Olga James in Carmen Jones (1954)

The first Nigerian musical to ever be on screen: Inale!

Movies to look forward to in 2014

a.k.a This should have been posted at the start of the month not halfway through at the end of the month, but c’est la vie.

1. Belle (June 2014)

What is it about?

Belle is based on the life of a historical character, Dido Elizabeth Belle, the mixed–race daughter of a British Naval officer and an African woman. Dido is taken to England by her father, Captain Sir John Lindsay (Matthew Goode), to be raised by his uncle, the Lord Mansfield (Tom Wilkinson), as an aristocratic Lady, as befits her blood line. 

Source: wikipedia

Why you should watch it?

We have been waiting to see this film since the beginning of 2013. Hello! A story about a girl of mixed heritage in 18th century England…and they said there were no black people in England before the ’60s.

Also the director, Amma Asante is a Black British woman who has just been picked to direct Unforgettable for Warner Bros. Why is this a big deal? Because how many female directors get to direct major studio films a year? I rest my case.

2. Annie (December 2014, January 2015 in the UK)

Source: Just Jared

What is it about?

An orphan is adopted by a wealthy businessman. Oh and there will be a lot of singing and dancing. Yay! If that’s your thing.

Why you should watch it?

Two words: Quvenzhané. Wallis. She’s like our little sister here at T(w)o Black Girls and she’s awesome and confident and articulate…pretty much the best 10 year old around.

Produced by Jay Z and Will Smith. They said “If you don’t like it, make your own shows!” and so they did. Also Jamie Foxx plays a wealthy businessman who adopts a young black girl. Based on movies/tv shows alone you would think black people never adopt. Lies!

3. Dear White People (TBC)

(The current cast looks different but this is the picture I found on the website.)

What is it about?

"A satire about being a black face in a white place."

DEAR WHITE PEOPLE follows the stories of four black students at an Ivy League college where a riot breaks out over a popular “African American” themed party thrown by white students. With tongue planted firmly in cheek, the film will explore racial identity in “post-racial” America while weaving a universal story of forging one’s unique path in the world.

Source: http://www.dearwhitepeoplemovie.com/

Why you should watch it?

So we here at T(w)o Black Girls have been screaming in excitement about this movie since a trailer was made and with the movie at this years Sundance we’re about ready to burst at the seams. This is in independent movie that I feel a lot of us can relate to. Although it focuses on an American college, if you listened to our podcast on being black at university http://toblackgirls.tumblr.com/post/72859297465/hello-and-welcome-to-episode-5-of-two-black you’ll know that maybe our experiences aren’t so different. 

Also it did really really well at Sundance and considering that, I hope it increases the chances of actually seeing it in a cinema in the UK.

4. Half of a Yellow Sun (2014)

What is it about?

"A drama that brings together the lives of four people during the struggle to establish an independent republic in Nigeria." IMDB

Why you should watch it?

It is based on the novel written by her “Excellency” Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and thats really all there is to it. Although the fact that it has Anika Noni Rose in it is a massive selling point because she’s fantastic and disgustingly underrated.

Although, we have to remember that it is a book to movie adaptation and as such some of the nuances of the book may be lost in translation (read Z’étoile Imma’s review for Africa Is A Country here: http://africasacountry.com/review-of-the-film-version-of-half-of-a-yellow-sun-chimamanda-adichies-novel/). However, I find that sometimes it is best to see for yourself and make your own decision. Plus it was filmed in Nigeria and that is important for many reasons.

5. The Suspect (2014)

What is it about?

"Two African American social scientists pose as bank robbers in an effort to understand the racial dynamics of small-town law enforcement. However, their experiment takes an unplanned, deadly turn."  (IMDB)

Why you should watch it?

I’m going to admit that when I first read the synopsis I laughed bitterly then shook my head because hellooooo! two black men in America consciously doing something to get arrested in a White town is just MADNESS. But then I watched the trailer and now I am very intrigued. It looks like this movie really questions the existence of a “post-racial America” (let’s be real, it doesn’t exist, ask a POC) in a really compelling way. 

Belle featurette from Fox Searchlight Pictures

Diahann Carroll as Dominique Deveraux on Dynasty (4.26 - “New Lady In Town”).

***Flawless

Mbissine Thérèse Diop in La Noire De…(Black Girl) Ousmane Sembène, Senegal, 1966

Next time you feel the need to tell a black girl/woman that you’ve never kissed/been with/etc a black girl/woman before, I urge you to remember her face.

Everyone should watch this movie. It’s not very long and it’s on Netflix

Mbissine Thérèse Diop in La Noire De…(Black Girl) Ousmane Sembène, Senegal, 1966

Next time you feel the need to tell a black girl/woman that you’ve never kissed/been with/etc a black girl/woman before, I urge you to remember her face.

Everyone should watch this movie. It’s not very long and it’s on Netflix

Teaser Trailer For ‘Oya: Rise of the Orishas’ - Project Resurrecting Orishas As Modern Day Superheroes

To watch later

Oooooooooooooooh!!!!

A tiny voice is heard from inside the womb of a pregnant woman: “Mother, give birth to me!”

“A child who can speak from his mother’s womb can give birth to himself”, replies the mother.

Here’s a blast from the past (released in 1998) that we can all enjoy, Kirikou and the Sorceress.

Drawn from familiar cultural elements of West Africa, this traditional animated film tells the story of Kirikou, a newborn boy who can speak and walk right after cutting his umbilical cord.. He is born into a village where an evil sorceress has cast a cruel spell; drying up their spring and kidnapping just about all the men. Her name is Karaba and she is a beautiful, but cruel woman. Kirikou wastes no time with setting off to find the plague of his village and to …  (keep reading)

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Dedicated to the Cultural Preservation of the African Aesthetic

Film masterpost highlighting the stories of women of color. Representation of women of color in film is quite scarce, so here are some films I think showcase a wide range of perspectives and experiences that we don't get to see on our movie screens.

"Know How" - Official Trailer

We’re aiming to get 10,000 views of our KNOW HOW TRAILER before our World Premiere on March 8th! We already have 1,246 in one day!

If you have the time, can you share our trailer and get five of your friends to watch it?

I know we can do it (because my friends are awesome and so are yours!) and take our film one step further toward changing the future of foster care!

A FILM THAT TELLS THE NARRATIVE OF THE PEOPLE BY THE PEOPLE. LIKE CAN WE SIGNAL BOOSTS THE FUCK OUTTA THIS PLEASE?!

Signal boost!

This looks great

Thank you to everyone who has watched, shared, and helped us get to 2,000+ views in two days!

Please continue to share this and help us get to 10,000 views by March 8th!

Our world premiere will be in San Jose, California. If you or anyone you know is in the San Jose area, encourage them to go see the film!

We are working on getting more movie screenings set up in other cities.

In the meantime, if you want to buy tickets to see the film, click this link: http://payments.cinequest.org/websales/mobile/info.aspx?evtinfo=19603%7e78899376-35a9-4153-8303-e1557be2dc32&epguid=70d8e056-fa45-4221-9cc7-b6dc88f62c98&!

As someone who was in foster care for many years, being able to do this film has been life changing and such an honor. Honestly, as cool as it is to be in this film. What I want more than anything is to change the foster care system.

So please please continue to signal boost this trailer. Help us share our stories with the world. Help us help other youth in the foster care system and let them know they’re not alone. Help us change this fucked up system.

Yay, ticket purchasing link! And can I say how I appreciate that there’s no service charge?! I was expecting there to be one but there isn’t and that’s amazing. Only $10 a ticket, everyone!!

Malcolm X: Make It Plain  (PBS Documentary).

Malcolm X: Make It Plain is a 1994 documentary by PBS about the life of Malcolm X, or El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz. The documentary was narrated by Alfre Woodard, produced and directed by Orlando Bagwell, written by Steve Fayer and Orlando

The voice of Malcolm X, silenced so abruptly on this day 49 years ago (February 21 1965), speaks to more people today than ever before. His autobiography sells more than 150,000 copies a year, his writings are devoured by thousands born after he died. But who was he? Drawing on hundreds of sources, the PBS “American Experience” documentary of his life, Malcolm X: Make It Plain, explores his many-faceted character - political philosopher and visionary, husband and father, dynamic orator and hero - and the many forces that forged him.

The revolutionary Malcolm X rose from the streets of Detroit, Boston, and Harlem, to become one of the most influential leaders of the human rights and international black liberation movement. His adventure-filled path to public service is detailed in this documentary. Malcolm X first connected with the Nation of Islam while in prison. His subsequent duties within the organization led to his role as their national spokesperson.  Malcolm X was always impassioned, he brought much attention to the struggle for African-Americans’ as African diaspora for equal treatment as under the law. As well as advocating for the self development and self sufficiency of African Americans as part of the African diaspora stressing the importance of them making a connection to Africa. This documentary features interviews with the many famous faces that populated the late leader’s life including Maya Angelou, Alex Haley, Ossie Davis, Dr John Henrik Clarke Dr Ben Yosef Jochannan and Malcolm X’s own family.

Watch The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975 here

"About Last Night" 2nd Only to "LEGO Movie", Earns a Projected $35M Over Holiday Weekend

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No Problem - the hit black sitcom about a family of 5 children whose parents have gone back to Jamaica, leaving their children (Terri, Bellamy, Angel, Tosh and Sensi) in charge of the house. 'No Problem' was the first British Black Sitcom to be created by a black theatre company (Black Theatre Co-operatives). The series was created for Channel 4, by the cast: Victor Romero Evans, Janet Kay, Shope Shodeinde, Chris Tummings, Judith Jacob and Malcolm Frederick who played Terri's boyfriend. The series was written by Farrukh Dhondy and Mustapha Matura.

OH WOW THIS IS ONLINE?! !!!