ArtMattan Films, the film distribution arm of ArtMattan Productions, recently acquired the Black radical drama The Sleeping Negro by Skinner Myers.
The Sleeping Negro opens with James Baldwin’s quote “To be a Negro in this country and to be relatively conscious is to be in rage almost all the time”. The film tells the story of a young Black man, identified only as “Man,” who must resolve the personal meaning of his blackness when his white boss orders him to commit fraud to benefit the corporation. Struggling with an overwhelming sense of shame for going through with the illegal demand, Man seeks consolation by discussing his unease with a black former friend and his white fiancé. This does not go well.
“Following on the footstep of the LA Rebellion filmmakers, Skinner Myers tells a very personal and intimate Black story in a radically non-traditional cinematic style as a means to express freely his feelings as a Black man in America” says Dr. Reinaldo B. Spech, Principal at ArtMattan Films. “We are delighted to get behind this amazing independent production and all that it represents. It is completely in line with our own vision as independent film distributors spotlighting the human experience of people of color all over the world. This film is unapologetic, powerful and, in my view, a meaningful and relevant film about the African-American experience that should be seen by everyone.”
Skinner Myers is an award-winning filmmaker based out of Los Angeles. He has written and directed 11 films, including La Tierra del Exodo, Nightmares by the Sea, Things of Beauty Burn and Frank Embree, which took home the Grand Jury Award at Hollyshorts. The Sleeping Negro is his first feature film. Myers has studied at Columbia, Brooklyn College, the USC School of Cinematic Arts and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. from the University of Amsterdam.
The Sleeping Negro made its world premiere at the Slamdance 2021 film festival. Currently screening at film festivals worldwide, the film will start its US theatrical run on Dec. 3 at Cinema Village in New York and at the Glendale in LA, before getting a digital and home-video release.
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