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Magnolia Pictures' 'Night Catches Us,' which stars Anthony Mackie and Kerry Washington, will be the opening night film for the 14th annual Urbanworld Film Festival.
The debut feature, from Tanya Hamilton, exposes the realities of African American life during the final days of the Black Power Movement, as potluck suppers, run-ins with the authorities and lingering radicalism threaten to set off a neighborhood teetering on the edge.
Set in Philadelphia in 1976, 'Night' focuses on two former Black Panthers (played by Mackie and Washington) who reunite during the summer before Jimmy Carter's presidential election. As friends forced to confront personal and political demons, the two actors give spectacular performances, while Hamilton's use of an intense soundtrack (by The Roots) and moving archival footage bring to life the history of black resistance.
This year's notable films in the Narrative Feature Competition include 'Mooz-lum,' which stars Evan Ross, Danny Glover, Nia Long, Roger Guenevere Smith, Dorian Missick, Summer Bishil, and newcomer Kimberley Drummond. In an earlier interview with Black Voices, Missick spoke about the film stating, "The film's directed by Qasim Basir, and is about a young Muslim at a crossroads in his life and beliefs and how he navigates that just days before the 9/11 attacks. My character, Professor Jamal, is a young muslim professor who strikes up a mentoring relationship with Evan's character. I also have a strained -- to say the least -- relationship with Danny Glover's character who's the narrow minded dean of the university I teach at and Evan attends. It's an important film and I'm really proud of the work everyone did in it."
With 'The Inheritance,' Robert O'Hara is making his directorial debut and the film being produced by Effie T. Brown and her production company, Duly Noted Inc. The story centers on family friends (played by Golden Brooks, Darrin Dewitt Henson, Rochelle Aytes, Shawn Michael Howard, and D.B Woodside) who gather during a winter storm for a 'secret' reunion at the family estate. The connection to their tortured history is one of only passing fascination. The reunion turns deadly when the elders have to make good on an ancient pact with a spirit of an ancestor. Now, it's this generation's turn to make the ultimate sacrifice. It is their duty and their destiny, but they won't give up without a fight to survive.
The film also played at Jeff Friday's 14th Annual American Black Film Festival in June where the Grand Jury Prize for Best Performance by an Actor was awarded to Brooks for her performance.
Other films in the festival include 'Bilal's Stand' by Sultan Sharrief, 'Callback' by Kartik Singh, 'Everyday Black Man' by Carmen Madden, 'Go For It!,' by Carmen Marron, 'Krews,' by Hilbert Hakim, 'Money Matters,' by Ryan Richmond, and 'Sus,' by Robert Heath.
Films in the Documentary Feature Competition include 'Bouncing Cats' by Nabil Elderkin, 'Finding God in the City of Angels' by Jennifer Jessum & Simon Joseph, 'Grown in Detroit: Teen Moms, Urban Farmers' by Mascha & Manfred Poppenk, 'Ni Wakati (It's Time)' by Michael Wanguhu, 'Streetball' by Demetrius Wren, and 'Osvaldo's' by Randy Wilkins.
Over the last few years, a majority of the films in competition, outside of the few studio films, have failed to find a distributor for the big or small screen. Even some of the openers such as 2008's 'Jazz in the Diamond District,' 2007's ''Blackout,' and 2006's VH1's 'Last Days of Left Eye,' didn't attract buyers on the theatrical level.
Some of the films included in this year's lineup are recycled films that have played in other festivals such as 'Night Catches Us,' 'The Inheritance,' and 'Everyday Black Man.'
Urbanworld is scheduled to run in New York City from September 15-19