News

In honor of Juneteenth, we’ve gathered a list of special programming across several networks to commemorate the holiday that celebrates the day in 1865 when Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas, and delivered the news that all enslaved people were free. Juneteenth is still not recognized as a federal holiday, but it is recognized by several states — and this year, many companies are declaring it a paid holiday in light of the Black Lives Matter movement and national protesting that has taken place following the death of George Floyd.

This special programming celebrates black history and educates viewers on the history of the black experience in the United States.

Ovation 24-hour programming block

Starting at 6 a.m. Et, Ovation is presenting a 24-hour programming schedule featuring black voices like Beyoncé, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Alfre Woodard, Michelle Obama and Pharrell Williams. Programming includes “Nina Simone, The Legend,...

After exploring the world of the documentary for the past few years, with films such as the controversial “Dark Girls”, actor/director Bill Duke (“Hoodlums”, “Sister Act 2”, “Deep Cover”, “A Rage in Harlem”) is returning to direct feature films, with… Continue Reading →...

Up next for D. Channsin Berry (director/producer - along with Bill Duke - of the much-discussed documentary "Dark Girls"), is another feature documentary that will tackle another controversial subject, and will surely also generate a lot of conversation.  Titled "The Church House: Sexuality in The Black Church," according to Berry, his motivation for making the film was that he grew tired "of friends and family and others being disappointed with the church... No one wants to talk about Sex, and the debacle involving Eddie Long was the tipping point on the subject for me. This is not a witch hunt, but it is a progressive history lesson of the...

My cable TV provider doesn't carry the Own network, so I didn't watch it last night. But I will eventually... somehow. For those who did tune in, what did you make of "Light Girls," Bill Duke's follow-up to his acclaimed documentary, "Dark Girls," which premiered last night, providing what the network promised would be an in-depth look into colorism and the untold stories of lighter-skinned women around the globe, exploring skin color from historical, sociological, psychological and scientific perspectives, providing a global analysis, addressing contemporary issues like bullying, skin bleaching, and the popular "#teamlightskin versus #teamdarkskin" that...

Making its world premier as part of Own Network's month-long celebration in January honoring civil rights legends who paved the way, will be "Light Girls," Bill Duke's follow-up to his acclaimed documentary, "Dark Girls," which will air tonight, Monday, January 19 at 9 pm Et/Pt, featuring an in-depth look into colorism and the untold stories of lighter-skinned women around the globe, in contrast to "Dark Girls" and its focus on the stories of darker-skinned women. Duke describes "Light Girls" as a study of the advantages and disadvantages of being a light-skinned woman, tackling the question: Does light skin make for an easier life?  The...

Raven-Symoné revealed a surprising confession. In the new documentary Light Girls (the sequel to the Dark Girls documentary that premiered on Own in 2013), light-skinned African-American women open up about their experiences with colorism, the former Disney star confessed that she used to tan multiple times a week to try and darken her skin while shooting That's So Raven. "When I had my own show, I used to tan three or four times a week in a tanning bed to get darker," she said. "I did." However, the actress was asked to stop because of the way it was affecting production. "It's funny, one of the lighting guys came up—I love him to death; I love him, oh my...

Instead of me yapping, I'll let the award-winning filmmaker (D. Channsin Berry), who I'm sure some of you are familiar with, do that for himself, since he does it so eloquently and humbly in the video below. Details on the project (image above is of the starring cast, which Berry mentions in the pitch video): What happens when the family drama starts with sibling rivalry and ends with parental loyalty? From the critically acclaimed and award winning Director and Producer of “The Black Line” (series) “Crossing Over…The Sam Cooke Story” and “Dark Girls,” D. Channsin Berry (Urban Winter Entertainment), comes a new family drama about sibling rivalry and what happens when a parent’s love...

Amy Adams‘ Today interview gets scrapped after actress doesn’t want to discuss the Sony leaks, Gone Girl star Kim Dickens will be the female lead in The Walking Dead spinoff, Kris and Kendall Jenner have mother-daughter time on set for their Love magazine shoot, and more in today’s First Dibs.

Amy Adams gets booted off Today after refusing to discuss the Sony leaks. [Complex] Gone Girl‘s Kim Dickens is cast as the female lead in the spinoff of The Walking Dead. [EW] Kris and Kendall Jenner have creepy/sexy mother-daughter time on set for Love magazine. Jackie Chan’s son is arrested in Beijing and may spend three years in prison for possessing marijuana.[Variety] Reese Witherspoon attributes her “floundering” in the movie world to her divorce from Ryan Phillippe. [Gawker] Light Girls, the follow-up to Bill Duke’s Dark Girls documentary, will air January 19 on Own. [The Root] Will Smith and The Wolf of Wall Street...

Amy Adams‘ Today interview gets scrapped after actress doesn’t want to discuss the Sony leaks, Gone Girl star Kim Dickens will be the female lead in The Walking Dead spinoff, Kris and Kendall Jenner have mother-daughter time on set for their Love magazine shoot, and more in today’s First Dibs.

Amy Adams gets booted off Today after refusing to discuss the Sony leaks. [Complex] Gone Girl‘s Kim Dickens is cast as the female lead in the spinoff of The Walking Dead. [EW] Kris and Kendall Jenner have creepy/sexy mother-daughter time on set for Love magazine. Jackie Chan’s son is arrested in Beijing and may spend three years in prison for possessing marijuana.[Variety] Reese Witherspoon attributes her “floundering” in the movie world to her divorce from Ryan Phillippe. [Gawker] Light Girls, the follow-up to Bill Duke’s Dark Girls documentary, will air January 19 on Own. [The Root] Will Smith and The Wolf of Wall Street...

Making its world premier as part of Own Network's month-long celebration in January honoring civil rights legends who paved the way, will be "Light Girls," Bill Duke's follow-up to his acclaimed documentary "Dark Girls," which will air on Monday, January 19 at 9 pm Et/Pt, featuring an in-depth look into colorism and the untold stories of lighter-skinned women around the globe, in contrast to "Dark Girls" and its focus on the stories of darker-skinned women. Duke describes "Light Girls" as a study of the advantages and disadvantages of being a light-skinned woman, tackling the question: Does light skin make for an easier life?  The...

Reiterating a suggestion I previously made... if you're a filmmaker/producer/distributor reading this, and your film is streaming on Netflix, please let me know. Netflix unfortunately doesn't have what I feel should be a more efficient search/sort method, and it can be quite a chore trying to find something worth watching. So, help me out if you can. The same goes for non-filmmakers. If you stumble across any titles that you think should be featured in this series, let me know! Without further ado, here is this week's list of 5: 1 - The much-discussed feature documentary Dark Girls, directed by Bill Duke and D. Channsin Berry - a film that's more like...

The 45th Annual NAACP Image Awards went off without a hitch earlier this evening (February 22) with "12 Years a Slave" continuing to make waves snagging the biggest prize of the night.

Before her film won Outstanding Motion Picture, the gorgeous Lupita Nyong'o added another piece of hardware to her already impressive collection taking home a trophy for Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture, while Kerry Washington snagged up her second Image Award with a win for Best Actress in a Dramatic Series. Kerry's show "Scandal" also won Outstanding Drama Series.

In addition, the hilarious Kevin Hart took home Entertainer of the Year, while Oprah Winfrey paid tribute to the late Nelson Mandela with a touching speech and musical dedication.

"He was everything we have all have heard and more. He was humble and he was unscathed by any kind of bitterness after all that we know he's been through," Winfrey said.

The 45th NAACP Image Awards were presented Saturday night (Feb. 22), with names like Kevin Hart, Kerry Washington, "12 Years a Slave" director Steve McQueen and Lupita Nyong'o being honored.

The Image Awards pay tribute to the best in film, TV, writing, music and literature. Take a look at the full list of winners below.

Winners are in bold.

Entertainer of the Year

Kevin Hart

Film

Outstanding Motion Picture

"12 Years A Slave" "Fruitvale Station""Lee Daniels' The Butler""Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom""The Best Man Holiday" 

Outstanding Actor in a Motion Picture

Forest Whitaker - "Lee Daniels' The Butler"Chadwick Boseman - "42"Chiwetel Ejiofor - "12 Years A Slave"Idris Elba - "Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom"Michael B. Jordan - "Fruitvale Station"

Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture

Angela Bassett - "Black Nativity"Halle Berry - "The Call"Jennifer Hudson - "Winnie Mandela"Kerry Washington - "Tyler Perry Presents Peeples"Nicole Beharie...

Hollywood favors lighter-skinned actresses, but Lupita's success with 12 Years a Slave and her personal style are illuminating

Lupita Nyong'o seems to be the current "it" girl in the media. Her stellar performance as Patsey in Steve McQueen's award-winning movie 12 Years a Slave received rave reviews. (Many are baffled as to how Lupita Nyong'o lost the recent Global Globe award for best supporting actress in a motion picture to Jennifer Lawrence.) Her beauty and indisputable sense of style has fashion designers clamoring to clothe her. Her gorgeous, dark-chocolate skin tone being featured on magazine covers has women around the world celebrating.

Lupita Nyong'o, the 30-year-old, Mexican-born, Kenyan actress, is easy to love for multiple reasons. But for black women especially, she is a welcome sight in a public media eye that tends to obscure the beauty of dark-skinned women, an acknowledged issue in Hollywood circles. Supermodel Tyra Banks devoted an...

Adding their picks to the awards season deluge, the 45th Annual NAACP Image Awards unveiled the official list of nominees.

Not surprisingly, “The Butler” will compete in categories including Outstanding Motion Picture, Outstanding Actor, Outstanding Supporting Actor & Actress and Writing.

Meanwhile, Kerry Washington’s “Scandal” is up for Outstanding Drama Series, and Ms. Washington herself received a nod for Outstanding Actress in a Drama Series.

NAACP Chairman Roslyn M. Brock gushed, “This has been an incredible year from the artistic community, with phenomenal contributions across the board from the music, television, motion picture, and literature genres that have the power and impact to drive social change.”

The 45th Annual NAACP Image Awards will go live on Friday, February 21st.

And the nominees are:

Television

Outstanding Comedy Series

"House of Lies" (Showtime)

"Modern Family" (ABC)

"Real Husbands of Hollywood" (Bet)

"The Game" (Bet)

"The Soul Man" (TV Land)

Outstanding Actor in...

Updates, via press release on D. Channsin Berry's upcoming projects, which we first alerted you to last summer, in addition to an announcement of a dramatic feature film he's developing, which Viola Davis is attached to star in, titled, Martin Lane. D. Channsin Berry, Director/Producer of the much-discussed feature documentary, Dark Girls, which premiered on Own last summer, is set to continue the genre with the announcement of his forthcoming documentaries, The Black Line…Profile of the African-American Woman…part 3, and The Church House…Sexuality and the Black Church. With the success of the "FilmTour" event format used initially with "The Black Line...profile of The...

Actor and director Bill Duke, who most recently made a splash with his documentary Dark Girls, made an appearance on Black Hollywood Live's Portraits interview show last Friday - a conversation I thought was worth sharing, given topics discussed, and industry veteran Duke's typically very candid ways. Among subjects discussed... Duke talks about what has been dubbed a historic year for black films, and what black participation at the 2014 Oscars might look like. “Do I welcome the fact that these films are being recognized? Yes. Do I think there’s great work that’s been done on these films? Yes. My hope, and I guess is a naive hope, that because of the financial success of these pictures and...

One Village Entertainment, an entity of Rlj Entertainment has announced the DVD release of the much-talked about documentary Dark Girls, directed by Bill Duke and D. Channsin Berry.  Dark Girls will be available on DVD on September 24, 2013, at an estimated price of about $15, although no word on any extra features. This feels like the kind of film that should come with tons of extras.It aired on Own two months ago, after a lengthy film festival run. If you missed that broadcast, well, now you'll have another chance.

In many parts of the world, people are judged not just by their skin color but also by their skin tone. The devaluing of dark-skinned women, which is discussed in the documentary "Dark Girls," is something that hits close to home for African-American actresses in Hollywood as well.

For Alfre Woodard, Viola Davis, Phylicia Rashad and Gabrielle Union, the light skin vs. dark skin debate is one that is still prevalent in the entertainment industry, which they discuss on an episode of "Oprah's Next Chapter."

Oprah asks, "Is that still a major part of the way people think in this town?"

"Absolutely," Davis responds.

"In this town and in our community," Woodard adds.

Oprah then brings up something that [the woman] had shared with her earlier about being discouraged from auditioning for certain roles. "There were times when even your own people… would say, 'No, you can't go for that role because...

So it aired last night on Own, and many more of you finally got to see it, after over a year on the film festival circuit. Of course I'm referring to the broadcast premiere of Bill Duke's and D. Channsin Berry's documentary, Dark Girls. Given how active my Twitter and Facebook feeds were over the 2-hour period, I can only guess that the broadcast was/will be a ratings coup for Own. When I receive the usual ratings press release today or tomorrow, it'll certainly be posted here. By the way, if you didn't see it last night on Own, I'm sure it'll air again soon. It will also be released on DVD on September 24. I've already reviewed the film (read...

This is one of the documentaries being developed by D. Channsin Berry, director/producer (along with Bill Duke) of the much-discussed documentary Dark Girls.  The Church House: Sexuality in The Black Church, which will surely be discussed and debated due to its controversial premise, has released its first poster.According to Barry, his motivation for making the film was that he grew tired "of friends and family and others being disappointed with the church... No one wants to talk about Sex, and the debacle involving Eddie Long was the tipping point on the subject for me. This is not a witch hunt, but it is a progressive history lesson of the Black Church...

2 more short teases from Own network's broadcast of Oprah Winfrey's hour-long in-depth conversation with 4 black actresses as they each open up about the challenges, criticism and competition they face as black actresses today: Alfre Woodard, Viola Davis, Phylicia Rashad and Gabrielle Union.  The episode of Oprah's Next Chapter, will air this Sunday, 9pm, and will be immediately followed by Dark Girls. Yesterday Tambay posed a survey question: What do you hope is covered during the hour-long conversation? What would you like to see Oprah and the 4 actresses discuss, even though the episode has already been shot? In addition to competition amongst black actresses, which...

Here's a short tease from Own network's broadcast of Oprah Winfrey's hour-long in-depth conversation with 4 black actresses as they each open up about the challenges, criticism and competition they face as black actresses today: Alfre Woodard, Viola Davis, Phylicia Rashad and Gabrielle Union.  The episode of Oprah's Next Chapter, will air this Sunday, 9pm, and will be immediately followed by Dark Girls. A survey question: What do you hope is covered during the hour-long conversation? What would you like to see Oprah and the 4 actresses discuss, even though the episode has already been shot? Before you reply to that question, watch the below clip in which Woodard talks...

Immediately prior to Own network's broadcast premiere of Bill Duke's and D. Channsin Berry's documentary, Dark Girls, which is set for Sunday, June 23rd, at 10pm Et, Oprah will sit down for an in-depth conversation with 4 black actresses: Alfre Woodard, Viola Davis, Phylicia Rashad and Gabrielle Union.  The hour-long episode of Oprah's Next Chapter, will air at 9pm, on June 23rd, and will be immediately followed by Dark Girls. Look for the iconic actresses to open up about the challenges, criticism and competition they face as African American women in the entertainment industry. Watch a preview:...

D. Channsin Berry, director/producer (along with Bill Duke) of the much-discussed documentary Dark Girls, has provided details on 2 upcoming documentaries he's currently developing.First, The Black Line… Profile Of The African American Woman… Part 3, said to be the third installment of Berry’s series on the condition, mindset, and voice of the modern African American, focusing especially on women (as Dark Girls does), which Berry says will discuss sensitive topics like cancer, sexuality, hue bias, urban violence, and hope for a better future. "This particular film is done in a more relaxed, mature manner. Groups of women giving one another...

We've already alerted you to Own network's broadcast premiere date for Bill Duke's and D. Channsin Berry's documentary, Dark Girls, which is set for Sunday, June 23rd, at 10pm Et. If your cable TV provider doesn't carry the Own network, or, like me, you just don't have cable TV, you should know that it's been announced, via press release, that the film will be released on DVD on September 24 - just about months after its broadcast premiere. It seems like a little while to wait for it after its TV premiere; I would've expected the home video release (including VOD, which is all the rage these days, as DVD sales continue to slide) to happen...

We now have an exact day and time for the Own network broadcast premiere date for Bill Duke's and D. Channsin Berry's documentary, Dark Girls.  It was on May 1 when it was revealed that the film would be heading to Oprah Winfrey's burgeoning network in June, but no specific details were available at the time. We've now learned that Dark Girls will premiere on Own on Sunday, June 23rd, at 10pm Et. The film had been traveling the film festival circuit since its Tiff debut in the fall of 2011, and, at one time, seemed like it would get a theatrical release, but that never happened. So if you didn't see it while it toured the festival...

@oprah Check out the artwork for @realbillduke's latest documentary #DarkGirls - world premiering this June on @owntv twitter.com/OneVillageEnt/…— One Village (@OneVillageEnt) April 30, 2013 Based on the above tweet posted last night by One Village Entertainment, it looks like Bill Duke's documentary, Dark Girls (which we've been following since mid-2011) is heading to Oprah Winfrey's Own network (the other black TV network) this June. It's been traveling the film festival circuit since its Tiff debut in the fall of 2011, and, at one time, seemed like it would get a theatrical release, but that never happened. So if you didn't see it while it toured the festival circuit,...

Trailers are an under-appreciated art form insofar that many times they’re seen as vehicles for showing footage, explaining films away, or showing their hand about what moviegoers can expect. Foreign, domestic, independent, big budget: I celebrate all levels of trailers and hopefully this column will satisfactorily give you a baseline of what beta wave I’m operating on, because what better way to hone your skills as a thoughtful moviegoer than by deconstructing these little pieces of advertising? Some of the best authors will tell you that writing a short story is a lot harder than writing a long one, that you have to weigh every sentence. What better medium to see how this theory plays itself out beyond that than with movie trailers? Eye Of The Storm Trailer I like this kind of story, I do. It's familiar territory, to be sure, but if there's someone who I...

There are a couple of reasons for revisiting the Toronto International Film Festival's lineup for its documentary program, Real to Reel. One of them is Aj Schnack's interview with Thom Powers, Tiff's Documentary and Mavericks Programmer, posted just hours after the Mavericks lineup was announced on Tuesday. Discussing the highlights of both programs, they touch on another reason: Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory is making all sorts of headlines. Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky's third film chronicling the odyssey of Damien Echols, Jason Baldwin and Jessie Misskelley Jr, aka the West Memphis Three, through the labyrinth of the Us legal system, follows Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills (1996) and Paradise Lost 2: Revelations (2000). All three films deal with what Powers calls in his Programmer's Note "an 18-year-old murder case that has become an iconic example of a legal witch hunt." In 1993, when all three men were still teens,...

News is rolling out of Toronto for this year's festival, with the Galas and the Special Presentations sections announced.  As always with Tiff, the sheer number of films can seem overwhelming, but with new films by David Cronenberg (A Dangerous Method, pictured above), Terence Davies (!), Francis Ford Coppola, Wang Xiaoshuai, Marjane Satrapi & Vincent Paronnaud, and William Friedkin added to big names that premiered already this year (including Almodóvar, Von Trier, Nanni Moretti, and Nicolas Winding Refn) it looks like the 2011 iteration will be as packed with must-see cinema as ever before.  We'll be updating this listing as new lineups are announced.  See Tiff's official website for details.

Galas

Albert Nobbs (Rodrigo Garcia, Ireland) Butter (Jim Field Smith, USA) A Dangerous Method (David Cronenberg, France/Ireland/UK/Germany/Canada) From the Sky Down (Davis Guggenheim, USA) A Happy Event (Rémi Bezançon, France) The Ides of March (George Clooney, USA) The Lady (Luc Besson,...

The Toronto International Film Festival has released the complete line-up of their impressive documentary slate which include new works from directors such as Morgan Spurlock, Werner Herzog and Alex Gibney. Herzog explores a triple homicide case in Texas in Into the Abyss; Morgan Spurlock follows fans to San Diego’s Comic-Con in Comic-Con: Episode IV – A Fan’s Hope; Jessica Yu delivers a wake-up call about the world’s water supply in Last Call at the Oasis; and Nick Broomfield visits Wasilla, Alaska in his search for the ‘real’ Sarah Palin in Sarah Palin – You Betcha! Here is the complete line-up. Enjoy

Masters

Pina Wim Wenders, Germany/France

Canadian Premiere

German master filmmaker Wim Wenders shoots in 3D to capture the brilliantly inventive dance world of Pina Bausch and her company, Tanztheater Wuppertal. Excerpts from many of her most famous pieces are shot outside in the streets and parks of...

A week after the announcement of the first, and largest, wave of films added to this year’s Toronto International Film Festival slate, the festival is now finally rounding out its list, with some of the most interesting additions yet.

Criterion Collection fans will again see a few of their more beloved filmmakers involved here, as Wim Wenders will be bowing his latest film, Pina, during the festival, as will Werner Herzog (not truly a Criterion Collection approved filmmaker, but we’ll count it). Herzog will be bringing his new documentary, Into The Abyss, which looks at those behind at triple homicide, including one man who is on death row and will be put to death just days after speaking with the filmmaker.

Other additions include Ron Fricke’s Baraka follow up, Samsara, Nick Broomfield’s surely controversial documentary Sarah Palin – You Betcha!, and documentaries from Alex Gibney and Morgan Spurlock.

Shawn Ashmore, Ashley Bell, Shannyn Sossamon, Dominic Monaghan and Cory Hardrict in The Day

Photo: Content Media The 2011 Toronto International Film Festival announced 56 more movies added to its festival line-up this year with selections in the Vanguard, Midnight Madness, Documentaries, City to City and Tiff Kids programs. And to be honest, the line-up is filled with titles, most of which are absolutely new to me.

I have seen one of the films under the Vanguard banner, a selection of young and cutting edge features and I've heard of Joachim Trier's Oslo, August 31, Ben Wheatley's Kill List (watch the trailer to the right) was a hit at South by Southwest earlier this year and the documentary selections include familiar names such as Werner Herzog, Morgan Spurlock, Jonathan Demme, Alex Gibney and Wim Wenders, the latter of which is delivering a 3D documentary centered on the dance world of Pina Bausch and her company.