TIFF 2014 Films Featuring and Directed By Black TalentPosted by Wilson Morales
September 2, 2014
Biopics took center stage at the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival where there were several films featuring and directed by Black talent such as Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom with Idris Elba, Amma Asante’s Belle, Biyi Bandele’s Half of a Yellow Sun, and John Ridley’s All Is By My Side. All told compelling stories of individuals (Solomon Northup, Nelson Mandela, Jimi Hendrix) whose lives needed to be in the spotlight. Besides those films, there were others stories by Black talent including Judy Kibinge’s ‘Something Necessary’, Donovan Marsh’s iNumber Number, Jahmil Qubeka’s ‘Of Good Report’ and Tommy Oliver’s 1982. In the end 12 Years a Slave was the festival favorite taking home the People’s Choice Award.
While there doesn’t seem to be any biopics playing this year, there’s no shortage of interesting films and ironically, with the exception of s few, most of them center on race relations. Several talent will be there to promote their latest films and hopefully most, if not all, will be able to pick up distribution for the world to see.
Here’s a preview of several films that will premiere at the 2014 Toronto Film Festival that are directed by or starring Black talent.
The Equalizer, directed by Antoine Fuqua and starring Denzel Washington, Marton Csokas, Chloë Grace Moretz, David Harbour, Bill Pullman, Melissa Leo
It’s the first time Fuqua and Washington have worked together since ‘Training Day,’ which netted Denzel a Best Actor Oscar. They were supposed to worked on ‘American Gangster’ but Fuqua was replaced by Ridley Scott. Early buzz has the studio set up to do a sequel.
Robert McCall is deadly, but doesn’t look it. As played by Denzel Washington, he is quiet, reserved, and methodical. He sits at the same table in the same diner for his meals each day. He lines up his cutlery just so. He tries not to talk to strangers. But there’s something about Elina (Chloë Grace Moretz, also appearing at the Festival in Clouds of Sils Maria and Laggies) that breaks through Bob’s barriers. She crashes into his diner in a clearly desperate state. She works as an escort, in thrall to a Russian crime gang not known for their gentle ways. As Bob’s protective impulse begins to extend to the ragged, volatile Elina, it’s only a matter of time before he puts his lethal skills to use. Because Bob is The Equalizer.
Beyond The Lights, directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood and starring Gugu Mbatha Raw, Nate Parker, Minnie Driver, Colson “MGK” Baker, and Danny Glover.
Producers include Stephanie Allain, Ryan Kavanaugh, Amar’e Stoudemire, and Reggie Rock Bythewood
It’s not an awards contender and it’s NOT a biopic, which is rare these days for an African American director getting a film released by a distributor (Relativity). Unlike last year’s 12 Years a Slave and Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom, here’s a film that can hopefully be fun, romantic and not have a lot of pressure of getting the story right.
In Beyond the Lights, Gugu Mbatha-Raw (the star of last year’s Festival hit Belle) plays Noni, a young woman on the verge of superstardom. Shaped from childhood by her steely manager mother (Minnie Driver), she’s checked all the right boxes so far. Catchy, ultra-produced tunes. Fetching British accent. A hookup with a sketchy rapper that becomes the talk of social media. But all this is threatened when Noni meets handsome, confident police officer Kaz (Nate Parker). As far as Kaz’s father (Danny Glover) is concerned, his law-and-order work is only the first step towards a future career in politics. Kaz knows what it’s like to be groomed for greatness, and he has a way of looking right through Noni’s camera-ready facade that throws her off her game.
Top Five, written, directed by, and starring Chris Rock. Film also stars Rosario Dawson, JB Smoove, Gabrielle Union, Tracy Morgan, Cedric the Entertainer, Kevin Hart, Jerry Seinfeld, Adam Sandler, Whoopi Goldberg, Sherri Shepherd, Jay Pharoah, Anders Holm, Michael Che, Leslie Jones
As great of a comedian Rock is, his directing skills are questionable. Can anyone count his Head of State and I Think I Love My Wife as urban classics? Does anyone have these films in their Blu-ray collection? Filled with lots of comedians, can their combined talent fit in this romantic comedy without overdoing it to get a laugh.
In Top Five, Rock plays Andre Allen, a successful comedian and movie star who, having had his work recently savaged by a New York Times critic, is now in need of a hit. His fiancé (Gabrielle Union) wants him to help boost her reality TV show, while his agent, played by the rocket-fuelled Kevin Hart, tries to guide him to the next blockbuster. But what Andre really wants to do is make a serious, important film about the Haitian revolution. So he lets the Times back into his life, hoping to revitalize his image with a profile written by a whip-smart, irresistible journalist (Rosario Dawson). It’s the beginning of a beautiful sparring match.
Murder in Pacot, directed by Raoul Peck and starring Alex Descas, Joy Olasunmibo Ogunmakin, Thibault Vinçon, and Lovely Kermonde Fifi
Barely a couple of days after the earthquake destroys most of their villa, a man (Alex Descas) and his wife (Joy Olasunmibo Ogunmakin) are visited by a team of foreign surveyors and given an ultimatum: fix it entirely in a few weeks, or it will be razed to the ground. The newly penniless couple rent the habitable part of the villa to Alex (Thibault Vinçon) — a relief worker who benefits from the high remuneration granted to foreign humanitarian personnel in Haiti — in order to put his rent payments towards repairs. To their surprise, their new tenant also comes with a Haitian girlfriend, Andrémise (Lovely Kermonde Fifi), a sassy and enterprising young woman who has renamed herself Jennifer to attract foreign suitors in Port-au-Prince. As the ground rumbles with aftershocks, the once-privileged couple, now destitute and helpless, comes for the first time face-to-face with the stark contradictions of Haitian society.
Girlhood, directed by Céline Sciamma and starring Karidja Touré, Assa Sylla, Lindsay Karamoh, Mariétou Touré
Grounded by an incendiary performance from Karidja Touré, Sciamma’s film locates a kinetic, irresistible energy amid the nondescript housing projects, shopping centres, and outdoor plazas in which, for these strutting young characters, attitude prevails. Touré plays Marieme, a shy sixteen-year-old who falls in with a small crew of friends after low grades prevent her from continuing her studies. This foursome soon forms a tight unit bent on pushing the limits. In the face of peer pressure and the need to be cool, Marieme finds herself navigating dangerous waters. But it isn’t long before she finds a way to assert her own voice and a new-found sense of power.
Black and White, directed by Mike Binder and starring Kevin Costner, Octavia Spencer, Anthony Mackie, Andre Holland, Bill Burr, Mpho Koaho, Gillian Jacobs, Jennifer Ehle, Jillian Estell
Twenty years after directing Blankman and seven years since his last film, Reign Over Me gave Adam Sandler a meaningful film with depth, it would be interesting to see if Binder can tackle this racial drama that will be debatable if the outcome is controversial.
Having already mourned the death of his daughter, Los Angeles attorney Elliot Anderson (Academy Award-winner Kevin Costner) is dealt a staggering blow when his beloved wife is killed in a car crash. Elliot had been raising his biracial granddaughter Eloise (Jillian Estell) with his wife, and now, in the midst of his terrible grief, he’s blindsided with a custody suit: Eloise’s African-American grandmother, Rowena (Academy Award-winner Octavia Spencer), is demanding that Eloise be placed in the care of her father, a reckless drug addict whom Elliot still holds partly responsible for his daughter’s demise.
Samba, directed by Eric Toledano and Olivier Nakache and starring Omar Sy, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Tahar Rahim, Izia Higelin
For those who saw The Intouchables, which netted the directors acclaim as well as the Best Actor Cesar award for Sy, can their chemistry strike gold again?
Samba Cissé (Sy) is a migrant to France from Mali. Washing dishes in the back kitchen of a fancy hotel is hardly his European dream, but it gets worse when a bureaucratic slip-up lands him in detention. There he meets Alice (Charlotte Gainsbourg), an immigration worker new to the job and unused to the hard realities of life on France’s bottom rung. When Samba is released but slapped with an order to leave France, Alice begins to let her professional role bleed into her personal life.
Ruth and Alex, directed by Richard Loncraine and starring Diane Keaton, Morgan Freeman, Michael Cristofer, Cynthia Nixon, Claire van der Boom, Korey Jackson, Carrie Preston
Having seen Freeman take checks for his bland roles in Transcendence and Lucy, he hasn’t had a true lead role since 2007’s Invictus. Also, it would also be interesting to see he fairs well in a dramedy with racial themes.
When Ruth (Diane Keaton) and Alex (Morgan Freeman) first moved to Brooklyn, it was the 1970s — years before gentrification, and years before they would realize that they won’t always be physically able to climb several flights of stairs just to get home. Still highly active, yet feeling the undeniable effects of age, the couple opts to put their apartment on the market. But the decision coincides with a flurry of problematic events. A trailer jackknifes on the Williamsburg Bridge and the driver inexplicably flees the scene, putting all of New York on an overblown terrorist alert. The couple’s dog becomes ill and the vet bill comes to $10,000. An overwhelming sequence of encounters with realtors, agents, and snotty bargain hunters only adds to their troubles.
The Good Lie, directed by Philippe Falardeau and starring Reese Witherspoon with Arnold Oceng, Ger Duany, Emmauel Jal, and Corey Stoll.
Witherspoon has two films at the festival including Jean-Marc Vallee’s Wild. Either folks will compare ‘The Good Lie’ to ‘The Blind Side’ or will they love this film as they did with the story of Sudan’s “Lost Boys.”
To the ordinary American, Carrie looks perfectly normal. Her personal life is a shambles but she’s good at her job. She’s not married, but she finds the company she needs when she needs it. She’s practical. But to the three Sudanese men fresh off a plane from a refugee camp, she may be the strangest creature they’ve ever seen. She’s also their best chance.
Young men Mamere (Arnold Oceng), Jeremiah (Ger Duany), and Paul (musician Emmanuel Jal) have survived terrible dangers. On arrival in America, they’re separated from Mamere’s sister Abital (Kuoth Wiel) due to a bureaucratic rule. At first Carrie wants to get them processed at the employment centre where she works, but the file on these Africans won’t be so easily closed.
Jeremiah finds his faith and generosity challenged by the harsh realities of service work. Paul finds new temptations at his factory job. And Mamere never forgets the wound of losing his sister to regulations. As the remarkable Sudanese and typical American woman get to know each other, they find themselves opening up, becoming richer souls. With the help of a good friend (Corey Stoll), Carrie reaches beyond herself to become so much more than perfectly normal.
Big Game, directed by Jalmari Helander and starring Samuel L. Jackson, Onni Tommila, Ray Stevenson, Mehmet Kurtulus, Victor Garber, Ted Levine, Felicity Huffman, Jim Broadbent
In the rugged Finnish countryside, timid thirteen-year-old Oskari (Onni Tommila) embarks on a traditional quest to prove himself by spending twenty-four hours alone in the wild, armed with only a bow and arrow. As Oskari wanders the vast forest, the night is ripped apart by a deafening crash. Following a trail of broken trees and burning debris, Oskari discovers the escape pod from Air Force One, containing the battered and bruised President of the United States (Samuel L. Jackson).
With a team of terrorists hot on the president’s trail, the life of the most powerful man in the world lies in the hands of a teenage woodsman — and this unlikely duo is soon plunged into a deadly game of cat-and-mouse, with the clock ticking down towards disaster.
American Heist, directed by Sarik Andreasyan and starring Adrien Brody, Hayden Christensen, Jordana Brewster, Tory Kittles, Aliaune “AKON” Thiam
James (Hayden Christensen) has a checkered past, but he’s trying to put his life on the straight and narrow. He has a decent job in an auto shop, plans to start his own business, and there’s even the promise of love on the horizon. But one day, before his dream can become a reality, he opens his front door to find his older brother Frankie (Adrien Brody), recently released from a ten-year stretch in prison. Frankie has some money-making strategies of his own, and he needs James to help him one last time — in a spectacularly elaborate bank heist. Even though it’s Frankie’s influence that James is trying to escape, he finds himself drawn into the unsavoury plan due to a combination of guilt, greed, and misguided brotherly devotion.
Mirage, directed by Szabolcs Hajdu and starring Isaach De Bankolé, Razvan Vasilescu, Orsolya Török-Illyés, Dragos Bucur, Tamás Polgár
Mirage begins — and continues — for long sequences in almost complete silence as a black man walks across an interminable prairie. He stumbles into an abandoned train station, waits, encounters a local, and continues on his way. Eventually arriving at a newly built “homestead” that looks like a ranch in the American Midwest (but is apparently in the middle of nowhere), Francis settles in with an odd assortment of outcasts and cowboys. Why he is there, what he is doing, and who these people are remains a mystery. A Frenchman rolls up, a football starts to figure in the plot, and the narrative thickens until violence starts to flicker around its edges.
The Keeping Room, directed by Daniel Barber and starring Brit Marling, Hailee Steinfeld, Sam Worthington, Muna Otaru, Kyle Soller
In rural South Carolina in the final days of the American Civil War, Augusta (Brit Marling), her teenaged sister Louise (Hailee Steinfeld), and their young slave Mad (Muna Otaru) have been left to maintain the family farm on their own. With all of the men — fathers, brothers, farmhands — long since departed for the battlefield and now presumed missing or dead, the three women harbour fears about the future, unaware that a greater peril is much closer at hand. When an illness sends Augusta to a nearby town in search of medicine, she finds a welter of death and terror wrought by two Yankee scouts (Sam Worthington and Kyle Soller), who have embarked upon some private pillaging in advance of the approaching Union Army. Though Augusta manages to escape their clutches, the renegades track her back to the farm. The ensuing battle between the young women and their assailants is fierce, furious, and unpredictable.
Shelter, directed by actor Paul Bettany and starring Jennifer Connelly and Anthony Mackie.
Hannah (Jennifer Connelly) has done terrible things but she hasn’t lost hope. Having succumbed to a shattering drug addiction, she now seeks shelter on the streets of New York. Tahir (Anthony Mackie) has done terrible things, too, although he is more secretive about his past. They find each other in Manhattan, but this is a different kind of New York love story.
Tales of the Grim Sleeper, directed by Nick Broomfield
Throughout Nick Broomfield’s career, he has frequently turned to crime investigations (Aileen Wuornos: The Selling of a Serial Killer, Biggie & Tupac) that raise larger questions about gender, race, and class inequalities in America. Now he digs into the case of a South Central Los Angeles serial killer known as the Grim Sleeper, whose string of murders spanned twenty-five years. Lonnie Franklin Jr. was arrested for the crimes in 2010. His court case still drags on as police seek connections to over a hundred unsolved murders.
Broomfield’s first-person presence in Tales of the Grim Sleeper is more subdued than in his other films. He enlists the help of a former prostitute, Pam, who shines as a lively, funny, and courageous personality. Together they hit the streets to dig up information where the police investigation has run cold. Broomfield researches a citizens’ group called the Black Coalition Fighting Back Serial Murders, formed out of frustration over the lack of police action on the case back in the 1980s. In archival clips and new interviews, he documents the coalition’s refusal to let the Grim Sleeper’s victims be forgotten.
Second Coming, directed by Debbie Tucker Green and starring Nadine Marshall, Idris Elba, Kai Francis-Lewis, Sharlene Whyte
Jackie (Nadine Marshall) is expecting her second child but the math doesn’t quite add up. It’s been months since she last slept with her husband Mark (Idris Elba), so she knows it can’t be his. But, perplexingly, she also knows she hasn’t been with anyone else.
That’s the intriguing premise of Second Coming, the remarkable feature debut from BAFTA Award-winning television director and playwright Debbie Tucker Green.
Prior to Jackie’s disconcerting discovery, she, Mark, and son JJ (Kai Francis-Lewis) are a close-knit middle-class family living in London. Jackie and Mark are happily married, but, as they’re both busy working parents, intimate evenings are few and far between. And then comes Jackie’s mystifying, seemingly immaculate conception.
