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Five anticipated Black films of Sundance 2022

Still from Anisia Uzeyman and Saul William’s film “Neptune Frost” (Photo courtesy of Sundance Film Festival)

By JORDANNAH ELIZABETH

Special to the AmNews

We’ve arrived and survived another new year. Since the 1980s, the month of January hosts the much anticipated Sundance Film Festival, and in 2022, the festival has made the decision to create another fully virtual experience after the news and staggering numbers of the Omicron variant of COVID-19.

Nonetheless, all is not lost. Sundance attendees will be able to experience a myriad of new films with the hopes of being distributed and streamed by major companies like Lionsgate, Hulu and Netflix. We sincerely wish all of the filmmakers and creators the best and we particularly hope that the Black films being featured are offered the opportunities of being shared with the world.

Here are five Black films we’re very excited about for the Sundance Film Festival 2022.

“Emergency,” Carey Williams

The talented young Black filmmaker Carey Williams returns to Sundance with his new film, “Emergency,” a full-length version of a short film by the same name. The 2018 Special Jury Award winner offers a dark comedy about racial dynamics in education and Black police engagement.

Plot: Straight-A college student Kunle and his laid-back best friend, Sean, are about to have the most epic night of their lives. Determined to be the first Black students to complete their school’s frat party legendary tour, the friends strap in for their ultimate assignment, Solo cups in hand. But a quick pit stop at home alters their plans when they find a white girl passed out on the living room floor. Faced with the risks of calling the police under lifethreatening optics, Kunle, Sean, and their Latino roommate, Carlos, must find a way to de-escalate the situation before it’s too late.

“Neptune Frost,” Anisia Uzeyman and Saul Williams

Saul Williams along with his wife and creative partner Anisia Uzeyman create an imaginative, otherworldly film about technology in the African diaspora. This fantasy film is the product of many years of Williams’ work crafting this story in many different formations as it first emerged as a music project called MartyrLoserKing.

Plot: A cinematic vision born out of a war that forces its citizenry to inhabit other dimensions, “Neptune Frost,” which debuted to critical acclaim at the Cannes Film Festival, is a film that becomes richer with every rewatch, and is destined to occupy the upper echelons of the Afrofuturism canon. “Neptune Frost” hacks the conventions of moviemaking to give us this musical science fiction hybrid set in Rwanda about a transcending connection between an intersex runaway, Neptune, and a grieving coltan miner.

“Alice,” Krystin Ver Linden

“Alice” is a Black star-studded film traversing the world of Black liberation. Keke Palmer and Common break the mold with an interesting film about enslavement and the powerful constructs and misinformation that has kept a Black woman in captivity until the 1970s.

Plot: Alice spends her days enslaved on a rural Georgia plantation restlessly yearning for freedom. After a violent clash with plantation owner Paul (Jonny Lee Miller), Alice flees through the neighboring woods and stumbles onto the unfamiliar sight of a highway, soon discovering that the year is actually 1973. Rescued on the roadside by a disillusioned Black activist named Frank, Alice uncovers the lies that have kept her enslaved and the promise of Black liberation.

“Aftershock,” Paula Eiselt and Tonya Lewis Lee

Filmmakers Tonya Lewis Lee (Spike Lee’s wife) and Paula Eislet explore the trauma and activism of reproductive rights in this powerful documentary, “Aftershock.” This film shares a penetrating story of Black life and loss as they follow the growth and activism of grieving two grieving husbands and fathers.

Synopsis: An alarmingly disproportionate number of Black women are failed every year by the

U.S. maternal health system. Shamony Gibson and Amber Rose Isaac were vibrant, excited mothers-to-be whose deaths due to childbirth complications were preventable. Now, their partners and families are determined to sound a rallying cry around this chilling yet largely ignored crisis. Directors Paula Eiselt and Tonya Lewis Lee follow Gibson’s and Isaac’s bereaved partners, Omari Maynard and Bruce McIntyre, as they fight for justice and build communities of support, bonding especially with other surviving Black fathers.

“jeen-yuhs: A Kanye trilogy,” Clarence “Coodie” Simmons & Chike Ozah

A new film exploring the very early years of Kanye West via a 1998 interview West did with access television hose Coodie. This documentary gives insight into the rise of West and the elements that took him to international stardom.

Synopsis: One fateful night at Jermaine Dupri’s birthday party in 1998, Coodie, a Chicago public access TV host, first interviewed 21-year-old upand-coming hip hop producer Kanye West. Inspired by the film “Hoop Dreams,” Coodie started to document West’s life to see how far his dreams would take him. When West moved to New York City to land a record deal, Coodie followed with camera in hand. He recorded West for years, from the hustle of his budding producer days through his rise to global icon. This epic three-film documentary features hours of fly-on-the-wall footage and paints a sweeping portrait of one of pop culture’s most controversial figures.

By LAPACAZO SANDOVAL

Special to the AmNews

Ok, let’s get down to the nitty-gritty—“Scream” 2022—the newest slasher thriller can’t be called a sequel (“Scream” circa 1996) or a reboot. This new movie stands on its own so bold that it introduces a new word— “requel”—which is explained as a tidy link between the past and the present. The filmmakers cleverly paid homage to the legacy of the first film, and returning to give that extra punch are actors David Arquette, Neve Campbell, and Courteney Cox.

The original “Scream” came out 26 years ago and it was made for moviegoers who enjoyed their horror sequels. Let’s be honest: fans are obsessed with sequels.

The new movie is also set in the sleepy town of Woodsboro, California, where there is much chatter about a horror franchise that started with “Stab,” a movie based on the Woodsboro massacre, with seven sad, unfilling sequels in the can.

Mindy (Jasmin Savoy Brown), the horror-cinema geek, explains that it’s the first “Stab” that has any cinematic credibility. You guessed it, this film is mocking itself and the fans that keep franchises running. And in the best way, the film does keep you guessing who the killer is, building suspense knowing that the film will stay several steps ahead of our best guess.

Pound for pound, the new “Scream” is solid and keeps the thrill of the first, and it does not rewrite the rules of a successful slasher playbook. And this is all done in a manner that fits this new generation, meaning it owns up to the fact that this is recycled without any shape, and kind of has this condescending air at the same time.

The film directors are Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, who cut their teeth creating the anthology horror film “V/H/S.” These filmmakers know how to lure in an audience, starting in act one where Tara (Jenna Ortega), who is home alone like Drew

Barrymore in the original “Scream,” keeps getting called by the killer, who wants to play a game about scary movies. Now, this 2022 version of a “victim” is a horror-movie snob and can’t pass the killers’ quiz. Naturally, the Ghostface killer attacks Tara, but she survives, and we are quickly introduced to a line-up of characters including Tara’s older sister, Sam (Melissa Barrera), a recovering addict who jumped ship years ago after learning who her father was, Neve Campbell (“Sidney Prescott”), left, and Courteney Cox (“Gale Weathers”) star in “Scream.” (Brownie Harris photo) and now she’s riddled with psychotic flashbacks. Next is her boyfriend, Richie (Jack Quaid), a kind kid; Amber (Mikey Madison), a hell-raiser; and Mindy, an obsessive film-fan gal. “Scream” isn’t a very scary movie, but it is a very good movie for those who love this genre. There are jolts, shocks, and suspenseful sequences that make it worth the price of a theater ticket. Plus, the filmmakers used Cox, Arquette, and Campbell beautifully, tossing them into the heart of the action like the pros that they are.

Ghostface in “Scream” (Photo Courtesy of Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Media Group)

Black nonfiction books to revisit in 2022

By JORDANNAH ELIZABETH

Special to the AmNews

It is true that 2021 ended with the loss of two Black literary titans, bell hooks and Greg Tate. Though their transitions brought mourning around the world, there is comfort in knowing that their legacies will remain on Earth through the wisdom and brightness of their books. These authors, along with Haitian American anthropologist, Michel-Rolph Trouillot and scholar, Shana L. Redmond, have made nonfiction contributions that move Black thought forward.

Their books are made to be read and revisited over time so that the ideas they embody will bring enlightenment and understanding of the Black struggle, and, most importantly, of how to survive and overcome.

“Flyboy in the Buttermilk: Essays on Contemporary America” by Greg Tate

(Simon & Schuster)

The essential debut book of cultural critic Greg Tate is a lively and eclectic collection of his writings compiled from his years as a columnist at the Village Voice. Published in 1992, Tate’s book presents his visionary thesis on music and culture through a unique Black lens. Tate writes like no one else, he thinks like no one else and whether he is exploring the sound, style and musical detail of jazz or hip hop, dissecting Black cultural phenomena or injustices or giving lesser-known artists their due, his voice jumps from the page and reveals his ideas in a hip and singular language constructed by his own soulful accord.

“Feminist Theory: From Margin to Center” by bell hooks

(South End Press, First edition) bell hooks’ 1984 feminist theory manuscript makes an argument that Black women are left on the margins of feminist thought. hooks argues that books like 1963’s “The Feminine Mystique” by Betty Friedan addressed sexism toward white middle-class and wealthy women and that feminism as a whole does not take into account the intersections of race and class. hooks challenges the whiteness of the feminist community and was considered radical due to her expression that white feminism needs to be completely deconstructed and reorganized in a manner that would bring freedom to all.

“Everything Man: The form and function of Paul Robeson” by Shana L. Redmond

(Duke University Press)

Winner of the Walter & Lillian Lowenfels Criticism Award, music scholar Shana L. Redmond examines the life and accomplishments of musician, athlete and activist Paul Robeson. “She follows his appearance throughout the twentieth century in the forms of sonic and visual vibration and holography; theater, art, and play; and the physical environment,” writes her publisher. It is known that Robeson was a great man and defender of those who could not defend himself. His legacy is further cemented through this book which breathes new life into this artist’s impacted and historical life.

“Trouillot Remixed: The MichelRolph Trouillot Reader” by MichelRolph Trouillot

(Duke University Press)

Haitian American anthropologist, Michel-Rolph Trouillot creates a collection of his writing that reveals the importance and potency of his work. “Throughout his career, the internationally renowned Haitian anthropologist Michel-Rolph Trouillot unsettled key concepts in anthropology, history, postcolonial studies, Black studies, Caribbean studies, and beyond.” This reader includes the scholar’s famous writings as well as lesser-known pieces and offers an opportunity for readers to explore his vital contributions to Caribbean studies and to get a broad view of Trouillot’s theories and observations of the cultures and realm he so acutely studied.

The cast from the staged reading of “The Peacemaker” with Arnold Pinnix, who is second from the left in the back row. (Courtesy photo)

By LINDA ARMSTRONG Special to the AmNews

On Sunday night, the eve of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, National Action Network (NAN) delivered a staged reading of “The Peacemaker,” a play about Dr. King written by Arnold Pinnix, via Zoom. It was presented by NAN Arts and Culture Committee Chairman Pinnix and The NAN Performing Activists in association with NAN Youth Huddle. Pinnix was not only the playwright that evening; he also performed the role of the Spirit of King. The play depicts Dr. King talking about his life, his relationship with his father, his friendship with Ralph Abernathy, his relationship with Coretta and his struggles and dreams.

Pinnix took the audience through the life of Dr. King, bringing up and giving details to some of his most pivotal moments. This production was full of Dr. King’s famous speeches, such as the “I Have A Dream” Speech at the March on Washington and the “Mountaintop” speech at the Temple in Memphis. As Pinnix performed as the Spirit of King, he brought his heart and soul to the role. He came with a powerful, deeply felt performance that demonstrated his respect and regard for Dr. King. And when he performed songs from the Civil Rights Movement, they were inspiring. As he would begin to sing songs like “This Little Light of Mine,” “We Shall Overcome” and “Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child” with the other cast members on stage, it was uplifting and inspiring.

The audience was able to see Dr. King as not just a leader of the Civil Rights Movement, but as a man. We got to see him as a proud father, full of excitement and hopes with the birth of each of his four children. We got to know Dr. King as a multi-layered man and Coretta Scott King as a talented, intelligent, beautiful woman who, while married to a Nobel prize winner, wanted Dr. King to be a husband and father and be more in the lives of his family, as any woman would want. Dr. King’s relationship with his father Martin Luther King Sr., his siblings, his stand on the Vietnam War, are all included in this interesting story.

The cast aided Pinnix in bringing his play to life and included Dominique Sharpton as Coretta Scott King; Ashley Sharpton as a Black Power advocate; Lorenzo Von as MLK; Cindy Philemon as Alberta King; Dr. Alvin Ponder as Reverend Samuel Kyles; and Sharnika Powers as the mistress. Sandra Mitchell was production manager. The live Zoom was hosted by NAN Crisis Director Derek Perkinson. When the play reading was concluded, Pinnix and the cast performed a rousing rendition of “Soon and Very Soon We Are Going to See the King.” This reading and the enthusiasm of the performers made you feel like you were honoring Dr. King by witnessing this remembrance of his life.

The event was part of Sunday's National Staged Reading Day, and was also read at HBCUs throughout the country.

Remembering Ronnie Spector

Ronnie Spector and The Ronettes, as featured in the Oct. 29, 1966 issue of the AmNews

“The Ronettes came way after The Chantels, in the late ‘60s. Their big hit, ‘Be My Baby’ is still performed by some singing groups we work with today. We worked with The Ronettes on several occasions. Rocking out their audiences, the trio was extremely talented, pretty, and sexy. My fondest memory of Ronnie Spector is seeing her backstage with her children. Her son followed her around with a camera! In that moment of her life, it was all about lights, action and the camera. She was a star, and that’s the way she carried herself!” —excerpted from “Maybe: My Memoir” by Renee Minus White, AmNews columnist and original member of The Chantels. Available on Amazon.