Filmmaker Michael J. Payton, an Oakland, California native, attended San Francisco State University and earned his Bachelor’s degree in radio and television broadcasting.
“Breaking,” Abi Damaris Corbin’s lean and heartfelt first feature, is a lackluster bank-robbery thriller with noble intentions enlivened by an impassioned performance by John Boyega and an elegiac final appearance by the late Michael K. Williams.
In a day and age in which up-and-coming filmmakers aspire to be the next Spike Lee, John Singleton, or Ryan Coogler, many are unaware that their forefather was Jamaa Fanaka. Once heralded as “The most famous unknown filmmaker in America” by Turner Movie Classics, Fanaka was a preeminent auteur (writer, director, producer) in the 1970s and ‘80s.
The “The Black Beauty Effect” docu-series, which will premiere this fall exclusively on the Black Experience on Xfinity channel, will closely examine the social change, past and present, within the beauty industry, through the lens of the successful Black women who have led the charge.
The Black Hollywood Education Resource Center (BHERC) opens the 28th Annual African American Film Marketplace and S.E. Manly Short Film Showcase on Friday, August 19, with “A Great Day in Black Hollywood” ceremony at the Nate Holden Performing Arts Center in South Los Angeles.
Heartfelt Pictures and founder Denton Adams, in association with Purpose Work(s), will premiere the social justice anthology film, “00:08:46,” on Sunday, August 14, at The Miracle Theater, located at 226 South Market Street in Inglewood.
Jordan Peele ’s UFO thriller “Nope” topped the North American charts in its first weekend in theaters with an estimated $44 million in ticket sales, Universal Pictures said Sunday.
The weather was excellent, and the atmosphere was filled with lots of beautiful smiles, and excitement on July 10 as the cast, crew, and filmmakers, of the new movie “Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank” joined celebrity families, for a special “Family Day” held at Paramount Picture Studios in Hollywood.
Royale Coalition production company has released their latest short film drama, “On the Line.” Award-winning director, Brianna Devons, conveyed a message that allows the audience to see an emotional chain reaction as a loved one struggles to escape a dark moment in their life.
‘Subjects of Desire’, a provocative feature documentary written and directed by Jennifer Holness, screened at the 30th Anniversary of the Pan African Film Festival that took place in Los Angeles this past weekend from April 19 to May 1. Jennifer had to reschedule her 30th wedding anniversary to Greece in order to be in attendance for her screening at this festival, that’s how special this screening was to her. This documentary has been screened at over 30 film festivals across the world but being supported by the black community is always a great feeling she states.
Zanah Thirus and her Microbudget Filmmaker’s Podcast cares enough to take the filmmakers through the entire production process from script to screen and each season has a corresponding workbook with templates.
The Black Hollywood Education and Resource Center wraps up the 29th Annual “Sistas Are Doin’ It For Themselves” Short Film Festival” with the third and final “Meet the Filmmakers’ Panel” on Saturday, April 9, at 1 p.m. PST/4 p.m. EST, on BHERC.TV. The event is virtual and free to the public.
Actor Danny Glover will be the Pan African Film Festival’s 2022 celebrity ambassador. The 30th annual festival will be held in-person and online from April 19 through May 1, in Los Angeles.
Hopefully, Ariana DeBose’s Oscar win for the best-supporting actress playing the role of Anita in West Side Story will mark a positive change and open more opportunities for Afro-Latinos in the entertainment industry.