women from different backgrounds and beliefs are trapped and hiding during the Genocide Against the Tutsi in Rwanda. Their fight for survival against all odds unites the women in an unbreakable sisterhood. Starring Eliane Umuhire, Charmaine Bingwa, Ella Cannon, Bola Koleosho, and Tongayi Chirisa. This really looks quite beautiful, a heart-wrenching story about the struggle of survival and resilience. See the preview below.

Streamer plans summer debut for Alanna Brown’s award-winning feature debut.

Netflix has acquired worldwide rights to Alanna Brown’s drama about the genocide in Rwanda Trees Of Peace.

The film won the top three jury prizes at American Black Film Festival including the John Singleton Award for best first feature and earned the top jury award at Santa Barbara International Film Festival after it premiered there last year.

Trees Of Peace is inspired by actual events and follows four women from different backgrounds who forge an unbreakable bond while trapped during the violence in Rwanda in 1994. Netflix plans to debut the film this summer.

The 25th American Black Film Festival is shifting from a hybrid to a fully online event, Jeff Friday Media (Jfm) announced today.

The festival, which runs from Nov. 3-14, 2021 will be available digitally on ABFF’s custom-built online platform, abffplay.com, providing artists, filmmakers, movie fans and audiences the opportunity to come together virtually to celebrate ABFF’s 25th year of showcasing the best in Black cinema and television.

“As we were enthusiastically planning our 25th anniversary celebration and return to Miami Beach, we couldn’t ignore the ongoing spread of Covid-19 and now the Delta variant,” Jeff Friday, CEO Jeff Friday Media and founder, ABFF Ventures LLC, said announcing shift.

“Our national health crisis is at the forefront of our minds and we must responsively adapt. For the health and safety of our attendees, supporters and staff, we’ve made the difficult decision to pivot to a virtual event this year,...

Blindspotting creators Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal joined writers Priscila García-Jacquier, Alanna Brown, Nijla Mumin and actor Benjamin Earl Turner on Saturday to talk about the unique challenges adapting a film for television.

The show is a spinoff of the 2018 film of the same name written and produced by Casal and Diggs. The half-hour dramedy premiered June 13 with new episodes 9Pm Est every Sunday.

The series centers on Ashley (Cephas Jones), who was nipping at the heels of a middle-class life in Oakland until Miles, her partner of 12 years and father of their son, is suddenly incarcerated, leaving her to navigate a chaotic and humorous existential crisis when she’s forced to move in with Miles’ mother and half-sister.

On adapting the movie to a series, the Hamilton co-star initially turned down the offer from Lionsgate only to realize Ashley’s character deserved more time on screen, motivating him to write more material for her.

Michael Sugar’s Sugar23 continues to grow as the management firm has hired Sukee Chew, Anna Weinstein and Alex Creasia.

Chew comes to Sugar23 a seasoned industry veteran with 20 years of experience as a producer and an arsenal of talented screenwriters and filmmakers on her roster. She had previously set up three projects with Sugar23, and due to their camaraderie, and her admiration for the team, she jumped at the opportunity to join the company, which is growing in all forms of media.

“Having already been in business with Sukee on a number of projects, bringing her in-house felt like the right and natural next step for both of us,” Sugar said. “Her impeccable eye for talent, taste in material and overall humanity makes her the perfect fit and we are absolutely thrilled to welcome Sukee to our team.”

Chew, Weinstein and Creasia join recent manager hires Katrina Escudero, Jake Fleischman and David Jimenez-Katsman,...

Hulu released first look images for comedic murder-mystery series ‘Only Murders in the Building,” which premieres Aug. 31.

The show stars Steven Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez as three strangers who are all obsessed with true crime and suddenly find themselves wrapped up in one when a grisly death occurs inside their Upper West Side apartment building. Suspecting murder, the trio dive into an investigation of their own, documenting the case along the way via podcast. They unravel the complex secrets of the building, all the while telling lies of their own. Realizing a killer may live among them, they race to decipher the mounting clues before it’s too late.

“Only Murders in the Building” comes from writers John Hoffman and Martin, who serve as executive producers alongside Short, Gomez, Jamie Babbitt, Dan Fogelman and Jess Rosenthal. The cast also includes Amy Ryan and Aaron Dominguez. See the first look images below.

Alaskan Nets, a documentary executive produced by Chris Pratt that centers on confluence of high school boys basketball and the culture of fishing on a Native reserve in remote Southeast Alaska, has won the audience award at the Santa Barbara Film Festival.

The 36th annual festival, which ran a hybrid in-person/virtual event that began March 31, wraps today with the unveiling of its juried awards. Alaskan Nets, directed by Jeff Harasimowicz, won the Audience Choice Award among a total of 11 categories that were represented.

“To say we are thrilled to win the audience choice award would be a vast understatement,” Harasimowicz said. “To see this film resonate with audiences is a deeply humbling experience. We are so honored to have had this special opportunity to share Alaskan Nets in Santa Barbara and I know it’s an experience my team, our families and the entire community of Metlakatla will never forget.

The documentary “Alaskan Nets,” set on a remote island where the Tsimshian Indians are focused on fishing and basketball, has won the Audience Choice Award at the 2021 Santa Barbara International Film Festival, Sbiff organizers announced on Saturday.

The festival ran from March 31 through April 10 with a combination of virtual presentations and drive-in screenings in the coastal town north of Los Angeles. Audience members who viewed films both online and in drive-ins were eligible to vote for the Audience Choice Award.

The festival also announced an array of jury awards that were chosen by jurors Tony Anselmo, Antwone Fisher, David Freid, Li Cheng, Geoffrey Cowper, Patricia Rosema, Siqi Song, Mark Stafford, Rita Taggart, Paul Walter Hauser, Anthony and Arnette Zerbe. The Sbiff Best Documentary Award went to Nina Stefanka’s “Mirage” (“Miraggio”), a chronicle of West African refugees in Rome, while the award for the best international feature was given to...

The Santa Barbara Film Festival will open with the world premiere of Aaron Maurer’s documentary Invisible Valley, which profiles the stories of the disparate people that make up the Coachella Valley. It kicks off a festival that will run March 31-April 10 with a hybrid edition that includes online elements and screenings at a pair of pop-up beachside drive-in venues.

The full lineup revealed Tuesday features 47 world premieres and 37 U.S. premieres from 45 countries alongside the fest’s annual tributes featuring the likes of Bill Murray, Carey Mulligan, Sacha Baron Cohen and Amanda Seyfried which will be livestreamed online.

Every film screening will be offered for free this year, with a ticketed online component that will showcase the entire film lineup along with the tributes, industry panels and filmmaker Q&As.

The fest will close with a series of short documentaries by local filmmakers.

Here’s the trailer for Invisible Valley,...