by Andre | Apr 24, 2023 | Film
The new horror-comedy The Blackening from MRC will have its U.S. debut at the Tribeca Festival on June 13, according to a recent announcement from Lionsgate. The renowned Apollo Theater in Harlem will host the screening.
Rave reviews and a wild, boisterous midnight screening at the movie’s world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival last year led Lionsgate to purchase the movie from MRC.
A group of Black friends who get together for a Juneteenth weekend getaway in The Blackening end up trapped in a remote cabin with a deranged killer. The friends quickly understand that this is not a game once they are forced to follow his rules.
The Blackening, a satirical horror film directed by Tim Story (Ride Along, Think Like A Man, Barbershop) and co-written by Tracy Oliver (Girls Trip, Harlem) and Dewayne Perkins (“The Amber Ruffin Show,” “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”), pokes fun at genre clichés and asks the ironic question: If a horror film’s entire cast is Black, who perishes first? A Story Company, Tracy Yvonne, Artists First, and CatchLight Studios’ production is presented by Lionsgate and MRC.
Jason Clark, Marcei A. Brown, E. Brian Dobbins, Tracy Oliver, Tim Story, and Sharla Sumpter Bridgett are the producers of The Blackening, which stars Antoinette Robertson, Dewayne Perkins, Sinqua Walls, Grace Byers, X Mayo, Melvin Gregg, Jermaine Fowler, Yvonne Orji, and Jay Pharoah. Perkins and Vicky Story both contribute as co-producers.
Director Tim Story said, “Of course, we want The Blackening to be enjoyed by everyone – but it’s especially a celebration of and a theatrical event for Black culture. This film really shows that Black people are not a monolith – there are so many different things that define us, but also bring us together. That’s why it’s so deeply meaningful that we are premiering at the legendary Apollo. For more than a century, this theater has been the epicenter that originated so much Black entertainment before it sent its shockwaves out to the world. As we lead up to the release of our film on Juneteenth Weekend, it’s a unique pleasure to be celebrating our U.S. premiere in this historic place.”
On June 16, 2023, the movie debuts in theaters all over the country.
by Quincy Thomas | Jul 28, 2022 | News
Women in Film is expanding its offerings to help elevate women directors and cinematographers at multiple stages of their careers through a newly expanded ReFrame Rise accelerator, and a new WIF Directors and Cinematographers Fellowship. These programs are made possible by support from the Netflix Fund for Creative Equity, an initiative to build new opportunities for underrepresented communities within entertainment.
ReFrame Rise is a comprehensive and customized two-year program designed by ReFrame, a Women in Film and Sundance Institute collaboration, to accelerate high-level, sustainable advancement for mid-career talent. Building off the success of the inaugural ReFrame Rise class, the program is now expanding to support Cinematographers as well as Directors.
Today, ReFrame is announcing the new ReFrame Rise class which includes 7 mid-career directors (Ally Pankiw, Angel Kristi Williams, Ekwa Msangi, Mounia Akl, Nijla Mu’min, Terrie Samundra, and Yoko Okumura) and 4 cinematographers (Ava Benjamin Shorr, Barbie Leung, Laura Merians Gonsalves, and Mariscela Mendez), who will each be matched with a mentorship team of industry professionals and a career coach.
Each year, ReFrame reviews the top 100 feature films and top 200 TV series as part of its ReFrame Stamp Program, releasing annual reports on gender equity in hiring. Through this research, it became clear that there was a significant gap in the representation of women cinematographers.
“The numbers of women cinematographers hired on our industry’s largest projects remain stagnant – only 7 films in the Top 100 releases last year were lensed by women,” said Andria Wilson Mirza, ReFrame’s Director. “Through applying our career acceleration model – which has proven to be successful for directors – to this talented group of DPs as well, we aim to demonstrate our commitment to developing both above and below-the-line talent, and the urgent need for a cross-industry investment in these roles in which women remain underrepresented.”
“We are very excited to support this supremely talented cohort of Directors and Cinematographers as a partnership between Women in Film and the Sundance Institute’s Women at Sundance Program. We have learned firsthand the value of the sponsorship opportunity for women artists and look forward to supporting this next group as they level up and find sustainability in their careers,” said Michelle Satter, Sundance Institute Founding Senior Director, Artist Program, ReFrame Leadership Council.
With support from Netflix, Women In Film will also launch a new WIF Directors and Cinematographers Fellowship in 2023. This initiative will provide participants with a year of mentorship from entertainment leaders, collaboration with the Rise™ class through advice and shadowing on their projects, and access to industry experts and special events. More information and dates for this program will be announced in the fall.
WIF Director of Programs, Maikiko James said: “This program will build critical relationships between people across different stages of their careers. As we intentionally deepen the community of women and gender non-conforming creatives we see opportunities grow, so we must nurture these connections.”
“As ReFrame’s research shows, there continues to be a great need to elevate more women as cinematographers and directors in film and television. We are thrilled to support Women in Film’s innovative approach to elevating women in these positions through different stages of their careers,” said Niija Kuykendall, Netflix VP, Film and WIF board member.
The inaugural class of ReFrame Rise, which ran from 2019 to early 2022, supported acclaimed directors Desiree Akhavan (Hacks, HBO), Haifaa al-Mansour (Tales of the Walking Dead, AMC), Patricia Cardoso (Shelter, Amazon), Hanelle Culpepper (Anansi Boys, Amazon), Sydney Freeland (Echo, Marvel Studios), Zetna Fuentes (This is Us, NBC), Tina Mabry (Pose, FX) and Meera Menon (Ms. Marvel, Marvel Studios).
INTRODUCING: The 2022-24 ReFrame Rise Class
DIRECTORS:
Writer/director Ally Pankiw’s accomplishments in TV include directing and executive producing the first season of the Netflix comedy series, FEEL GOOD (which stars Mae Martin and Lisa Kudrow), and blocks of episodes on Hulu’s SHRILL and THE GREAT. Ally recently completed her first feature film, a dark dramedy which she wrote and directed, called I USED TO BE FUNNY. It stars Rachel Sennott (SHIVA BABY, BODIES BODIES BODIES) and Jason Jones (THE DAILY SHOW, THE DETOUR). Previously, Ally served as a writer on SCHITT’S CREEK, and she is now developing an original comedy series with its star and creator, Dan Levy, for Hulu and 20th Century Fox Animation. The duo is also co-writing a feature for Universal Pictures. She has directed commercials for brands like Amazon, Adidas, Pepsi, Chanel, and Nylon, and music videos for artists like Phoebe Bridgers, MUNA, Janelle Monae, and Lil Jon.
Angel Kristi Williams is an award-winning filmmaker born and raised in West Baltimore, Maryland. Her feature directorial debut LOVE, produced by MACRO, won the Special Jury Recognition for Acting for co-stars Kofi Siriboe and Yootha Wong-Loi-Sing at SXSW. The film then played as part of AFI Fest’s Special Presentations to much acclaim. Angel is a Sundance Institute Momentum Fellow, as well as a Film Independent Project, Involve Directing Fellow, where she was the recipient of their Sony Pictures Diversity Fellowship. Angel won an NAACP Image Award for directing COLIN IN BLACK AND WHITE, her first episode of television. She directed an episode of NAOMI for CW and will later helm the season 2 opener of CHERISH THE DAY for OWN.
Ekwa’s award-winning and critically acclaimed feature film FAREWELL AMOR premiered in competition at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, garnering 98% on Rotten Tomatoes. The film won the Sundance Amazon Producer’s Award, the NYWIFT Directing Award, the 2020 Durban International Film Festival award for Best Screenplay, and Ekwa was awarded the 2021 Indie Spirit “Someone To Watch” award. The film is distributed by IFC Films for North America, MUBI, and Netflix Worldwide. Ekwa has also written & directed drama series for broadcasters in Kenya including THE AGENCY, MNET’s first-ever original hour-long Kenyan drama series. She is both a 2020 Sundance Momentum Fellow as well as a 2020 BAFTA Breakthrough. One of Ekwa’s key goals as an artist is to transform our society’s images and relationships with African cultures and to empower African filmmakers in telling their stories.
Mounia Akl is a director and writer from Lebanon living between Beirut and New York. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Architecture from ALBA and an MFA in Directing from Columbia University and is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Her first feature film, COSTA BRAVA LEBANON (Sundance Labs, Cannes Residency), premiered in 2021 at the Venice Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival (Netpac Award), and BFI London Film Festival (Audience Award) amongst others. It was inspired by her short film SUBMARINE (Official selection at the 69th Cannes Film Festival, TIFF 2016). Mounia is currently developing new projects (TV and Film) between Paris, Beirut, and LA where she also was recently a Ted Talk Women speaker.
Nijla Mu’min is a writer and filmmaker from the East Bay Area. Her work is informed by poetry, photography, fiction, and dance. Her debut feature film, JINN, premiered at SXSW 2018, where she won the Special Jury Recognition Award for Screenwriting. JINN, a New York Times Critics pick, was released by Orion Classics and is currently streaming on Amazon. She received the Shadow & Act Rising Award, the MPAC Media Award for Courage and Conscience, and was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. For television, she has directed QUEEN SUGAR, HBO’s INSECURE, and Hulu’s WU-TANG: AN AMERICAN SAGA. She wrote for the Starz series BLINDSPOTTING, and both wrote and directed an episode of the Apple series, SWAGGER, a rare accomplishment in television. She also wrote and directed a short film for Netflix, entitled BLACK PROM. She is currently developing her second feature film, MOSS WOOD PARK.
Terrie Samundra is a director and screenwriter whose debut feature, the Netflix Original film KAALI KHUHI, was released internationally in October 2020. Samundra is currently in the development of her original series THE BALLAD OF POOJA, an international co-production with US and Indian studios, and has recently wrapped a writer’s room on an undisclosed Netflix series. She is an alumna of the Sundance Institute International Screenwriters Lab, the SFFILM/Kenneth Rainin Screenwriting Fellowship, and the Sundance Women in Film Finance Intensive. Samundra is currently a mentor for the Sundance Uprise program for BIPOC artists. A multicultural artist, Samundra grew up in a rural village in India, a small farming town in Missouri, and along the coast of California. She is represented by the Gersh Agency and Circle of Confusion.
Yoko Okumura is a genre-fluid writer, director, and performer. Born in a Buddhist temple in Japan and raised in the frostbite of Minneapolis, she now lives and works in Los Angeles. Yoko is currently in post for her directorial debut feature for Blumhouse and Epix. The thriller titled UNSEEN stars Jolene Purdy (THE WHITE LOTUS, WANDAVISION) and Midori Francis (DASH & LILY, THE SEX LIVES OF COLLEGE GIRLS). She also sold a story pitch to Sam Raimi’s Quibi/Roku horror anthology 50 STATES OF FRIGHT and directed the episode titled “America’s Largest Ball of Twine” starring Ming-Na Wen (THE MANDALORIAN) and Karen Allen (RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK). She has also directed episodes of the one-hour drama GOOD TROUBLE and a block of two episodes for THE BOLD TYPE.
CINEMATOGRAPHERS:
Ava Benjamin Shorr is a Los Angeles-based director of photography raised in Portland, Oregon. Some of her most lauded work include DISCLOSURE, which premiered at Sundance in 2020 and was released by Netflix, FRAMING AGNES, which won multiple awards at Sundance in 2022, and EQUAL, a four-part series she shot for HBO Max. Ava was included on a list of “Mind Blowing Women Cinematographers” by actor and director Emmy Rossum and was awarded an ASC Vision Mentorship with Rachel Morrison, cinematographer of BLACK PANTHER and MUDBOUND. She was also the subject, and co-DP of the documentary short AVA & BIANCA, about her special connection to fellow trans cinematographer Bianca Cline.
Barbie Leung is a New York-based cinematographer with a dark lyrical visual style, as showcased in Todd Bogin’s feature LEFT WITH ONLY RAIN and Cynthia Lowen’s BATTLEGROUND (Tribeca Film Festival 2022). She is a recipient of The American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) Vision Mentorship Program and AFI Conservatory’s Cinematography Intensive Workshop. She’s an Associate of the Society of Camera Operators (SOC) and a member of the International Cinematographers Guild (ICG Local 600). Other notable features include UNLADYLIKE which is world-premiered at AFI Docs 2020, and SH*TSHOW: THE RISE AND FALL OF HQ TRIVIA for CNN Films. Her work has been screened at Sundance, SXSW, Fantasia, and Outfest.
Laura Merians Gonçalves is an award-winning Cinematographer behind the Darren Aronofsky-produced drama PACIFIED (aka PACIFICADO), which won the Golden Seashell for Best Film at the San Sebastián International Film Festival as well as the Jury Prize for Best Cinematography, resulting in Merians being the first woman in the history of the festival to ever win this award. PACIFIED then went on to win the Cinematographers’ Debut Competition at the prestigious Camerimage Film Festival.
Goncalves was a cinematographer for Beyonce’s highly anticipated film, BLACK IS KING. Other credits include the musical JOHN MULANEY & THE SACK LUNCH BUNCH for Netflix and A24 and additional photography on Josephine Decker’s Sundance-winning film SHIRLEY. She was selected as one of the Rising Stars of 2020 by the ASC.
Mariscela Méndez
Mariscela Beatríz Méndez was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas. Mariscela has shot numerous forms of media that have aired for Slamdance and Amazon Prime, and Tubi. Mariscela was selected to participate in The American Society of Cinematographers Vision Mentor Program. She is also the recipient of The Peregrine Collective 2022
Cinematographer’s Grant for her project MAL DE AMORES. She has a deep connection to her Mexican-American roots and often works on projects involving LatinX identity, female-driven films, and magical realism. Mariscela is currently focusing on narrative feature-length and episodic projects.
by Andre | Feb 24, 2022 | Film
Indeed, the world’s number one job site, today announced the 10 filmmaker teams selected for season two of Indeed: Rising Voices. In partnership with Emmy Award-winning writer, creator and actor Lena Waithe and her company Hillman Grad Productions, Indeed: Rising Voices was created to uncover, invest in and share stories created by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) filmmakers across the US to tell diverse stories around the meaning of work, and the idea that jobs create opportunities and better lives for all. This season, each filmmaker will present their films at the Tribeca Film Festival in June 2022.
“Indeed’s Rising Voices not only levels the playing field for BIPOC creators in Hollywood by creating opportunities for individuals to be seen, heard and represented, but also empowers the next generation of storytellers, providing access to funding, on-site skill, career development and mentorship,” said Lena Waithe. “Our continued mission at Hillman Grad Productions is to ensure that program mentees are truly set up for success as they continue to grow within their individual careers.”
The 10 selected filmmaker teams are:
- Cara Lawson
- Gbenga Komolafe
- Georgia Fu
- Jalmer Caceres
- Justin Floyd
- Leon Cheo
- Shanrica Evans
- Tara Motamedi
- Travis Wood
- Urvashi Pathania
“Indeed’s mission is to help people get jobs. Season One of Rising Voices proved our belief that talent is universal but opportunity is not,” said Indeed CEO Chris Hyams. “With Season Two, we are thrilled to bring 10 brilliant new voices to the story of the power of jobs to change lives.”
This season, Indeed invested $3 million, tripling its initial investment from season one. This increased investment by Indeed will include the two below programs:
Rising Voices Season 2: Executives from Hillman Grad Productions, Indeed, and Ventureland selected 10 screenplays from 900 applicants. Each filmmaker was awarded a $10,000 writing and direction fee to create a short film (under 15 minutes), a $100,000 production budget, a dedicated line production crew through Hillman Grad and 271 Films, and granted access to an additional COVID budget to ensure the safety of the cast and crew. Mentors from Hillman Grad Productions will include: Calmatic (Grammy-Award winning Director, PRETTYBIRD), Destin Daniel Cretton (Film Writer), Justin Chon (American Writer, Director, Actor and Filmmaker), Melina Matsoukas (Filmmaker, de la Revolución Films), and Rayka Zehtabchi (Academy Award winning Iranian-American Film Director).
Production and Development Lab: Indeed and Hillman Grad have launched a new Production and Development Lab (“The Lab”), a 12 month non-exclusive residency program featuring three of the Rising Voices 1 filmmakers: Chinese-American filmmaker Johnson Cheng, Haitian filmmaker Stacy Pascal Gaspard and Dominican-born filmmaker Gabriela Ortega. Modeled after Indeed’s incubator program, which funds new product ideas internally, Hillman Grad will work with the filmmakers to develop ideas and create content for Indeed. A $2 million production budget from Indeed has been allocated to The Lab, and Hillman Grad will provide production support. Each filmmaker is awarded $100,000 for their role as filmmaker in residence.
“We are excited about the selection of 10 more BIPOC filmmakers who will have the opportunity to share their stories through Indeed’s Rising Voices S2,” said LaFawn Davis, SVP, Environmental, Social & Governance. “Partnering with Hillman Grad, 271 Films and Tribeca to showcase their talent will give these filmmakers a leg up in a very competitive industry where opportunities like these are hard to come by.”
by Andre | Aug 8, 2021 | Film
HBO today announced the three finalists of the fifth annual Asian Pacific American Visionaries, a short film competition which showcases cinematic storytellers of Asian and Pacific Islander descent. The finalists were selected from hundreds of submissions and were judged by a distinguished panel of HBO executives, industry leaders and fellow APA filmmakers. The three winning films exemplified this year’s competition theme: “Taking the Lead.” Filmmakers Jess X. Snow (“Little Sky”), Jesse Gi (“Neh”), and Urvashi Pathania (“Unmothered”), will premiere their films during the 2021 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, presented by Visual Communications, on Saturday, September 25. In addition to the festival premiere, HBO Max will debut the films on September 27.
APA Visionaries competition was established by HBO in 2016 to provide a platform for Asian Pacific American stories to further the dialogue about representation in Hollywood and the importance of diversity in entertainment.
“I’m very proud of this year’s contestants. The filmmakers were able to showcase authentic stories with such intimacy, and oftentimes humor, exploring complex family dynamics, and overcoming personal and generational trauma,” said Jamie Chung, APA Visionaries 2021 Ambassador. “Through these shorts we are left feeling inspired and hopeful. Congratulations to this year’s contestants and winners!”
Finalists
Jess X. Snow (“Little Sky”) is a non-binary film director, artist, poet and community arts educator who creates queer Asian immigrant stories that transcend borders, binaries and time. Based in Lenapehoking (Brooklyn, NY), currently, they are currently an MFA thesis student at NYU Graduate Film as an Ang Lee Scholar. Through narrative film, large-scale murals, virtual and augmented reality, and community art education, they are working toward a future where migrant and BIPOC folks may witness themselves heroic on the big screen and city walls & discover in their own bodies; a sanctuary for safety. They bring their background in social movement art, poetry and trauma-informed healing into their film work which has been supported with grants and fellowships from the Tribeca Film Institute, BAFTA, Canada Council of the Arts, the Smithsonian, and the National Film Board of Canada.
Jesse Gi (“Neh”) born and raised in Los Angeles, CA, Jesse Gi is a second generation Korean-American writer, director whose stories focus on extraordinary endurance, sacrifice, and unflinching ambition influenced by his immigrant family and community. Jesse graduated from USC’s film program and has worked across studios from Lucasfilm, Warner Bros, and CBS. Jesse wrote, produced, and directed festival selected short films, BEAM, a grounded sci-fi, action drama about a teleporting thief, and NEH, a comedy-drama about a Korean-American with no fluent Korean language skills. Jesse is currently preparing his next project, THE SHOW, a suspenseful drama about a rivalry between two high school baseball players.
Urvashi Pathania (“Unmothered”) is a writer/director based in Los Angeles. She received her B.A. with Honors in Film Studies from Columbia University and her M.F.A. in Film Production from USC. Her films explore emotions as pathways to knowledge. In 2021, Urvashi was selected for the Google Assistant Storytelling Fellowship in partnership with The Black List. She is also currently in Lena Waithe’s Writers’ Lab. Urvashi’s pilot script, TAJ MAHAL RESTAURANT, was recommended and tweeted by The Black List.
