Writing for the Industry: Black Writers Talk About Their Work

Posted on August 9, 2014 at 7:00 am

This afternoon at 3PM, the 8th annual Leimert Park Village Book Fair in Los Angeles will host a “Writing for the Industry” panel, which will aid “beginning, advanced and aspiring screenwriters through the steps of writing their first feature length script, getting representation, being staffed on a TV show, pitching to studio executives and more.” The panel will take place in the Community Room at the Baldwin Hills/Crenshaw Plaza, located at 3650 Martin Luther King Blvd in L.A.

Moderator writer/filmmaker Erica Watson (“Roubado,”), will present Gina Prince-Bythewood (“Love & Basketball,” “The Secret Life of Bees,” “Beyond the Lights”), Rob Edwards (“The Princess and the Frog”) Lena Waithe (“Bones,” “Dear White People”), Abdul Williams (“Lottery Ticket”), Aaron Rahsaan Thomas (Co-executive producer “Southland” and “Sleepy Hollow”) and Tyger Williams (“Menace II Society”).

And if you can’t make it to LA, take a look at this advice on writing from Matt Stone and Trey Parker of “South Park” and “The Book of Mormon.”

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Race and Diversity Writers

Black Reel Awards 2014: 12 Years a Slave Breaks the Record

Posted on February 17, 2014 at 1:37 pm

I always look forward to the announcement of the Black Reel Awards, which each year pay tribute to the greatest achievements of African-Americans and people of the African Diaspora in feature and independent films and television. This year, I was especially interested in the results because 2013 was unquestionably the best year in history for African-Americans in film — behind the screen, on the screen, and in the range of stories presented, from the real-life tragedies of “12 Years a Slave,” “Fruitvale Station,” and “Captain Phillips” to the genre films that may not have had lofty artistic aspirations but still gave African-American performers and film-makers a wider range of opportunities to tell their stories, even thrillers and romantic comedies.

“12 Years a Slave,” a stunning achievement with a good chance of winning this year’s Best Picture Oscar, was the big winner at the Black Reel Awards, breaking the all-time record set by “Precious” with a sweep of eight awards: Outstanding Motion Picture, outstanding actor for Chiwetel Ejiofor, Outstanding Supporting Actress for dazzling newcomer Lupita Nyong’o, who also won Outstanding Female Breakthrough Performance, Outstanding Director for Steve McQueen, Outstanding Screenplay for John Ridley, Outstanding Ensemble, and Outstanding Score for Hans Zimmer. “The fact that in one of the strongest years for Black film in recent memory, one film was able to be so dominant is a testament to the vision of Steve McQueen, the screenplay by John Ridley and the fantastic performances of the trio of actors led by Chiwetel Ejiofor and Lupita Nyong’o,” said Black Reel Awards creator and Executive Director, Tim Gordon. “This will be a year no one forgets.”

Other notable awards went to “Captain Phillips'” Barkhad Abdi (Outstanding Supporting Actor and Outstanding Male Breakthrough Performance) and Danai Gurira (Outstanding Actress) for her role in “Mother of George,” the story of Nigerian immigrants living in Brooklyn and struggling with infertility. Documentary honors went to “20 Feet from Stardom,” about the back-up singers who perform on hit records and are usually overlooked. A documentary about gay rights in the African-American community, “The New Black,” won the award for Outstanding Independent Documentary. Outstanding Independent Feature went to “Blue Caprice,” the story of the DC snipers.

The full list of awardees:

Outstanding Motion Picture
12 Years a Slave

Outstanding Actor
Chiwetel Ejiofor | 12 Years a Slave

Outstanding Actress
Danai Gurira | Mother of George

Outstanding Supporting Actor
Barkhad Abdi | Captain Phillips

Outstanding Supporting Actress
Lupita Nyong’o | 12 Years a Slave

Outstanding Director
Steve McQueen | 12 Years a Slave

Outstanding Screenplay
John Ridley | 12 Years a Slave

Outstanding Documentary
20 Feet From Stardom | Morgan Neville

Outstanding Ensemble
12 Years a Slave | Francine Maiser

Outstanding Foreign Film
War Witch | Canada

Outstanding Score
Hans Zimmer | 12 Years a Slave

Outstanding Original Song
“Desperation” by Judith Hill | 20 Feet From Stardom

Outstanding Breakthrough Performance, Male
Barkhad Abdi | Captain Phillips

Outstanding Breakthrough Performance, Female
Lupita Nyong’o | 12 Years a Slave

Outstanding Voice Performance
Samuel L. Jackson | Turbo

Outstanding Independent Feature
Blue Caprice | Alexandre Moors

Outstanding Independent Documentary
The New Black | Yoruba Richen

Outstanding Independent Short
Black Girl in Paris | Kiandra Parks

Outstanding Television Documentary
Whoopi Goldberg Presents Moms Mabley | Whoopi Goldberg

Outstanding TV Movie or Mini-Series
Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth

Outstanding TV Movie Actor
Chiwetel Ejiofor | Dancing on Edge

Outstanding TV Movie Actress
Anika Noni Rose | The Watsons Go to Birmingham

Outstanding Supporting Actor, TV Movie
Omari Hardwick | Being Mary Jane

Outstanding Supporting Actress, TV Movie
Octavia Spencer | Call Me Crazy: A Five Film

Outstanding Director, TV Movie
Spike Lee | Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth

Outstanding Screenplay, TV Movie
Mara Brock Akil | Being Mary Jane

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Awards Race and Diversity

Tribute: Juanita Moore

Posted on January 1, 2014 at 8:32 pm

We mourn the loss of actress Juanita Moore, who died today at age 99. She was one of the first African-Americans to be nominated for an Oscar, and is still best remembered for that role, in “Imitation of Life.” The movie is the story of two single mothers who join forces, one becoming an actress, the other, played by Moore, taking care of the home and the two daughters. Her character’s daughter grows up resentful of the white girl and decides to pass as white. Moore’s performance is one of great humanity and dignity. Her anguish when her daughter rejects her is grounded in a deep empathy and resilience. There’s a reason that the funeral scene for her character is one of the most unforgettable ever put on film.

Moore began as a chorus girl in the Cotton Club, then took small parts in movies. The bigotry of her era kept her mostly confined to stereotypical roles through the 1960’s, but later she appeared in films like “The Kid” and on television. She also starred in a London production of “A Raisin in the Sun,” which she said was her favorite performance. Her grandson, actor Kirk Kelly-Kahn, says she was running lines with him until just before her death. May her memory be a blessing.

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Actors Tribute

Moms Mabley — A New Documentary on HBO

Posted on November 18, 2013 at 12:00 pm

Whoopi Goldberg pays long overdue tribute to a pioneering figure in the history of comedy, Moms Mabley in a new documentary premiering on HBO tonight. In an era where stand-up comedy was almost entirely white and male and — as far as anyone knew — straight, she was a very successful gay black woman, first on “the chitlin’ circuit” of black theaters and clubs and then in more mainstream venues. But Mabley was anything but mainstream. She played Carnegie Hall and appeared on the Smothers Brothers and other television shows. She appeared on stage as a bedraggled, toothless, soul, which helped disguise the sly sharpness of her comedy. I hope Goldberg’s documentary will bring her the recognition she deserves and create a new generation of fans.

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Television

A New Comedy About a Church Choir from Issa Rae

Posted on September 7, 2013 at 8:00 am

Issa Rae is the subversively funny mind who created the web series The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl. She’s now working on writing an HBO series she will also star in. But she is still creating content for the web, including a new comedy series about a choir at a black church, called simply “Choir.”

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Internet, Gaming, Podcasts, and Apps