DIRECTOR X AND TINDER LAUNCHES #BLACKLOVEIS AN ORIGINAL SHORT FILM

Today, Tinder officially launched a new project called #BlackLoveIs, an original short film from the acclaimed music video and film director Director X that celebrates Black Love in all its forms. The film, which debuted exclusively last night at a tastemaker celebration held at NeueHouse Hollywood, features authentic first-person accounts and intimate reflections that explore the nuanced understanding and expression of Black Love – love for ourselves and one another as well as community, culture, family, sexuality and Blackness. 

Director X introduced the video to a captivated crowd at the packed event, which featured a moderated discussion on Black love with Director X himself and Raquel “Rocky” Harris. It was followed by an intimate cocktail reception with sounds provided by notable DJ Brian Henry. Guests were also given the opportunity to have their Tinder profile photos captured by celebrity photographer Erik Carter in the official Tinder portrait studio. Van Lathan, Red Pill Podcast, Kalen Allen/ The Ellen Show, Isis King/ When They See Us, Laith Ashley/ Influencer and Ashley & Cortney Adams-Matthewis.

Photo Courtesy of Tinder/ Erik Umphery

“Making this film has been a proud moment in my career and I’m thrilled to share it with the world,” said Director X during the presentation. “This film was about real Black Love and the diversity of it. And how varied it is, yet still singular.”

During the discussion with Raquel “Rocky” Harris, Director X also expressed: “In casting and speaking with real people about what Black love means to them, we found that each person has their own unique experience in how being Black converges with their understanding of love itself — connections to home, to family, to sexuality and to how we present to each other and the world. It was beautiful to see how varied and nuanced the Black community really is – how our expressions of love are tinted through our culture. It is exciting to know that these stories, with all their vulnerability and tenderness, will be seen far and wide. They represent a present I am proud to live in.”

Director X (Julien Christian Lutz) is a protégé of the legendary director Hype Williams and is known for directing high-budget, visually distinctive videos for popular artists, including: Drake, Kendrick Lamar, Rihanna, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Fifth Harmony, Wiz Khalifa, Usher, John Mayer, Korn, Iggy Azalea, Sean Paul, and many more. His work has been nominated and awarded by the MTV Music Video Awards and Much Music Video Awards. X has directed commercials for Apple Music, Ebay, Virginia Black, and Gap’s ‘Meet Me In The Gap’ campaign, and more recently films such as Across the Line, which won Best Feature at the Atlantic Film Festival and Superfly for Columbia Pictures.