Black Talent And Films At 2016 Tribeca Film FestivalPosted by Wilson Morales
April 14, 2016
The 2016 Tribeca Film Festival will take place from April 13 to April 24 in New York City.
In terms of Urban and African American films, there aren’t that many films directed by Black talent but there are a few that have several well-known actors in strong roles. Viola Davis returns to the screen in Custody, while Eddie Murphy may display his finest dramatic chops since Dreamgirls in Mr. Church. As far as rising stars, there’s the cast of Kicks, and Armani Jackson in Little Boxes. After appearing in last year’s Good Kill, Zoe Kravitz returns to the festival with Vincent N Roxxy, which also features a supporting turn from Straight Outta Compton’s Jason Mitchell. Meanwhile, Keith Stanfield, who appeared in Dope with Kravitz and Compton with Mitchell, has a lead role in Live Cargo.
Also among the highlights is the world premiere of OWN’s new original drama series Greenleaf with Oprah Winfrey in a supporting role as well as an episode of HISTORY’s eight-hour miniseries, Roots, in advance of its Memorial Day premiere.
Congrats to those films that will be playing this year and hopefully, the rest of the world, will get a chance to see them, should it be picked up for theatrical release.
Here’s a breakdown of some films that have African American themes or has Black talent in prominent roles.
Check It, directed by Dana Flor and Toby Oppenheimer. (USA) – World Premiere, Documentary. Fed up with being abused and harassed on the brutal inner-city streets of Washington D.C., a group of gay and trans teens form a gang to fight back. This raw and intimate portrait follows four Check It members as they struggle to find a way out of gang life through an unlikely avenue: fashion.
Children of the Mountain, directed and written by Priscilla Anany. (USA, Ghana) – World Premiere, Narrative. When a young woman gives birth to a deformed and sickly child, she becomes the victim of cruelty and superstition in her Ghanaian community. Discarded by her lover, she is convinced she suffers from a ‘dirty womb,’ and embarks on a journey to heal her son and create a future for them both. With Rukiyat Masud, Grace Omaboe, Akofa Edjeani, Adjetey Annang, Agbeko Mortty (Bex), Dzifa Glikpo, Mynna Otoo. In Twi with subtitles.
Custody, directed and written by James Lapine. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. Legal and intimate family dynamics dovetail in Custody. Starring Viola Davis as an embattled family court judge with a fraught marriage of her own; Hayden Panettiere as a recent law-school grad flung into a custody case; and Catalina Sandino Moreno as the single mother at the center of the case who risks losing her two children over an ill-timed argument. With Tony Shalhoub, Raul Esparza, Dan Fogler, and Ellen Burstyn.
Kicks, directed by Justin Tipping, written by Justin Tipping and Josh Beirne-Golden. (USA) – World Premiere. When his hard-earned kicks get snatched by a local hood, fifteen-year old Brandon and his two best friends go on an ill-advised mission across the Bay Area to retrieve the stolen sneakers. Featuring a soundtrack packed with hip-hop classics, Justin Tipping’s debut feature is an urban coming-of-age tale told with grit, humor, and surprising lyricism. With Jahking Guillory, Mahershala Ali, Kofi Siriboe, Christopher Jordan Wallace, Christopher Meyer. A Focus World release.
Life, Animated, directed by Roger Ross Williams, written by Roger Ross Williams and David Teague. (USA) – New York Premiere, Documentary. Oscar-winning director Roger Ross Williams tells the remarkable story of an autistic young man, unable to speak for much of his childhood, who regained his ability to communicate through a life-long commitment to Disney animated movies. Life, Animated is a moving illustration of the power of love and understanding to fix those things in life that appear irreparable. An Orchard release.
Williams was the first African-American director to win an Oscar, for his film “Music by Prudence,” which won the 2010 Academy Award for documentary short subject. He also directed the critically acclaimed feature documentary “God Loves Uganda.” LIFE, ANIMATED won the 2016 Sundance Film Festival Directing Award in US Documentary competition.
Little Boxes, directed by Rob Meyer, written by Annie J Howell. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. It’s the summer before 6th grade, and Clark is the new-in-town biracial kid in a sea of white. Discovering that to be cool he needs to act ‘more black,’ he fumbles to meet expectations as rifts are exposed in his tight-knit family, his parents also striving to adjust. This poignant comedy about understanding identity is the second feature from TFF alumnus Rob Meyer. Executive Produced by Cary Fukunaga. With Melanie Lynskey, Nelsan Ellis, Armani Jackson, Oona Laurence, Janeane Garofalo, and Christine Taylor.
Live Cargo, directed by Logan Sandler, written by Logan Sandler and Thymaya Payne. (USA, Bahamas) – World Premiere. Nadine (Dree Hemingway) and Lewis (Keith Stanfield) move to a small Bahamian island hoping to restore their relationship in the wake of a tragedy, only to find the picturesque island torn in two: on one side a dangerous human trafficker and on the other an aging patriarch, struggling to maintain order. With Leonard Earl Howze, Sam Dillon, Robert Wisdom
Mr. Church, directed by Bruce Beresford, written by Susan McMartin. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. Charlotte “Charlie” Brody is just a teen when her life undergoes some serious turbulence. Her mother’s lover has died, and inexplicably has hired a cook named Henry Joseph Church (Eddie Murphy) to come into her mother’s modest home and cater to/for them. Charlie resents his presence, and doesn’t understand why he’s been sent here to begin with. Little does she know that her mother is hiding a terrible secret: terminal cancer. Church was hired to care for this loved woman for 6 months, but stays much longer, becoming a much-needed friend and parent-figure to young Charlotte. A tender coming-of-age family drama directed by the Oscar-nominated, Bruce Beresford (Driving Miss Daisy). With Britt Robertson, Xavier Samuel, Natascha McElhone, Lucy Fry
The Return, directed by Kelly Duane de la Vega and Katie Galloway, written by Kelly Duane de la Vega, Katie Galloway, and Greg O’Toole. (USA) – World Premiere. How does one reintegrate into society after making peace with a life sentence? California’s controversial and notoriously harsh three-strikes law was repealed in 2012, consequently releasing large numbers of convicts back into society. The Return presents an unbiased observation of the many issues with re-entry through the varied experiences of recently freed lifers.
Vincent N Roxxy, directed and written by Gary Michael Schultz. (USA) – World Premiere, Narrative. Vincent (Emile Hirsch) is a small town loner, and Roxxy (Zoë Kravitz) a rebellious punk rocker. When they find themselves on the run from the same dangerous criminals, their feelings for one another deepen, despite their dangerous circumstances. Soon, the star-crossed lovers discover violence is never far behind them, in Gary Michael Schultz’s alternately romantic and brutal drama. With Emory Cohen, Zoey Deutch, Jason Mitchell, Scott Mescudi.
Tribeca Disruptive Innovation Awards and Tribeca Tune In program:
7th Annual Tribeca Disruptive Innovation Awards (TDIA) honoring sixteen innovators including activist and filmmaker Nate Parker and CEO of Charity Water Scott Harrison will be held Friday, April 22nd at 11 AM at the John Zuccotti Theater at BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center.
On Wednesday 4/20, 5:00 PM at the John Zuccotti Theater @ BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center, Oprah Winfrey joins fellow executive producers and cast members for the world premiere of OWN’s new original drama series Greenleaf from Lionsgate TV, debuting this June. Featuring Winfrey’s return to acting on television in a recurring role, the series takes viewers into the unscrupulous world of the powerful Greenleaf family and their Memphis megachurch where secrets and lies are as numerous as the faithful.
After the episode: Conversation with executive producer and actress Oprah Winfrey; executive producers Craig Wright and Clement Virgo and actors Merle Dandridge, Keith David and Lynn Whitfield.
Roots (History) premiere —TFF attendees will get a special opportunity to see an episode of HISTORY’s eight-hour miniseries, Roots, in advance of its Memorial Day premiere. Roots is a historical portrait of American slavery that follows one family over many generations. The lineage begins with young Kunta Kinte, who is captured in his homeland of The Gambia and transported in brutal conditions to colonial America. Recounting the journey of one family and their will to survive, Roots is an inspiring story about the desire to carry on a legacy despite enormous hardship and inhumanity.
After the episode: Conversation with select cast and directors: Thursday 4/21, 6:00 PM, SVA1.
