L.A. Film Festival 2016: 7 Must-See Black Films and Documentaries
When I saw the lineup for this year’s Los Angeles Film Festival, I couldn’t write fast enough. There are so many good – and I mean really good - films to see. A. Russell Andrews, one of the co-founders of BlackCinemadb.com, has his favorites, too, and we’re going to do our best to catch each one and tell you about them. To say we’re excited is a complete understatement.
The Los Angeles Film Festival runs from June 1-9 at ArcLight Cinemas in Hollywood and Culver City and boasts an incredible array of talent. Grab your calendars because you don’t want to miss these films. The lineup of films includes a whopping 42 world premieres out of 56 total films, 58 short films and 13 short episodic works and web series.
Here are or our top picks:
DESTINED by Qasim Basir (Feature)
Destined explores the power of the individual, the idea of destiny, and unforeseen consequences of everyday choices. One man, (Cory Hardrict) exists in alternate realities. “Sheed” has earned his stripes on the streets and runs a drug empire. “Rasheed”, a college graduate, works at an architectural firm. As they navigate their respective worlds, they face similar dilemmas: Will they build up their neighborhood, family, community, or tear it down? (Feature)
Monday, June 6 @ 9:00 pm
Tuesday, June 7 @ 4:25 pm Download complete Festival Guide (pdf)
THE HOUSE ON COCO ROAD by Damani Baker
(Documentary)
A year after my family moved from California to be a part of Grenada’s peaceful revolution, we found ourselves hiding under a bed as American bombs shook our new home. I was nine, and I spent the next three decades trying to explain how history books and TV had it wrong. Revolution is the women in my family and how they have built a better world.
Thursday, June 2 @ 8:45 pm
Wednesday, June 8 @ 3:40 pm
JACKSON by Maisie Crow (Documentary)
What does life look like in a place where the anti-abortion movement has made access to legal abortion nearly impossible? The stigma of abortion is prolific in the American South and women in poverty and women of color are particularly vulnerable. Set against the backdrop of the fight over the last abortion clinic in Mississippi, Jackson follows three women who stand on all sides of this debate and live at a turning point for reproductive healthcare in America.
Monday, June 6 @ 6:15 pm
KICKS by Justin Tipping (Debut Feature)
When his hard-earned kicks get snatched by a local hood, fifteen-year old Brandon and his two best friends go on an ill-advised mission across the Bay Area to retrieve the stolen sneakers. Featuring a soundtrack packed with hip-hop classics, Justin Tipping's debut feature is an urban coming-of-age tale told with grit, humor – and surprising lyricism.
Wednesday, June 6 @ 8:35 pm
LIKE COTTON TWINES by Leila Djansi (Feature) Micah Brown, an African-American volunteer takes a teaching job in a remote Ghanaian village where he meets Tuigi, a 14-year-old girl who is to become Trokosi; slave to the gods, a practice of religious slavery. Accepting of her fate, Tuigi’s only desire it to be able to write her GED. Locked in a battle between history, church and state, Micah is determined to give Tuigi a life outside tradition.
Thursday, June 2 @ 6:00 pm
>> See our film review here (There are no spoilers, we promise)
OLYMPIC PRIDE, AMERICAN PREJUDICE by Deborah Riley Draper (Documentary)
Olympic Pride, American Prejudice tells the story of 18 African American athletes who defied Jim Crow and Adolf Hitler to win hearts and medals at the 1936 Summer Olympic Games in Berlin. The world remembers one of them - Jesse Owens. This is the story of the other 17, whose presence on the world stage is a seminal precursor to the Civil Rights Movement and a major springboard for desegregation in American sports. Narrated by Blair Underwood.
Saturday, June 4 @ 1:10 pm
Tuesday, June 6 @ 4:05 pm
WOVEN by Salome Mulugeta, Nagwa Ibrahim (Feature)
Attempting to integrate her mother's traditions with her own dreams, Ethiopian-born Elenie Tariku’s life is destroyed when a mysterious crime takes the life of her only brother. As Elenie searches for the truth behind his death, her life intertwines with Logan Thompson, in turmoil, and on his own personal quest for understanding.
Saturday, June 4 @ 11:30 am
