Following Paramount's first official awards consideration screening for the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.-centered historical drama Selma on Friday, November 28, star David Oyelowo and director Ava DuVernay (the latter in the midst of an especially busy day, her distribution company AFFRM also running a free day-long marathon of film and community discussion as part of #BlackoutBlackFriday), appeared in person for a talk moderated by awards season staple Pete Hammond. While there was some question and content overlap with the Q&A that took place after the film's world premiere at AFI Fest a couple of weeks ago, as one can witness in the complete video below, with the raw, genuine emotion surrounding the day--and, more specifically, the sobering events of the week that led up to it--what by design was to be another PR/campaign stop ended up becoming something far more valuable, powerful, and profound for all in attendance.
Selma opens in limited release on Thursday, December 25, and expands to cinemas nationwide on Friday, January 9 from Paramount Pictures.
(Special thanks to Ava DuVernay and David Oyelowo)
In Theaters April 18
Coinciding with Fourth Anniversary
of BP Oil Spill
Los Angeles, CA (March 18, 2014) – ARRAY, the multi-platform distribution label of the African-American Film Festival Releasing Movement (AFFRM), today announced the acquisition of Slamdance 2014 Official Documentary Selection, Vanishing Pearls. Marking the directorial debut of Louisiana native Nailah Jefferson, Vanishing Pearls will be released on April 18, 2014 to coincide with the fourth anniversary of BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil disaster. ARRAY has acquired worldwide distribution rights. The announcement was made by AFFRM Founder Ava DuVernay.
Following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, Vanishing Pearls chronicles the untold story of personal and professional devastation in Pointe a la Hache, a close-knit fishing village on the Gulf coast. The filmmaker delves into the worst environmental disaster in American history just as news cameras leave the scene of the crime. While 49 Million barrels of oil settle in the once vibrant coastal waters, a generations-old community of African-American fishermen pledge to fight for justice, accountability and their way of life.
“Nailah has created a breathtaking documentary set against one of the worst environmental catastrophes in US history by highlighting the economic and cultural losses with a strikingly personal approach. We’re pleased to work with this exciting new documentarian in connecting Vanishing Pearls with its audience,” explained ARRAY’s Managing Director Tilane Jones.
The deal was negotiated by Gordon Bobb of Del, Shaw, Moonves, Tanaka, Finkelstein & Lezcano on behalf of AFFRM.
Founded in 2011, AFFRM is the African-American Film Festival Releasing Movement, a distribution collective of black arts organizations dedicated to quality black independent films. AFFRM's Array Releasing titles include: 2013 Official Slamdance Selection Big Words, Jamaican gem Better Mus' Come, 2012 Sundance Best Director Award Winner Middle of Nowhere; 2011 Sundance World Cinema Audience Award Winner Kinyarwanda, 2011 Sundance Film Festival Official “Next” Selection Restless City; and 2011 NAACP Image Award nominee for Best Independent Picture, I Will Follow. AFFRM’s founding organizations include Urbanworld (NYC), Imagenation (NYC), Reelblack (Philadelphia), Langston Hughes Film Festival (Seattle), BronzeLens (Atlanta) and DVA (Los Angeles).
Andrew Dosunmu's gorgeously picturesque and atmospheric drama Restless City makes its official theatrical debut in cinemas this Friday, April 27 through the AFFRM, the African-American Film Festival Releasing Movement. The film will initially release in New York, Los Angeles, and Atlanta on April 27; then expand to Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia, Seattle, and Washington, DC the following Friday, May 4; and then will roll out to other markets in the weeks thereafter. My review of the film from last November's AFI Fest is here.
I WILL FOLLOW DEBUTS TO STRONG INDIE BOX-OFFICE AND EXPANDS TO 22 SCREENS IN 15 CITIES FOR SECOND WEEK
Marks First-Ever Simultaneous National Theatrical Release Powered Solely By Grassroots Organizations
Los Angeles, CA (March 15, 2011) –The critically-acclaimed drama I Will Follow, hailed by Roger Ebert as "one of the best films I've seen about the loss of a loved one," tallied the third highest reported grosses among the weekend’s ten new independent specialty releases with a $11,428 per screen average. The film was distributed on five screens in New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Philadelphia and Seattle by the new African-American film distribution collective, AFFRM, in concert with AMC Independent. Chronicling a day in the life of a black woman at a personal crossroads, I Will Follow doubled the reported per-screen average of the sole studio offering with an African-American cast this year to date, Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son.
AFFRM will capitalize on the success of the film's opening weekend with an aggressive expansion from five screens in five cities to 22 screens in 15 cities beginning Friday, March 18. The additional cities include Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, Houston, Dallas, Detroit, Oakland, Miami/Ft. Lauderdale, Charlotte and Jersey City. The initial five markets will continue into second week.
"The success of AFFRM's first theatrical release is a victory for those who believe in the necessity of diverse cinematic images," explained I Will Follow director and AFFRM founder Ava DuVernay. "I Will Follow marks the first-ever simultaneous national theatrical release by grassroots organizations, and I’m proud to stand with our partners at BronzeLens in Atlanta, Imagenation and Urbanworld in New York, ReelBlack in Philadelphia and Langston Hughes African-American Film Festival in Seattle as we celebrate this milestone in black film."
An official selection of AFI Fest and Chicago International Film Festival and winner of Urbanworld, Pan-African and BronzeLens Film Festivals, I Will Follow stars Salli Richardson-Whitfield, Omari Hardwick, Michole White and Dijon Talton, with Blair Underwood and Beverly Todd. In addition to a "thumbs up" from Roger Ebert, the film has garnered praise from critics at Village Voice, LA Weekly, The Hollywood Reporter, Philadelphia Inquirer, Seattle Times, BET, New York Daily News and more.
