Cheryl Dunye Wants to Create the Black Lesbian Canon of Fiction

In the 25 years since she became the first Black lesbian to direct a feature film, the acclaimed “The Watermelon Woman,” Cheryl Dunye has lent her perspective to dozens of stories stretching across various genres on-screen. The NAACP Image Award-nominated director recently put her signature stamp on “Lovecraft Country’s” episode “Strange Case.” Now, she is lending her vision to OWN’s new series, “Delilah,” a legal drama centering Maahra Hill in the titular role as a lawyer trying to juggle her personal and professional lives.

Continue reading at Indiewire.

Ts Madison Is Ready To Welcome You Into Her World With 'The Ts Madison Experience'

Ts Madison doesn't pull any punches. For years, Madison has been a fearless and outspoken social media sensation, connecting with her fans, whom she lovingly calls her "Maddie Mob," and giving her thoughts and opinions on her beloved internet talk show, The Queen's Supreme Court. Now, the powerhouse personality is elevating, becoming the first Black transgender woman to executive produce and star in her own docu-series, WE tv's The TS Madison Experience.

Continue reading at Shadow and Act.

Merle Dandridge On 'The Flight Attendant' And That Mysterious 'Greenleaf' Spinoff

In their new comedy-drama thriller, HBO Max has reimagined Chris Bohjalian's The Flight Attendant for the small-screen. The compelling miniseries follows Cassie Bowmen (Kaley Cuoco), a first-class flight attendant who wakes up hungover in a swanky Bangkok hotel room with a dead man next to her. As Cassie tries to piece together the previous evening, she attempts to go on about her life as if nothing happened. As her co-workers and good friends, Shane (Griffin Matthews) and Megan (Rosie Perez) become increasingly suspicious; the FBI begins putting their case together. 

Tasked to solve this murder mystery, Greenleaf alum Merle Dandridge stars as FBI agent Kim Hammond, a whip-smart woman who suffers no fools and has even less patience for Cassie's convoluted story. Ahead of The Flight Attendant's debut on HBO MAX, Shadow and Act chatted with Dandridge about the series' twists and turns, and why portraying Kim has been a breath of fresh air. 

Continue reading at Shadow and Act.

Janelle Monáe: ‘Antebellum’ Is a ‘Kick in the Stomach’ to White Supremacy

Making Gerard Bush and Christopher Renz’s Antebellum was always going to be a challenge. Films set in the plantation South press against open wounds that are still present in the 21st century. The film follows Veronica Henley (Janelle Monáe), a race scholar who finds herself trapped in a horrific dream where she lives out her days as an enslaved woman named Eden living in the Civil War period.

Haunting and brutal scenes from the period are juxtaposed against the picturesque Southern landscapes in direct contrast to the late 19th century’s reality. Antebellum is a mind-bending narrative that presents the country’s racial horrors as they truly are and what Black women, in particular, have had to endure for survival.

Monáe’s spellbinding performance as a woman caught between two worlds has never been more timely at a moment when everything for Black people is at stake. It’s a searing reminder that our stories must be told in all of their vast nuances, no matter how painful they might be.

Continue reading at Zora.

Tyrese Talks Biggie Smalls, Eric Garner & Being Vulnerable In 'Black And Blue'

With the seemingly constant murders of Black people at the hands of police across the globe, and in the United States specifically, it can feel unsettling to watch the relationships between police forces and the Black community on screen. However, for filmmaker Deon Taylor, even more urgently in the wake of the murders of Botham Jean and Atatiana Jefferson, this is a conversation that needs to continue.

Set in contemporary New Orleans, Taylor's latest thriller, Black and Blue, follows rookie police officer Alicia West (Naomie Harris) as she returns to her hometown after several tours in Afghanistan. With a newly minted police badge, Alicia finds herself shunned from the community she once left behind. Feeling like an outsider from her fellow "brothers and sisters in blue," and desiring to be of service, Alicia naively tries to extend her arms to the community and her colleagues, but both are equally suspicious of her motives.

In addition to her personal troubles, Alicia has joined a police force that is riddled with problems. Ultimately, things take a turn for the worst when she bears witness to the brutal murders of several young Black drug dealers at the hands of some corrupt cops, all of which have been recorded on her body cam. With both the cops and the Black community turning against her, Alicia turns to the one person who might be willing to help, her old friend, Milo "Mouse" Jackson (Tyrese Gibson). Knowing that her only means of survival is getting the video from her bodycam uploaded to the internet Alicia leans on Milo to help her navigate the streets.

Ahead of the film's debut, Shadow And Act caught up with Taylor, Harris, Gibson and co-stars Mike Colter, Nafessa Williams and Frank Grillo to talk about the heart-pounding thriller. We chatted about New Orleans as the landscape of this film and why it's so essential to keep discussing police brutality in the Black community.

Continue reading at Shadow and Act.

Image: Sony.

It’s Storm Reid’s Time To Shine: EXCLUSIVE

It seems like just days ago that she was dazzling us as the precocious Meg Murry in Ava DuVernay’s A Wrinkle in Time. With her latest role in Blumhouse’s Don’t Let Go, Storm Reid is proving that she’s a versatile force in Hollywood. The best part is that the 16-year-old is just getting started. Since Wrinkle–Reid has shined in everything from the Netflix’s drama mini-series, When They See Us to HBO’s now-infamous Euphoria, opposite Zendaya. She has no plans of slowing down.

Ernestingly grasping onto roles that won’t allow her to be contained in a box–Reid’s role as Ashley Radcliff in Don’t Let Go is perhaps her most heart-wrenching and compelling. The thriller follows Ashley’s uncle, Detective Jack Radcliff (David Oyelowo), who is devastated after learning that his family–including Ashley, his brother Garret Radcliff (Brian Tyree Henry), and his sister-in-law were murdered in cold blood. Traumatized by the horrific event–Jack is jolted out of his stupor when he receives a phone call from Ashley who seems to be living two weeks in the past. Together, the uncle/niece duo ban together–racing against the clock to solve Ashley’s murder before it happens.

Ahead of Don’t Le Go’s debut, STYLECASTER sat down to chat with Storm Reid about the psychological thriller, Euphoria and jumping fearlessly into the future.

Continue reading at STYLECASTER.

Image: Blumhouse.

'Moonlight' Scribe Tarell Alvin McCraney Tackles NBA Exploitation Of Black Athletes In Netflix Film 'High Flying Bird'

Written by Oscar winner Tarell Alvin McCraney (Best Screenplay, Moonlight) and directed by Steven Soderbergh (entirely on the iPhone) — Netflix’s High Flying Bird is a film about the business of professional basketball, but it’s also a film about race. Exploring themes and elements from Professor Harry Edwards’ 1969 text, The Revolt of the Black Athlete— High Flying Bird follows Ray Burke (André Holland)—a high powered New York sports agent desperately trying to hold on to his newest client, rookie Erick Scott (Melvin Gregg), the NBA’s number one draft pick. A would-be New York Knicks player, Erick’s career and life have come to a standstill due to a 6-month league lockout. That's what happens when the the uber-rich teams' owners and the Players Association, led by Myra (Sonja Sohn), can't come to an agreement.

Major names like Steph Curry and LeBron James (in the real world and in this drama) are virtually unaffected by lockouts—which delay income and training. However, for newcomers like Erick who weren't even being paid at the college level —financial and mental burdens are a very real thing.

Disgusted by the antics of the higher-ups in the organization, Ray and his assistant Sam (Zazie Beetz) conceive of a scheme that will put the game back into the players' hands and force the owners to their knees.

Using McCraney’s rich writing and Soderbergh’s lens to shine a light on the history of racial oppression within sports, High Flying Bird illustrates how the love of the game and the sport has often been twisted and used to exploit Black bodies and Black humanity.

Ahead of the film’s debut on Netflix, Shadow and Act sat down to speak with McCraney about the history of this story and why he added his words to the legacy of Black athletic rebellion.

Continue reading at Shadow and Act.