49 Search results for "independent film"

  The following piece is from Black America Web. It was written by Christine. By: Christine After what feels like years of anticipation, ‘Dear White People’ is finally hitting theaters. The hilariously witty, informative piece is centered around 4 Black students who attend an Ivy League University. They are constantly having deal with the cultural differences between […]

While Sam Smith was busy trying to claim that he was the first openly gay man to win an Oscar, at another award show, there was actual history being made. At the 2016 Film Independent Spirit Awards, Mya Taylor, the actress best known for her breakout role in Tangerine, became the first out transgender actress […]

For two days residents and visitors of Chicago will have the chance to experience unique films dedicated to showcasing works by and about the Black LGBTQ/SGL (same gender loving) community. The Black Alphabet Film Festival, hosted by the non profit Black Alphabet, features a series of independent films that tell the stories of black LGBTQ members. 

Despite the belief that there aren’t enough positive roles or representations of Black men in media, this year I noticed that there ARE. Movies like 12 Years a Slave, Fruitvale Station, and Mandela, have rose to the occasion to provide a vision of the Black man in different eras. All of these movies are based on true stories, […]

This year, Film Director Mark Harris will put on the third annual Englewood International Film Festival. The southwest Chicago neighborhood has had its share of negative press, with most media outlets only covering gang activity and crime.

 by Stephanie Younger About a year ago, I had the amazing and unforgettable opportunity to meet legendary activist and prison abolitionist Dr. Angela Y. Davis.  We met at the Afrikana Independent Film Festival where I was volunteering at as a youth ambassador. This Black film festival prides itself on celebrating cinematic arts through a “global […]

By George Johnson This June marked the 17th celebration of “Pride Month,” a designation declared by Bill Clinton to recognize and observe the heritage and culture of LGBTQ people. As LGBTQ rights continue to be attacked politically, growth in pop culture and media is simultaneously surging in areas of journalism, television, Broadway, and the big […]

Barbie announced in April the creation of a “Sheroes” collection, honoring female heroes who are breaking barriers and taking names for girls and women everywhere. Among the honorees who would have a one-of-a-kind doll created in her likeness was beloved “Selma” director Ava DuVernay, who, on Sunday, announced the #AvaBarbie would go on sale Monday […]

*Spoiler Alert* On Friday, Dee Rees’ much lauded independent film, Pariah will expand its release from four theaters to eleven, increasing the opportunity for many to view this incredibly important Focus Features release. Rees’ debut work has deservedly generated a deluge of critical praise, and should at the very least garner a few nominations come award […]

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ca_vv6urOCY Just last week, I stumbled upon a movie trailer on YouTube that really caught my attention.  The independent film, Precious, tells the story of Claireece “Precious” Jones, a Harlem-bred, morbidly obese, pregnant, HIV-positive, illiterate, junior high school student who struggles with low self-esteem.  If that isn’t already an earful, Precious’ story is further complicated […]

By Juahl Ganaway Zeinabu irene Davis’s 1999 film Compensation functions as both an homage to early Black cinema and a speculative intervention into its absences. Compensation refuses to let material survival determine the boundaries of Black film history. The film is told through twin narratives, one set in 1910s Chicago and the other in the […]

by Christian M. Ivey “What We Carry” is a powerful coming-of-age story that follows Drew, a young Black college student grappling with grief, anxiety, and the long shadow of racial trauma.  Get yo ass up, Drew! My alarm rang, a nasty, raggedy rang, almost soundin’ like it was yellin’ at me. Get yo ass up, […]