In AMC Theaters theaters now, “Albany Road” is a film for the family infused with dynamic Black characters in a holiday narrative that “invites viewers to laugh, cry and reflect.” Los Angeles composer and musician Leon Lacey was responsible for the score.
The film features Renée Elise Goldsberry (original “Hamilton” cast member) as Celeste, whose powerful performance has captivated audiences on stage and screen. Lynn Whitfield portrays Paula, bringing depth and resilience to her role, while J. Alphonse Nicholson adds a dynamic presence as Kyle, exploring the expectations of family and love.
“Albany Road” emphasizes the importance of narratives centered on Black experiences with universal underpinning. Michael and Christine Swanson decided to share this empowering story with audiences by self-financing and self-distributing “Albany Road” through their company, Faith Filmworks.
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The appeal for “Albany Road” has been universal across all demographics with many audiences responding with comments like: ‘“Albany Road’ is just what everyone needs right now, love and laughter,” and “I can’t wait to see it again and again! This will become a holiday favorite!”
As a veteran filmmaker, Swanson was pleasantly surprised by the way her production process has gotten easier.
“What I realized was that I had gained so much experience over time and developed muscles around the things I couldn’t lift in the past. They became lighter. That allowed me to focus on the joy of what I love to do as opposed to the hardships,” she said.
Commenting on benefiting from AMC efforts to showcase independent films, Swanson noted,
“We are still early in the process of our partnership with AMC Theaters and we love and appreciate their willingness to make space for impactful independent films that audiences are starving to see.”
Albany Road features music from Aretha Franklin’s B-sides, which adds a deep emotional layer to the film, resonating with the director’s Detroit roots. Composer Leon Lacey orchestrated a score blending Gospel influences with cinematic grandeur. He and recording artist, Grace Gibson wrote and recorded the film’s signature song, “Albany Road Theme Song.”
“Built for This” is another soul stirring original song for the film written by Donald Lawrence with vocals by gospel powerhouse LeAndria Johnson. About Leon Lacey, Swanson stated, “[He] is my creative and spiritual brother. I love working with him because there’s nothing he can’t do musically. More importantly, he listens to me and works really hard at giving me what I want while imparting his gifts and ideas in ways that elevate everything we do. I love that Leon comes from a church background. Everything we do together has a spiritual underpinning that’s palpable.”
Swanson’s movie directing credits include “The Clark Sisters: The First Ladies of Gospel” starring Academy Award nominee Aunjanue Ellis and the film won Best TV Movie from the African American Film Critics Association and the Satellite TV Award for Best Television Movie. The film was nominated for five NAACP Image Awards including Outstanding Directing in a Television Motion Picture.
Swanson also directed Aunjanue Ellis in the powerful short film, “Fannie,” about the ground-breaking testimony of human, voting and civil rights icon, Fannie Lou Hamer. “Fannie” earned an NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Short Form Film.
Swanson has also directed “All About You,” “All About Us,” “To Hell and Back,” “Love Under New Management: The Miki Howard Story” (which broke network ratings as the most watched original movie in the network’s history) and “For the Love of Ruth,” for which Swanson earned an NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Directing in a Television Motion Picture. In addition to writing movies, Swanson was a screenwriter for “Woman Thou Art Loosed.”
