blackfilm.com correspondent Koku Tona sat down with NBA Champion Matt Barnes, and award winning filmmaker Joslyn Rose Lyons to talk (R)evolution, an eight-part anthology series that gives fans a glimpse into the lives of their favorite athletes. The documentary dives deep into Barnes beginnings, challenges his villain narrative, and also shows the various ways he gives back.
Check out the interview and let us know what you think!
1091 Pictures, a Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, Inc. (Nasdaq: CSSE) company is proud to announce a partnership with NBA Champion and Showtime Sports’ Matt Barnes and award-winning filmmaker Joslyn Rose Lyons that will allow fans to see Barnes and other athletes in a whole new light. (R)evolution is an eight-part film anthology that profiles the evolution of the athlete, exploring their revolutionary work beyond sports. Inspired by his own journey from NBA bad boy to entrepreneur and community activist, episode one is aptly titled “Matt Barnes: (R)evolution.”
Since retiring from the league in 2017, Barnes has remained a prominent figure in sports, appearing on ESPN’s The Jump and Get Up and co-hosting the popular Showtime Sports’ podcast All the Smoke with Matt Barnes & Stephen Jackson. His career arc behind the scenes has been even more impressive. Among his many business ventures and investments, the serial entrepreneur owns a cannabis brand, SWISH, which aims to create economic opportunities for marginalized communities while educating the world about the health and wellness benefits of CBD and THC. Barnes also founded and helms Athletes Vs. Cancer, which provides resources for the families of cancer patients while raising awareness about innovative treatments. Through interviews with his father, colleagues and friends including Stephen Jackson and Ice Cube, Barnes’ (R)evolution spotlight will lead viewers on an exploration beyond his controversial past, revealing the revolutionary that was inside of him, just waiting to get out.
“It’s important to tell athletes’ stories from our perspective,” Barnes says of the motivation for his latest project.“ Being in the NBA for 14 years taught me first hand why it’s so necessary for us to control our narrative.” Joslyn Rose Lyons, who most recently served as a producer on Speaking Truth to Power – winner of this year’s 53rd NAACP Image Awards for Outstanding Documentary (Film), previously worked with Barnes on the limited series Same Energy for LeBron James’ digital platform UNINTERRUPTED, says that she wants audiences to see (R)evolution as not just a look backward or forward, but rather as a look within. “As storytellers, we must be courageous enough to shine a light on the areas of our lives that are often left unseen,” she adds. “The inspiration behind creating (R)evolution is to highlight the parts of these athletes’ stories that the mainstream often leaves out of focus.”
For Greg Maurice, director of content acquisition at 1091 Pictures, adding this groundbreaking series to the company’s impressive growing filmography was a no-brainer. “Not only does Joslyn’s talent as a filmmaker speak for itself, she is a great mentor to young women who are interested in the film industry,” he explains. “Knowing Matt as well, I know how much his peers and current NBA players respect and admire him, not only as a professional but as a role model, and a great father. (R)evolution will be a great platform to showcase Matt, and other professional athletes in a manner that hasn’t been done before.”
(R)evolution is executive produced by Matt Barnes, Joslyn Rose Lyons, Greg Maurice, Ray Young, and Jelani McCoy. The series will be directed by Joslyn Rose Lyons. The first film in the anthology is set to premiere later this spring.
ABOUT 1091 PICTURES
1091 Pictures, a Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment (Nasdaq: CSSE) company, is a modern distribution partner for independent film and series owners based in New York and Los Angeles, offering content licensing and delivery to over 100 destinations in over 100 countries. The company represents over 500 filmmakers and distributors and has amassed over 150 award nominations, including two Academy Award® nominations, an Emmy nomination, a Grammy Award for Best Music Film, and over a dozen Spirit Awards nominations. Leading the way in digital distribution, 1091 Pictures helps its clients navigate the streaming landscape, providing marketing resources and valuable insights through partnering with its parent company’s new technology platform in development, Streamwise. 1091 Pictures’ diverse slate of releases include NYT Critic’s Picks such as The Ghost of Peter Sellers and Grammy-Award Winner Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice, riveting sports stories such as A Kid From Coney Island executive produced by Kevin Durant and featuring Stephon Marbury and Red Bull’s The Dawn Wall, audience favorites such as The Last Blockbuster, groundbreaking documentaries such as Close Encounters of The Fifth Kind and The Phenomenon, which reveal the latest intelligence on UFOs, and indie film hits such as Academy Award® Winner Taika Waititi’s Hunt for the Wilderpeople, Spirit Awards-winner Christine, and the knockout comedy The Overnight starring Adam Scott, Taylor Schilling and Jason Schwartzman. For more information, please visit: 1091pictures.com
ABOUT CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL ENTERTAINMENT, INC.
Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment, Inc. (Nasdaq: CSSE) (the “Company”) operates streaming video-on-demand networks (VOD). The Company owns Crackle Plus, which owns and operates a variety of ad-supported and subscription-based VOD networks including Crackle, Chicken Soup for the Soul, Popcornflix, Popcornflix Kids, Truli, Pivotshare, Españolflix and FrightPix. The Company also acquires and distributes video content through its Screen Media and 1091 Pictures subsidiaries and produces original video content through the Chicken Soup for the Soul Television Group. Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment is a subsidiary of Chicken Soup for the Soul, LLC, which publishes the famous book series and produces super-premium pet food under the Chicken Soup for the Soul brand name.
Related Links: https://www.blackfilm.com/read/2022/11/matt-barnes-revolution-trailer/
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