http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact Shadow and Act from IndieWire en en indiewire/shadowandacthttp://feedburner.google.com http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/cannes-2012-ken-burns-new-documentary-the-central-park-five Wed, 16 May 2012 22:58:35 GMT http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/cannes-2012-ken-burns-new-documentary-the-central-park-five Sergio 2012-05-16T22:58:35Z I'm an unabashed admirer of the work of doumentary filmmaker Ken Burns. His PBS extensive muti-part documentaries which chronicle the culture and history of America such Jazz, Frank Lloyd Wright, The Civil War and most recently last fall, Prohibition are amazing examples of documentary filmmaking at its most compelliing. Let's put it this way. Any filmmaker who can take a subject which bores me to tears, like baseball (which Bill Cosby once accurately called "nine guys standing out in field doing nothing") as a subject for a nine part, 18 and half hour long documentary mini-series that had me spellbound and riveted to my seat for every single minute, is one hell of a... http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/0b3ff470-9fa0-11e1-bcc4-123138165f92 Wed, 16 May 2012 22:24:40 GMT http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/0b3ff470-9fa0-11e1-bcc4-123138165f92 Tambay 2012-05-16T22:24:40Z Just about every time we've written about this project, the comments sections have been active with discussion/debate. And all we've seen of it thus far is a 34-second teaser that really doesn't reveal much at all. Obviously the story the film is based on - D.C. sniper John Allen Muhammad - is familiar and controversial. And we could even say similar things about the actor who stars in the film - Isaiah Washington. Little has been revealed since our last post on it last fall... until the above tweet from Washington a little bit ago. Now maybe he wasn't supposed to make this bit of news public just yet, given that Toronto International Film Festival is... http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/b762e8a0-9f9d-11e1-bcc4-123138165f92 Wed, 16 May 2012 22:13:55 GMT http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/b762e8a0-9f9d-11e1-bcc4-123138165f92 Vanessa Martinez 2012-05-16T22:13:55Z Filming this week at the historic Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama is Brian Helgeland's 42, based on the life of baseball icon Jackie Robinson. The set images, courtesy of Birmingham News, show Chadwick Boseman in full form for the titular role, Nicole Beharie, who's protraying Robinson's wife/widow Rachel 'Isum' Robinson, and Andre Holland (Miracle at St. Anna), who plays Wendell Smith, a sportswriter who influenced Robinson to become the first African American player in the 20th century. The production company used  600-700 local community extras and the Los Angeles Inflatable Group brought in 5,000 inflatables as seat fillers for the stadium. ... http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/morgan-freeman-in-talks-to-join-michael-douglas-robert-de-niro-in-las-vegas Wed, 16 May 2012 21:09:57 GMT http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/morgan-freeman-in-talks-to-join-michael-douglas-robert-de-niro-in-las-vegas Tambay 2012-05-16T21:09:57Z Morgan Freeman is in talks to join the cast of Last Vegas, the dramedy centered on four old friends who reunite in Sin City for one last big bash at the bachelor party of the only one who has managed to stay single. Freeman, if all goes well, will join a cast that already includes Michael Douglas and Robert De Niro, to be directed by Jon Turtletaub. Comparisons to The Hangover are inevitable. http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/watch-first-trailer-for-viola-davis-education-reform-drama-wont-back-down Wed, 16 May 2012 20:27:09 GMT http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/watch-first-trailer-for-viola-davis-education-reform-drama-wont-back-down Tambay 2012-05-16T20:27:09Z Here's your first trailer for the Viola Davis and Maggie Gyllenhaal education-reform drama, initially titled Still I Rise, was then switched to Learning To Fly, and finally landed on and has, so far, stuck to Won't Back Down. The film was initially scheduled to be released on March 30th, 2012, but the studio distributing it (Fox) pushed that date all the way back to September 28th. They likely feel they might have an awards-contender on their hands. The education drama, produced by Walden Media & 20th Century Fox, is centered on two frustrated mothers (played by Viola and Maggie Gyllenhaal) who team up to transform an inner-city public school. ... http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/04089f50-9f8b-11e1-bcc4-123138165f92 Wed, 16 May 2012 19:54:57 GMT http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/04089f50-9f8b-11e1-bcc4-123138165f92 Tambay 2012-05-16T19:54:57Z Slow news day today folks; lots of Cannes Film Festival/Market activity, but very, very little for us to write about. C'est la vie... And as I'm about to get into some project reasearch, which will likely take me away from the site for a little bit (unless something breaks, or my research is immediately fruitful), riddle me this in the meantime... In an effort to get to the heart of it all, because that's what we like to do around here... consider these 2 items: variety and volume. If we had more of those 2 key things with regards to representations of people of African descent on screen (big and small), would most (if not all) the issues we constantly debate (not... http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/first-look-at-edi-gathegi-danielle-nicolet-in-new-abc-series-family-tools-previously-white-van-man Wed, 16 May 2012 18:41:53 GMT http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/first-look-at-edi-gathegi-danielle-nicolet-in-new-abc-series-family-tools-previously-white-van-man Tambay 2012-05-16T18:41:53Z Edi Gathegi and Danielle Nicolet both co-star in ABC’s new comedy series titled Family Tools (previously called White Van Man). The upcoming series centers on Jack (Kyle Bornheimer) "who is forced to put his dreams on hold in order to take over the family handyman business from his father Tony," played by J.K. Simmons. Gathegi will play Darren, one of Tony’s workers. Nicolet (3rd Rock From The Sun, The Starter Wife) will play his sister. Watch a preview below: http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/0c8405a0-9f7e-11e1-bcc4-123138165f92 Wed, 16 May 2012 18:02:43 GMT http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/0c8405a0-9f7e-11e1-bcc4-123138165f92 Tambay 2012-05-16T18:02:43Z Picking up where I last left off in the series... but first a recap. Announced last fall, the 5 filmmakers selected for the next class (2011) of Focus Features' Africa First program were Oshosheni Hiveluah (from Namibia); Cedric Ido (from Burkina Faso); Mark Middlewick (from South Africa); Akosua Adoma Owusu (from Ghana); and Zelalem Woldemariam (from Ethiopia). For those unfamiliar with the program... launched in 2009, Africa First was created "to foster and develop long-term relationships with some of the most promising up-and-coming filmmakers from continental Africa." The aim is that, through financial... http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/watch-mary-j-blige-perform-any-way-you-want-it-in-rock-of-ages-clip Wed, 16 May 2012 17:10:14 GMT http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/watch-mary-j-blige-perform-any-way-you-want-it-in-rock-of-ages-clip Tambay 2012-05-16T17:10:14Z Is this on your must-see list for the summer?  It's not on mine. Check out this new clip featuring Mary J. Blige singing Journey's Any Way You Want It.  Rock Of Ages, headlined by Tom Cruise, opens June 15. http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/abff-2012-kimberly-elise-isaiah-washington-common-s-epatha-merkerson-are-grand-jury-nominees Wed, 16 May 2012 16:22:11 GMT http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/abff-2012-kimberly-elise-isaiah-washington-common-s-epatha-merkerson-are-grand-jury-nominees Tambay 2012-05-16T16:22:11Z NEW YORK, NY, May 16, 2012 – Film Life Inc., today announced the Narrative Features Competition selections and Grand Jury Award nominees for the 16th Annual American Black Film Festival (ABFF) taking place in South Beach Miami, FL, June 20th – 23rd.  Kimberly Elise, Isaiah Washington, Common and S. Epatha Merkerson are among the stellar list of thespians nominated to receive the Grand Jury prize for their work. The films in ABFF’s 2012 Narrative Features section reflect a creative multiplicity which can be seen, felt and heard in controversy through rhythmic Jamaican patois (Better Mus’ Come) to a young Parisian... http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/new-on-dvd-alrick-brown-directed-drama-on-rwanada-genocide-reconciliation-kinyarwanda Wed, 16 May 2012 16:02:06 GMT http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/new-on-dvd-alrick-brown-directed-drama-on-rwanada-genocide-reconciliation-kinyarwanda Emmanuel Akitobi 2012-05-16T16:02:06Z Director Alrick Brown's 2011 film, Kinyarwanda, was, in my opinion, the best film of that year.  You can judge for yourself, now that the AFFRM-released drama is available for purchase on DVD. Tambay told us earlier in the year that indieWIRE parent-company SnagFilms had secured digital rights to the film, and would be releasing it via VOD. Now you can own a physical copy of Kinyarwanda, and buy a 100 copies for your family and friends.  Believe me, if I could, I would. In case you've forgotten, here's the 2011 Sundance Film Festival winner's synopsis: "A young Tutsi woman and a young Hutu man fall in love amidst chaos, a soldier... http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/8dc376e0-9f6b-11e1-bcc4-123138165f92 Wed, 16 May 2012 15:49:47 GMT http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/8dc376e0-9f6b-11e1-bcc4-123138165f92 Tambay 2012-05-16T15:49:47Z Speaking with BBC Radio 1's Chris Moyles, while doing press for the upcoming Men In Black III in a week, Will Smith made a few declarations that I thought were worth sharing - the throughline being that he doesn't want to become, as he said, "the sequel guy," referring of course to all the sequels of films he's done in the past, like Hancock, Bad Boys, I Am Legend, and of course Men In Black. First, on the 3rd film in the Men In Black franchise, and whether we can expected a fourth: "We were very reticent about going to a [Men In Black] part III because sometimes it looks like you're making a sequel for the sake of making a sequel." ... http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/292b9c30-9f66-11e1-bcc4-123138165f92 Wed, 16 May 2012 15:10:18 GMT http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/292b9c30-9f66-11e1-bcc4-123138165f92 Tambay 2012-05-16T15:10:18Z The Cannes Film Festival (and accompanying film market) gets into full swing today, and news of a flurry of deals filled my inbox when I woke up this morning. Imagine my disappointment after going through all of them (many dozen+) to find so very few worth writing about here on S&A; specifically, so very few with people of African descent in them. Here's one of those few... Nelson Mandela’s grandson Kweku Mandela is at Cannes to show footage, and hopefully pre-sell international distribution rights (via Kaleidoscope Film Distribution) on a feature documentary he co-directed and produced (along with Kemal Akhtar) titled Mandela’s... http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/shocker-tia-mowry-and-pooch-hall-to-leave-the-game Wed, 16 May 2012 14:50:48 GMT http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/shocker-tia-mowry-and-pooch-hall-to-leave-the-game Sergio 2012-05-16T14:50:48Z That is, this will be shocking news to those of you out there who are devoted viewers of the BET show The Game. Last night, Tia Mowry tweeted to her followers that she would not be coming back to the show for its sixth season next year. As she tweeted: "Just wanted to let all my fans know that I will not be retruning to The Game for Season 6. It was an incredible run and I had lots of fun." It's also being reported that co-star Pooch Hall (that CAN'T be his real name) will also not be returning to the show as well, although there has been no official confirmation by him or the network yet. However, Hall has now been cast as a regular on the new Showtime... http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/8a3f52d0-9f63-11e1-bcc4-123138165f92 Wed, 16 May 2012 14:46:03 GMT http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/8a3f52d0-9f63-11e1-bcc4-123138165f92 Tambay 2012-05-16T14:46:03Z A project I've been tracking since my first post on it last September. Here's a recap... Somali/Canadian rapper K'naan will make his big screen acting debut in an adaptation of a Belgian Congo period romance novel titled The Catastrophist, written by Ronan Bennett. British filmmaker Nick Broomfield will direct. Naturally, the love story is between 2 white characters, while the central African country (under Belgian colonial rule at the time this story takes place, sometime in the late 50s, early 60s) plays gracious (or maybe indignant) host. Here's Amazon's synopsis of the novel: James Gillespie, a... http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/e0f142d0-9f60-11e1-bcc4-123138165f92 Wed, 16 May 2012 14:24:53 GMT http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/e0f142d0-9f60-11e1-bcc4-123138165f92 Tambay 2012-05-16T14:24:53Z Today in history... May 16th 1990, entertainer, icon, American treasure, Sammy Davis Jr's, died of cancer in Los Angeles at age 64.  Recalling my ealry April 50+ Biopic Projects On Black Public Figures "In Limbo" post, there are 3 Sammy projects we know of that are in some stage of development - 1 a feature film; the other 2 stage works. First, it was announced last December that Byron Allen's Entertainment Studios acquired rights to his life story from his daughter Tracey Davis, with plans to develop both a feature film AND a stage production. “On his deathbed, one of the last things my father told me as he... http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/lance-reddick-to-star-in-dark-futuristic-web-series-for-justin-lins-youtube-channel Wed, 16 May 2012 01:11:08 GMT http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/lance-reddick-to-star-in-dark-futuristic-web-series-for-justin-lins-youtube-channel Tambay 2012-05-16T01:11:08Z A sign of the times... did you miss the YouTube Upfronts? Lance Reddick has been tapped to star in a dark, futuristic web series titled The 117, a new web series that will be broadcast on the YouTube channel You Offend Me, You Offend My Family, which Fast Five's Justin Lin is shepherding.  The 117 centers on robots that are designed and programmed by humans to be superior soldiers, and that have become part of the U.S. military. Reddick's starring character is described as the "ruthless commander of the drone army assigned to deploy and keep the drones in line as they head off to execute missions against enemy territories. One drone goes... http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/south-africa-to-present-film-projects-at-65th-cannes-international-film-festival Tue, 15 May 2012 22:47:45 GMT http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/south-africa-to-present-film-projects-at-65th-cannes-international-film-festival Tambay 2012-05-15T22:47:45Z I'll return with individual highlights of those we haven't already covered, but let me remind you of this intriguing coming of age story titled Otelo Burning, which opened last year's Durban Film Festival, when we first profiled it. Filmed on location in Durban, written by Sara Blecher, James Whyle and The Cast Workshop, and directed by Blecher (Surfing Soweto), Otelo Burning centers on a group of township surfer kids, set in late 1980s, against the backdrop of Nelson Mandela’s release from prison. It stars some familiar South African actors attached to previous films we've covered, like Kenneth Nkosi (Paradise... http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/cannes-2012-preview-michel-gondrys-coming-of-age-story-the-we-and-the-i Tue, 15 May 2012 22:11:33 GMT http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/cannes-2012-preview-michel-gondrys-coming-of-age-story-the-we-and-the-i Vanessa Martinez 2012-05-15T22:11:33Z Continuing with our coverage of the Cannes Film Festival; The We and The I will open the Directors' Fortnight section of the festival this month.. Here's a departure from the usual dreamlike, whimsical themes of Michel Gondry's films like Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind, The Science of Sleep and Be Kind Rewind. It's been called Gondry's most realistic film yet. The film stars Joe Mele, Meghan Murphy and Alex Barrios. The We and The I, penned by Gondry, Jeffrey Grimshaw and Paul Proch and filmed in the Bronx, revolves around a group of high school kids riding back home on the bus while celebrating their last day of school. But there's a sci-fi twist to... http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/30-for-30-espn-film-series-returning-docs-on-ben-johnson-bo-jackson-broke-athletes-in-lineup Tue, 15 May 2012 21:54:48 GMT http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/30-for-30-espn-film-series-returning-docs-on-ben-johnson-bo-jackson-broke-athletes-in-lineup Tambay 2012-05-15T21:54:48Z ESPN Films announced today the return of the Emmy-nominated and Peabody Award-winning 30 for 30 film series. As with the first series, which included collaborations with filmmakers like Peter Berg, Barry Levinson, Ice Cube and Academy Award-winner Barbara Koppel, ESPN Films will once again partner with a wide array of filmmakers to "tell incredible stories that capture the core of how sports inspire and entertain." In addition to a second slate of 30 feature-length documentaries, ESPN Films will broaden its scope to support a whole new crop of stories with the creation of 30 for 30 Shorts - a 30-part digital short film series. Beginning in September,... http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/465f4690-9ed4-11e1-bcc4-123138165f92 Tue, 15 May 2012 21:35:56 GMT http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/465f4690-9ed4-11e1-bcc4-123138165f92 Tambay 2012-05-15T21:35:56Z Continuing on with first-looks at ABC's next season pickups... Damn it feels good to see Andre Braugher headlining this; and from the below trailer, I'm mos def digging what I'm getting from it, and look forward to that pilot. An actor I think we'd all love to see get more and more screen time (both on TV and in theaters) Mr Andre Braugher plays the lead role in this new ensemble ABC drama titled Last Resort. What's Last Resort about: The project centers on the crew of the U.S.S. Nevada, a nuclear submarine, who, after disobeying a suspicious order, become fugitives. They land on the island of Sainte Marina, where they take over... http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/first-look-trailer-pics-at-vanessa-williams-in-abc-supernatural-drama-pilot-666-park-avenue Tue, 15 May 2012 21:18:42 GMT http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/first-look-trailer-pics-at-vanessa-williams-in-abc-supernatural-drama-pilot-666-park-avenue Tambay 2012-05-15T21:18:42Z Been so focused on NBC's reveals, that we've all-but ignored the other major networks...  Here's your first look at Vanessa Williams and Terry O'Quinn in the new supernatural drama pilot for ABC titled 666 Park Avenue, which is based on the Alloy book series by Gabriella Pierce. The project revolves around a "young couple (Rachael Taylor, Dave Annable) who accept an offer to manage one of the most historic apartment buildings in New York City." The tennants in the building begin to experience dangerous and mysteriously supernatural occurrences. Williams will play the "cold and sophisticated wife" of the... http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/0ae00390-9ec3-11e1-bcc4-123138165f92 Tue, 15 May 2012 19:43:16 GMT http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/0ae00390-9ec3-11e1-bcc4-123138165f92 Tambay 2012-05-15T19:43:16Z Good news on a project we've been following since last fall... glad to know that it's moving full-speed ahead, as I've learned this afternoon that it's locked up its starring cast which includes: Gugu Mbatha-Raw (in photo above-right), Miranda Richardson, Tom Wilkinson, Sarah Gadon, Sam Claflin, and Matthew Goode; all have signed up to star in British actor/writer/director/producer Amma Asante's (in photo above-left) period drama about the trials and tribulations of a mixed-race girl titled Belle, from a script which she co-wrote. Mbatha-Raw will of course play the lead role, Belle. The project,... http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/new-on-dvd-blu-ray-vod-performances-from-michael-b-jordan-nonso-anozie-sherri-shepherd-ice-cube Tue, 15 May 2012 19:17:13 GMT http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/new-on-dvd-blu-ray-vod-performances-from-michael-b-jordan-nonso-anozie-sherri-shepherd-ice-cube Tambay 2012-05-15T19:17:13Z First... directed by Joshua Trank, Michael B. Jordan co-stars in Chronicle, which follows the misadventures of three high school buddies who develop uncanny powers after making an incredible discovery. As they learn to control their abilities and use them to their advantage, their darker sides begin to take over. Jordan co-stars along with Dane DeHaan, and Alex Russell as the teens. It's so good even Armond White called it a film you must see the weekend it opened, above all the others, so there ya go :) Second... British actor Nonso Anozie (Cass, RockNRolla, Atonement), made his stateside debut in the thriller, The Grey, directed by Joe Carnahan... http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/streetcar-named-desire-multi-racial-cast-revival-extends-run-to-august-19-1-extra-month Tue, 15 May 2012 18:51:50 GMT http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/streetcar-named-desire-multi-racial-cast-revival-extends-run-to-august-19-1-extra-month Tambay 2012-05-15T18:51:50Z Well...the New Yorker's veteran theater critic John Lahr certainly won't like this news :) And if you're just joining us, click HERE to read my post yesterday on Lahr's critique of the multi-racial revival of the play which stirred up some conversation among you folks.  For everyone else, here ya go, hot off the presses: New York: The acclaimed Broadway production of Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire, directed by Emily Man will extend its run through August 19, 2012. Streetcar began performances on April 3 and opened on April 22 and was originally set to end its limited run on July 22 at the Broadhurst. Tennessee...