24 Black-Centered Movies Featured at Tribeca Film Festival

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Source: YouTube/Netflix
Reading Time: 5 minutes

17 Blocks

17 Blocks tells the story of the Rothbard family, including their battles with drug addictions and gun violence all through two decades of home videos.

Genre: Documentary

Director: Davy Rothbart

Writer: Jennifer Tiexiera

Producers: Alex Turtletaub, Michael B. Clark, Marc Turtletaub, Rachel Dengiz, Davy Rothbart

Cast: Cheryl Sanford, Emmanuel Durant, Jr., Akil “Smurf” Sanford, Denice Sanford-Durant, Justin Sanford, Carmen Payne

The Apollo

The Apollo tells the history of the Apollo theater in Harlem through a look at the performances of “Between the World and Me.”

Genre: Documentary

Director: Roger Ross Williams

Writer: Cassidy Hartmann, Jean Tsien

Producers: Lisa Cortes, Nigel Sinclair, Jeanne Elfant Festa, Cassidy Hartmann, Roger Ross Williams

Cast: Pharrell Williams, Jamie Foxx, Patti LaBelle, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Smokey Robinson

Burning Cane

Burning Cane tells the story of a religious mother in rural Louisiana who struggles with her faith while caring for her troubled son.

Genre: Drama

Director: Phillip Youmans (also: writer, cinematographer, editor, and producer)

Producers: Wendell Pierce, Mose Mayer, Ojo Akinlana, Karen Kaia Livers, Cassandra Youmans

Cast: Wendell Pierce, Karen Kaia Livers, Dominique McClellan, Braelyn Kelly

Changing the Game

This documentary tells the stories of transgender high school athletes as they move through the trials of discrimination.

Genre: Documentary

Director: Michael Barnett

Writer: Michael Barnett, Michael Mahaffie

Producers: Clare Tucker, Alex Schmider

Cast: Mack Beggs, Sarah Rose Huckman, Andraya Yearwood

Devil’s Pie

Devil’s Pie is about the true story of D’Angelo as he steps back into the public eye after his disappearance in 2000. Bijlsma follows his story as he prepares a comeback tour.

Genre: Documentary

Director: Carine Bijlsma (also: writer and cinematographer)

Producers: Mira Mendel, René Mendel, Julia Nottingham, Thomas Benski, Lucas Ochoa, Nina Yang Bongiovi, Forest Whitaker

Cast: D’Angelo, Questlove, Alan Leeds

Gay Chorus Deep South

In this film, The San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus ventures on a bus tour throughout the Deep South. Along the way, they encounter troubles with intolerance, and share their stories of coming out.

Genre: Documentary

Director: David Charles Rodrigues

Writer: David Charles Rodrigues, Jeff Gilbert

Producers: Bud Johnston, Jesse Moss

Cast: The San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus, Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir, Dr. Tim Seelig, Ashlé, Jimmy White

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Gully

Gully tells the story of three teenagers who, after surviving hellish circumstances as children, discover something that sends them on a violent binge through dystopian LA.

Genre: Drama

Director: Nabil Elderkin

Writer: Marcus Guillory

Producers: Brad Feinstein, Tom Butterfield, Ben Pugh, Corey Smyth, Alex Georgio

Cast: Terrence Howard, Amber Heard, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Charlie Plummer, Jacob Latimore, Jonathan Majors, John Corbett, Robin Givens

Goldie

Goldie cares for her sisters while her mother is in jail, all the while dreaming of being a star. This story follows her on her journey to fame as a dancer that might just be risking it all.

Genre: Drama

Director: Sam De Jong (also: writer)

Producers: Luca Borghese, Ben Howe

Cast: Slick Woods, George Sample III, Danny Hoch, Khris Davis, Marsha Stephanie Blake, A$AP Ferg

Inna de Yard: The Soul of Jamaica

Inna de Yard aims to tell the stories of the Reggae artists who did not make it to international fame with their contemporary Bob Marley. This film chronicles the experiences of Ken Boothe, Winston McAnuff, Kiddus I, and Cedric Myton as they embark on their first international tour.

Genre: Documentary

Director: Peter Webber (also: writer)

Producers: Gael Nouaille, Laurent Flahault, Laurent Baudens

Cast: Ken Boothe, Kiddus, Winston McAnuff, Cedric Myton, Judy Mowatt

A Kid from Coney Island

This documentary tells the story of NBA star Stephon Marbury from his childhood in Coney Island through his professional career as a basketball player. The film showcases friends and family discussing the hardships and joys of being along for the ride.

Genre: Documentary

Director: Chike Ozah & Coodie Simmons (also: writers)

Producers: Nina Yang Bongiovi, Forest Whitaker, Jason Samuels

Lil’ Buck: Real Swan

Lil’ Buck’s dancing stardom began on the streets of Memphis, where this film follows his story through his instant fame borne of a viral video.

Genre: Documentary

Director: Louis Wallecan (also: writer)

Producers: Victor Lech, Craten Jai Armmer , Lil’ Buck, Nadim Cheikhouha, Machine Molle

Only

After an inexplicable plague wipes out almost all the females on earth, Eva is the only woman left alive. Due to the global situation, Eva is secretly quarantined. This drama watches as Eva escapes with her partner Will and ventures into the mysterious world outside.

Genre: Romance, Drama, Science Fiction

Director: Takashi Doscher (also: writer)

Producers: Eyal Rimmon, Gabrielle Pickle

Cast: Freida Pinto, Leslie Odom Jr., Chandler Riggs, Jayson Warner Smith, Tia Hendricks

The Remix: Hip Hop x Fashion

In this film, we discover how hip-hop revolutionized fashion globally and watch the developments of cultures generated by this change.

Genre: Documentary

Directors: Lisa Cortés, Farah X

Producer: Lisa Cortés

Cast: Misa Hylton, April Walker, Dapper Dan, Kerby Jean-Raymond

Recorder: The Marion Stokes Project

Marion Stokes has long been famous for recording 70,000 VHS tapes of daily television. This film revisits her story with a modern media outlook, and strives to highlight her mark on history.

Genre: Documentary

Director: Matt Wolf

Producers: Kyle Martin, Andrew Kortschak, Walter Kortschak

Roads

Two 17 year olds – Gyllen and William – embark on a border crossing venture in the search for Gyllen’s real father. While looking for family, the pair finds comfort in their shared and unlikely friendship.

Director: Sebastian Schipper (also: writer)

Writers: Oliver Ziegenbalg

Cast: Fionn Whitehead, Stéphane Bak, Moritz Bleibtreu

See You Yesterday

In this film, two teenage prodigies – CJ Walker and Sebastian Thomas – build a time machine with the goal of saving CJ’s brother from being murdered by a police officer.

Genre: Drama

Director: Stefon Bristol (also: writer)

Writer: Fredrica Bailey

Producers: Spike Lee, Jason Sokoloff, Lauren Owen, Matthew Myers

Cast: Eden Duncan Smith, Dante Crichlow

What’s My Name | Muhummad Ali

This documentary is the telling of Muhummad Ali’s life through his own voice, with the inclusion of never-before-seen footage.

Genre: Documentary

Director: Antoine Fuqua

Writer: Steven Leckart

Producer: Sean Stuart

Executive Producers: LeBron James and Maverick Carter

The Weekend

A stand-up comic tries desperately to get over her ex but ends up on a trip with him and his new girlfriend to a bed and breakfast. Perhaps an easy-on-the-eyes stranger will be the good luck Zadie needs to pull herself out of her unfortunate third-wheel situation. Director: Stella Meghie (also: writer and producer

Genre: Comedy

Producers: Stephanie Allain, Mel Jones, Sarah Lazow, James Gibb

Cast: Sasheer Zamata, Tone Bell, DeWanda Wise, Kym Whitley and Y’lan Noel

Wu-Tang Clan: Of Mics and Men

Sacha Jenkins tells the story of Wu-Tang Clan bandmembers through their own voices in this documentary moving through their lives from the Park Hill projects to global fame.

Genre: Documentary

Director: Sacha Jenkins

Writers: Paul Greenhouse, Peter J. Scalettar

Producer: Mass Appeal, Endeavor Content

Cast: RZA, GZA, Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Inspectah Deck, U-God, Ghostface Killah, Method Man, Raekwon da Chef, Masta Killa, Cappadonna

St Louis Superman

After the death of Michael Brown, St Louis rapper and activist, Bruce Franks Jr, is inspired to run for office in Missouri, a mostly white, Republican House. He wins, a feat for the history books, and this film follows him through his first year in office.

Genre: Documentary

Directors: Smriti Mundhra, Sami Khan (also: producers)

Cast: Bruce Franks Jr., King Bruce Franks III

All on a Mardi Gras Day

This film delves into the culture of the Mardi Gras Indians, who work all year to create feathered suits to wear in a competition to deem who is “the prettiest.”

Genre: Documentary

Director: Michal Pietrzyk (also: writer and producer)

Producer: Celeste Caliri, Gabriel Bienczycki, David Favret

Cast: Big Chief Demond Melancon, Alicia Winding, Spyboy Walter “Trigga” Blakk, Spyboy Rashaud “Shaudy” Brown

Ashe ’68

This short film chronicles the life of Arthur Ashe, the first Black man o win the US Open Tennis Championship.

Genre: Documentary

Project Creator: Brad Lichtenstein

Producer: Madeline Power

Cast: Chris Eubanks, Alex LaCroix

Accused No. 2: Walter Sisulu

This film focuses on the story of Walter Sisulu who was involved in the political wars fought by Nelson Mandela. Sisulu’s story is discovered in a collection of 256 hours of the recorded Rivonia trial archives.

Genre: Documentary

Project Creators: Nicolas Champeaux, Gilles Porte

After Maria

This film tells the true story of women forced to flee Puerto Rico after hurricane Maria. In the course of the film, they bond as family and seek a new stability together.

Genre: Documentary

Director: Nadia Hallgren (also: cinematographer)

Producer: Lauren Cioffi

Sources :

https://www.bet.com/celebrities/exclusives/13-must-see-black-films-premiering-at-the-2019-tribeca-film-fest.html
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