Robinne Lee talks Syfy's 'Superstition,' her debut novel 'The Idea of You' & being a Black woman in Hollywood (EXCLUSIVE)

Robinne Lee won’t wait for someone to hand her an opportunity. Instead, she's created a space for herself. The veteran actress, writer, and producer is demanding to be heard. It’s early morning in Los Angeles, and Lee is dropping her children off at school as she talks to me. A jack-of-all-trades, she is obviously is a master multitasker. Her latest film, ‘Til Death Do Us Part just debuted last month and her newest project – a role in Mario Van Peebles' Syfy series Superstition is gearing up to begin. Set in La Rochelle, Georgia Van Peebles latest work follows the Hastings — a family who owns the town’s funeral home and also dabbles in fighting unworldly phenomena and evil. For Lee – the script was a dream come true. “It was just different from the beginning,” she recalled, reflecting back on when she first learned about Superstition. “The way Mario pitched it, he talked about our country going through a period right now when we're dealing with this new administration, and people being at a low point. The news is so depressing and frustrating. want to have something that is just for pure escapism.”

We all gravitate toward the cinema and to television because, if only for a moment — we can forget about the trials and tribulations of our everyday lives. However, with Superstition Van Peebles was determined to take it a step further. “He wanted to do it in a way that was novel, “ Lee expressed. “We had for eight years, this beautiful Black family in the White House to look up to and see these positive images. He thought, 'Wouldn't it be nice if we had a Black family who is like that we could see on TV, but in a supernatural realm?'"

Until Jordan Peele’s Get Out – Black characters were rarely taken seriously (or even seen) in the horror/sci-fi genre. Black women, in particular, have been erased from this particular space. Superstition is subverting all of that. Instead of being relegated to the background, Lee’s character Bea Hastings is just as badass and at the forefront of this series as her husband Issac (Van Peebles) and the couple’s grown son Calvin (Brad James). “I liked the fact that she was this pillar of strength for her family, but she had vulnerable moments, “ Lee said of her sharp and fearsome character. “She wasn't a stereotypical matriarch.”

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Andrew "King Bach" Bachelor on 'Where is the Money?,' being social media's king & what's next

Andrew "King Bach" Bachelor is ready to conquer the entertainment industry. The Toronto native burst onto social media dominating Vine -- the now discontinued micro-blogging platform as its most followed person. With a whopping 16.2 million followers on Vine as well as an immense platform across Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, King Bach is arguably social media's biggest star. Now, the 29-year-old has set his sights on the film world. Though Bach has a production company -- Bach Enterprises it’s the work in front of the camera that has constantly inspired his genius. “That's always what I wanted to do,” Bach explained to me over the phone one fall afternoon. “When I was a kid, I saw the movie Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. I didn't know what it was called that Jim Carrey was doing, but I was like, ‘Yeah, I want to do that.’ I looked up to people like Eddie Murphy, Martin Lawrence, Jamie Foxx, D.L. Hughley, Bernie Mac, Richard Pryor -- all the legends." When Bach was studying in college and then taking courses at New York Film Academy – he realized to reach his audience quickest he had to understand social media and make it work for him. “I don't think it's what I gravitated towards; I think it was more of what was relevant," he explained. “That's why I started doing videos on there because I wanted people to see it. I do have a film crew that I went to film school with, but every platform requires different equipment. For instance, for Vine, even if I wanted to shoot on the Alexa ARRI or the red camera, I wasn't able to because you couldn't upload at that time. YouTube was different. If you ever see any of my Youtube clips, you'll see that the production value on that is extremely high. Those same clips on my YouTube page could be placed on TV or in a movie theater, and people wouldn't notice a difference in quality. I would do that just to challenge myself to be a real artist and creator. When it was time for me to make silly videos on Vine or Instagram, I used my phone because it's quick. When people are on their phone, they're not really paying attention to the production value. They just want a quick blast, to get in and get out.”

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Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Festival & Lecture Series celebrates 20 years on Oct. 21 & 22

Reel Sisters of the Diaspora Film Festival + Lecture Series is celebrating its 20th anniversary on Oct. 21 and Oct. 22. Founded by African Voices publisher Carolyn A. Butts – Reel Sister’s Film Festival provides a unique platform for women of color in an industry that so often shuts them out. “ have so many dynamic women who are now producing and who are making opportunities for others," Butts told me. “I think that's wonderful. However, since I started the festival, Hollywood hasn't been as progressive. We still need outlets like Reel Sisters because there are so many talented filmmakers and we're one of the places where these filmmakers can be celebrated." Butts says she’s most proud of the family-friendly festival because of the relationships that she was able to help the filmmakers forge to get their work to wider audiences and on platforms like BET and Netflix. “I think the festival gives a chance for the audience to really see some of the untold histories that we have in our families,” she explained.

20 years after its founding, Reel Sisters is much more than just a film festival. The month-long celebration also provides access to leading professionals by presenting panels and workshops on topics from screenwriting to producing. In the past, Reel Sisters has honored everyone from Issa Rae to Julie Dash. This year, actress Vinie Burrows (Walk Together Children) is the Reel Sisters Hattie McDaniel Award honoree, the Reel SistersTrailblazer Award went to actresses Tamara Tunie (Law & Order: SVU) and Nicole Beharie (Sleepy Hollow), and the first Reel Sisters Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to veteran film producer/director Nicole Franklin.

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Sam Adegoke talks 'Dynasty,' relatability and defining Jeff Colby for himself (EXCLUSIVE)

Thirty years after the world said goodbye, Dynasty has returned to television. The iconic ‘80s soap opera was a cultural phenomenon, and now The CW has reimagined it for the 21st century. Set in Atlanta, and following the rival Carrington and Colby families (this go-round, the Colbys are Black) the new series is giving the legendary soap some pretty insane twists. For relative newcomer, Sam Adegoke, whose credits include Murder in the First and Switched at Birth —  taking on Dynasty was about digging into the television archives. “To be perfectly honest, Dynasty was before my time,” Adegoke told me with an amused chuckle. “I had to do my homework. It skipped an entire generation.” Still, from the series' legacy alone – one that labels itself as “delicious, ambitious, and vicious,” Adegoke knew that he had to be a part of the reboot. "You want to do work that's impactful, and that can resonate with as many audiences as the original Dynasty did,“ he explained to me. “I started trying to find clips, which was harder than you'd think, of some of the original Dynasty shows and watching it, getting a taste for what it was. I thought, 'This could really, really be cool,' especially since The CW seemed so open to the idea of reprising and reimagining some of these iconic characters with a more inclusive and diverse cast. That was pretty much all I needed to hear. I was really excited about it.”

Despite its impact – the Dynasty of 30 years ago would be pretty problematic if it were to air today. Executive producer Josh Schwartz who is known for The O.C. and Gossip Girl knew that he had to create a show that would reflect how the world looks at this very moment. Making the Colbys a wealthy Black family was just one of the many changes that were made to the series. “As a human being, I think we watch and root for, and are drawn to people who share similar experiences to us,” Adegoke reflected. “ stories we can relate to. I think the more that we can kind of capture that on the screen through characters that portray and encompass a broad spectrum of beliefs, of appearances, ethnicities, morals — you cast a wider net for your audiences. I feel highly privileged to be a part of a show that is a champion of that."

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Regina Hall on the phenomenon that is 'Girls Trip,' 'Due North' and making Black women proud (EXCLUSIVE)

Regina Hall is just getting started. The veteran actress burst onto the scene nearly two decades ago in Malcolm D. Lee’ iconic film, The Best Man. Since then, she's been in everything from the Scary Movie franchise to Black-ish. However, the smash success of her the $100 million marvel Girls Trip – another Lee flick, has propelled the extremely busy actress back into the spotlight. “I've been really blessed, and I've always worked a lot,” Hall told me when I asked her if the success of Girls Trip has triggered new roles for her. “I'm not the most social media visible person, even though I do have a page. Maybe people don't know what I'm doing in between stuff. It was great and consistent before, and yeah, I think maybe my options continued to grow, but I think it's been good and it's staying good thanks to (Girls Trip)." The first time the Insecure actress had even heard of Girls Trip was two years ago. She and producer Will Packer were on an airplane headed to New York for another project. Packer asked her opinion about an idea he had for a film where four friends go to Essence Fest. “Honestly, I was like, ‘What?’," Hall told me reflecting back on that initial conversation. “I didn't know what that was going to be, but I thought about four women going to Essence Fest, and I knew it could be good.” It didn’t take long for Packer to set his plan in motion – bringing on Lee to direct and calling Kenya Barris and Tracy Oliver to write the script. “I think a year later there was a script and then we were on set," Hall remembers. “So, it all was a culmination of a perfect storm.”

Now that the critically acclaimed R-rating comedy has grossed a massive $130 million plus at the box office, Hall is still reeling a bit from the insanity that was this past summer. It’s all been an incredible ride for the Naked actress – but it’s also been shocking in some ways. “You never know what a movie is going to be, how it's going to go from paper to an actual film," she said thoughtfully. “I knew that we had a lot of fun. I mean, we laughed a lot. I knew that me and the girls had really created a deep connection and bond, and I knew that part was real. Then the rest you hope for. I don't know if my expectation was where it ended up being, but it was an amazing and wonderful surprise. I think we were just really happy that women who watched it enjoyed it. I think that was what I thought about the most. Even though it was an African American led movie — I wanted all women to receive it and love it, and I wanted Black women to be proud."

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'Girls Trip' scribe Tracy Oliver talks writing for Black women and being committed to the grind

Tracy Oliver knew that she had something special when she and Black-ish creator Kenya Barris finished the script for Girls Trip. “I'm not shocked,” she explained to me referring to the massive success of the film. “I knew what we were making. I was on set. Everyone just put together the film, including the cast — every part of it was so magical. I was like, 'This is going to do well.' What I didn't know was that it was going to break records. I didn't know that it was going to make over $100 million domestic. That's really, really rare, and really hard to do. There are movies with all white casts that are not hitting $100 million.” The South Carolina native has spent her career writing for and about Black women — and she’s not about to apologize for it. Like many of us –in the ‘90s Oliver was enraptured by all of the multifaceted stories of Black women that were available to us on television and in film, from Living Single to Love & Basketball. However, by the time the 31-year old hit her twenties – Black people had all but disappeared from the big and small screens. “I was really spoiled. Like a lot of people that grew up in the '90s, we had so much on television,“ Oliver said wistfully. “Then on the movie side, I loved Love & Basketball, Love Jones, The Best Man — those were my favorite things when I was growing up.”

In a moment it seemed like a switch had been flipped – all of these gorgeously textured stories simply vanished. “I can't tell you why people started believing that there wasn't an audience for Black content,” the Survivor's Remorse scribe reflected. “I don't know what the breaking point was, where Hollywood decided no more movies other than Tyler Perry. For almost a decade, there was nothing but Madea. I think that was really a bleak period for a lot of artists of color because it was like, that's fine an audience, but there's so much more to Black people and Black lives that we're not showcasing and not sharing with the world. I'm not really sure why that happened.”

During that time—Oliver was headed to Stanford University. An artist to her core, the actress, writer, and producer was quickly typecast. “I was basically getting cast as some version of Rizzo in Grease in everything, “ she said laughing. “I was always the cigarette-smoking, cool Black girl and I was like, 'All right, we're done.'" It was her mother who prompted the Stanford alum to stop complaining about her lack of opportunities and actually do something about it. “My mom is just not one of those people that is here for any complaining,” Oliver quipped. “She was like, ‘Well, aren't you at school? Can't you just learn how to write? If you don't like something, then you figure out how to change it. As long as you're auditioning for other people, that's what they're going to do. They don't have any obligation to cast you as anything other than how they see you.’”

The 31-year old took that advice to heart and she and her classmate Issa Rae teamed up to write and produce the acclaimed web series, The Mis-Adventures of an Awkward Black Girl. Oliver starred as Issa’s mean girl co-worker J on the show. It was writing that really sparked something in Oliver. “I really enjoyed the power and the creative freedom of directing and writing, more so than just performing because there's so much control that I have on this side of things that I didn't have when I was just a performer," she reflected.

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Dee Rees' 'Mudbound' is astounding and marvelously crafted (NYFF Review)

I'm always disturbed by people who don’t want to talk about race — as if it’s not ingrained in the fabric of our country. To act as though race is not at the core of who we are as a people — as if race doesn’t stand at the center of how our country operates today, in the 21st century. Dee Rees’ sprawling World War II set epic, Mudbound serves up our history in a spellbinding tale of two families, one Black and one white whose lives crash together on a cotton farm in 1940’s Mississippi. Based on the stunning 2008 debut novel by Hillary Jordan – Mudbound follows the McAllan family, Laura (Carey Mulligan) and her husband Henry (Jason Clarke) who move from Memphis, Tennessee to rural Mississippi. Henry, desperate to put his own stamp on the world buys a cotton farm, uprooting his wife and two daughters. Endlessly grateful that her husband saved her from the fate of being an old maid when he married her at the ripe old age of 31 – Laura goes along with her husband’s plan, leaving behind her city-bred sensibilities and education for the grit, mud, and violence of the Mississippi cotton farm. With the move, she must also learn to deal with the leer of her racist, Klan-praising father-in-law Pappy (Jonathan Banks).

The McAllan’s arrival on the farm directly impacts the Jacksons – a Black family whose have teetered between sharecroppers and tenants (depending on the crop season) and whose ancestors have worked the land for generations. Florence Jackson – played quietly by Mary J. Blige- is a mother of four, healer and equal partner in her marriage to her husband Hap Jackson – a magnificent and commanding Rob Morgan of Netflix’s Marvel series. Hap is a force. He’s aware of the times in which he lives, but he’s not subservient. He’s a religious man, but he is also willing to take his destiny into his own hands.

Though the McAllans and the Jacksons coexist on the farm for a time with minimal runs ins, the end of the war brings forth major changes. The horrors of the Second World War torment Henry's brother – a charismatic and good looking fighter pilot named Jamie (Garrett Hedlund) and he brings those nightmares with him to his brother’s farm when he returns home. The Jackson’s eldest son Ronsel (portrayed by a marvelous Jason Mitchell) can’t force himself to conform to the wills of the Jim Crow South after living freely as a sergeant oversees. Still reeling from the war, both men find themselves adrift in their home country and their respective homes.

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'Marshall' is more of a thriller than a biopic (Review)

Superheroes. It's a word that's thrown around lightly these days. We eagerly flock to movie theaters and our television screens to watch metahumans with extraordinary strength and abilities conquer the world. In everyday life and certainly throughout history, there have been real-life figures who've defeated evil and transformed the world. They have been pillars of change who've forced mankind to move forward — whether we were ready for it or not. The late Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall was one of those leaders. When we receive our primary education, we (hopefully) learn about Justice Marshall and his contribution to the Civil Rights Movement — namely that he was the force behind Brown v. Board of Education, which desegregated public schools in the United States. However, Brown v. Board is nestled in the middle of an illustrious career, one that spanned nearly seven decades and helped reshape the world as we know it.

Reginald Hudlin's latest film Marshall follows the lawyer at 30-years-old just as his career was beginning to gain some traction. In 1941, Marshall was the sole lawyer for the NAACP. The United States was on the verge of entering World War II when Marshall was sent to Connecticut to defend Joseph Spell (portrayed by Emmy- winner Sterling K. Brown), a black chauffeur who was accused of raping his white employer (portrayed by Kate Hudson).

Though oddly cast, Chadwick Boseman slides on Marshall's fedora perfectly — capturing his cadence and arresting intellect as soon as the film starts rolling. Though the brown skinned Black Panther actor looks nothing like the 6-foot tan skinned Baltimore native, you believe him from the very minute he opens his mouth, from the way he enraptures the courtroom to his everyday encounters when confronting bigots and racists on the screen.

Despite his massive success and reputation, 1941 still presents its hardships and barriers for Marshall. Upon arriving in Connecticut from Harlem, he is forced to enlist the help of a young Jewish insurance lawyer named Sam Friedman (played by a very convincing Josh Gad) who would be content to simply just exist in the background of the WASP washed suburb where he lives and practices. The fantastic banter between Gad and Boseman is what kept the film elevated when it might otherwise flounder into ordinary.

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Reginald Hudlin & the 'Marshall' cast talk the Supreme Court justice's legacy & why the past is repeating itself

“You don't have Obama without Thurgood Marshall," Marshall director Reginald Hudlin explained to me as we discussed why he was inspired to bring the late Supreme Court Justice’s massive life to the big screen. In the midst of a turbulent fall where the world seems to be spinning out of control each day — Marshall is about to jolt us all awake again. Over the course of his lifetime, Thurgood Marshall worked diligently to bring Civil Rights to all Americans. These days it's more and more evident that this country has done very little to honor his legacy. Still, Thurgood Marshall’s story was one that Hudlin has always wanted to tell. “Thurgood Marshall has always been a giant hero of mine. I almost named my son Thurgood ... I thought that was a little bit too much," he said laughing. For Hudlin, it was Marshall who laid the groundwork for equality under the judicial system. “The Constitution was a tremendous promise of what America could be, but flawed from the beginning because of racism and slavery,” Hudlin articulated. “And the man who did the most to make it a reality is Thurgood Marshall."

Set just as the United States was poised to enter the Second World War, Marshall hones in on a facet of racism not often seen on the big screen. We have grown accustomed to full-fledged bigots, with their white robes and torches in Southern set films—Marshall explores something else entirely. “I liked that it was set in Connecticut because Northern racism kind of gets a pass,” Hudlin revealed. “Everybody is used to the Southern redneck sheriff chewing tobacco, we've seen that. We're all comfortable with condemning those people. ‘Oh, we're better than them.' But when you see Northern racism — which is much more genteel on its face, but it's the same institutional racism that looks more like what exists today. I thought, okay this will be more resonant to the audience because you can't simply write it off as ‘back then.'” The visceral parallels aligning the past to the present are what make the film so eerie to watch. “45 people ... That look like the same,” Hudlin expressed. “The ones that are there today and the ones that were depicted in the movie.”

As a young Civil Rights lawyer — the sole lawyer working for the NAACP in 1941, Marshall crossed the country taking on case after case with the hopes that he could save the lives of his brethren who had been condemned solely because of their race.

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'Félicité': Alain Gomis’ fourth feature is largely captivating (NYFF Review)

Some films are fully fleshed out narratives, with plot points and climaxes that viewers can quickly point to. These movies follow a certain path – there is a particular moment or resolution that the protagonist must reach so that their story can come to its conclusion. Other films simply embody emotion. These narratives are full-length works that capture exuberance, joy or even endless bouts of despair. Franco-Senegalese director Alain Gomis’ fourth feature, Félicité is one such film. As the movie opens, we meet Félicité (portrayed by singer-turned-actress Véro Tshanda Beya), a single mother and vocalist at a popular nightclub in her hometown of Kinshasa – the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s capital. Her attitude like the arresting timbre of her voice is fierce. A force to be reckoned with and independent to a fault – Félicité lives her life her on own terms without the confines of marriage or the bounds of a relationship. She’s free and joyous until that’s all snatched away. When her 14-year-old son Samo (Gaetan Claudia) is severely injured in a motorbike accident – Félicité’s life caves in around her. Samo’s operation costs an enormous sum -- one million Congolese francs ($600 USD), and for the first time in her life – Félicité is forced to ask for help.

Overcome with fear and desperate to raise funds to save her son’s life— Félicité’s once open and lively personality becomes sullen and closed off. Her day-to-day existence, contending with a perpetually busted fridge, warding off the harassment of men and even singing become unbearable. Through Félicité’s eyes, Gomis highlights the burdens women must shoulder and the repercussions that they face when they live life on their own terms. In a society that values women only in relation to men, Félicité’s unwillingness to tie herself to a man and the freedom that she so relishes costs her basic human compassion. Gomis eloquently highlights both the sexism and poverty in the Congo. At times it is so powerful that searing looks and crisp shots are enough to carry film – there’s little dialogue in Félicité -- but it’s not missed.

While others– including her bandmates at the club are hesitant to help Félicité save her son– it is her unlikely companion Tabu (Papi Mpaki) – a womanizer and the club’s notorious drunk who might be her saving grace. And yet, Tabu is no savior. Gomis makes it clear that he enters Félicité life because she allows him to do so -- he does not barge his way in. The duo’s unlikely companionship is certainly one of much amusement and contemplation. However, their bond does not carry the film. It is the exhaustion and pain that leaves Félicité’ in constant turmoil that keeps viewers glued to the screen. Her panic and grief are palpable.

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Cinema on the verge: Jamaica's film industry today

Film is alive in Jamaica. The lush Caribbean island is known for birthing reggae and its gorgeous mountains and beaches, but it’s also home to a burgeoning film industry with young filmmakers, screenwriters, and actors at the helm. Earlier this month, I traveled to the island to observe and be immersed in ScreenCraft'sinaugural retreat at Jakes Treasure Beach in Jamaica– but my education went well beyond the intricacies of screenwriting. Instead, I was awakened to an industry on the verge of breaking through. Jamaica’s Film Commissioner, Renee Robinson returned to her homeland to begin building Jamaica’s film industry into one that could compete on a global level. It had been her dream job since she was 19-years-old. “I’ve been building other people's film industries for so long, and I wanted to be able to contribute to the development of my own film industry,” she told me as we sat overlooking the saltwater pool at Jakes. Building up an infrastructure for film on an island that’s home to less than three million people isn’t something you can simply wish into thin air. Robinson has faced various roadblocks --especially in a country that leans on tourism as its main industry. And yet, she’s determined to bridge the business of cinema with the ambition of the filmmakers and artists on the island. “I would say there are three streams of things that I have encountered that I think are ripe for change," she articulated. “First, is content. Being a part of underworld is a real thing, but it's not the only life.” In Jamaica, films depicting gangsters and street life are abundant, but other stories need a platform as well.

Robinson has sought to shift the narrative and has solidified a partnership between her office, Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO)and The Jamaica Film and Television Association (JAFTA). Together they have created the Propella program. “Propella is a talent discovery and script-to-screen program,” Robinson clarified. Along with Jamaica’s national fund CHASE (culture, health, arts, sports, and education), Propella identifies five filmmakers each year they want to support. Each filmmaker gets a mentor -- an international script development expert who helps them take their project from treatment to final script. Then, the filmmakers go through a production boot camp and receive about $5,000 USD to produce their short films. Their education doesn’t stop there. Once their film is complete – the filmmakers go through another boot camp, this time focusing on festivals and distribution strategies before their films premiere at the Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival and another international market of JAMPRO’s choosing. Jamaican filmmakers have a plethora of stories to tell – Propella is simply guiding them on the path to bring their narratives to life.

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'The Mountain Between Us' has beauty, but lacks substance (Review)

Adventure and wilderness films are tough to get right. These movies must have excellent scripts and superb actors to keep the audience engaged with the characters and keyed in with the narrative. This is especially difficult when a film lacks the typical bells and whistles like endless plot points and bustling backgrounds. Director Hany Abu-Assad’s latest venture, The Mountain Between Us — an adaptation of the romance novel by Charles Martin, only has one of the two criteria. (To be fair, Martin’s book isn’t exactly heralded for its prose.) A stunningly shot film set against the snowy white mountains of the Rockies, we meet Alex (portrayed by Kate Winslet) a photographer, journalist and a risk taker. Her latest assignment has left her stranded in a Denver airport the day before her wedding. Idris Elba is Ben, a British neurosurgeon looking to get back to his patient — a 12-year old boy in desperate need of his help. Ben is calm and collected, but there is also a sensitivity there buried underneath his stoic nature.

As soon as Ben and Alex collide in the airport, the film goes off course. Instead of swearing to the universe and snatching up a hotel voucher like the rest of humanity, Alex and Ben decide to charter a tiny plane and make it on their way themselves. Obviously, their plan proves to be disastrous, and their plane comes crashing out of the sky. What's next is a two-hour too long odyssey of two very different people who don't very much like one another. However, they are forced to bond and trust each other if they have any hope of surviving.

We've seen Winslet and Elba shine in various film and TV projects before, but the script for The Mountain Between Us was so predictable and generic that it was nearly comical. Martin's book actually focuses on the difficulties of traditional love and marriage, but those tropes are nowhere to be found here. It didn't help that the veteran actors had nearly zero chemistry — even though they were pretty to look at.

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'The Rape of Recy Taylor' unpacks the forgotten story of a woman who refused to be silenced (NYFF Review)

"I can’t help but tell the truth – what they done to me," 97-year-old Recy Taylor says as she sits in her nursing home in Abbeville, Alabama. Taylor is elegant — draped in pearls with her reading glasses perched on her nose. 73 years later, she can recall in vivid detail the night that changed her life forever. Filmmaker Nancy Buirski’s new documentary The Rape of Recy Taylor chronicles the horrendous assault that Taylor endured, which caused outrage across the country before it was swiftly erased from the history books. In 1944, while walking home from Rock Hill Holiness Church in Abbeville with two friends, Taylor was kidnapped at gunpoint by seven white boys and raped for several hours in the woods. Taylor was a 24-year-old sharecropper at the time — a young wife and mother whose life shattered as a result of the brutal assault and the aftermath of it. However, her determination to speak out sparked a new type of resistance. Rape is an unspeakable crime – it is as revolting as it is unfathomable and yet it remains so prevalent. The world has never been a safe place for women, but for women of color and Black women, in particular, it has been nightmarish. To tell Taylor's story, the documentary uses footage from “race films” like Oscar Micheaux’s Within Our Gates — home video, commentary from Yale scholar Crystal Feimster, Ph.D archival footage and interviews from Taylor’s siblings – her brother Robert Corbitt and sister, Alma Daniels. Buirski traces the night of the attack, the grand jury hearings that led to no indictments, as well as the NAACP’s involvement. It was Taylor’s willingness to speak out against what happened to her and so many other nameless, faceless women that propelled the Black Press and the nation to rally behind her.

The Rape of Recy Taylor is not an easy film to watch. Along with Taylor’s story – the film also moves through the history of Black women’s rapes by white men beginning with slavery. Utilizing research from scholar Danielle McGuire's 2011 book, At the Dark End of the Street: Black Women, Rape, and Resistance  — the film examines the lack of justice and protection around Black women and their bodies. Buirski also hones in on the perception of Black women as a whole – the men who raped Taylor felt entitled to do so, and after they were questioned, they tried to claim that she was a prostitute.

The film moves quickly. The eerie race film footage and music like Dinah Washington’s “This Bitter Earth” tie together giving the documentary a tone that is prevalent in horror films. The audience sees the botched investigation into the assault and learns from Taylor’s family how much it affected her father – a man who began sleeping in the tree above their home with a shotgun to protect his family once the assault became public information. The one gripe that I had with the film was that we hear from the rapists' families. To this day, they act as if the boys involved had simply gone joyriding in a stolen vehicle. Though they were probably given a voice out of a need to present a fair and balanced story, I was only enraged further.

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Malcolm-Jamal Warner talks 'Ten Days in the Valley' & shedding that "nice guy" persona (EXCLUSIVE)

Malcolm-Jamal Warner has been acting for over three decades — he's also added music, directing and producing to his lengthy résumé. However, television has changed for The Cosby Show alum since he first made his mark on the world as Theo Huxtable. In many ways, it has been for the better. “There was a time where I wasn't watching much television because there really wasn't a lot of good television on," Warner told me recently as we chatted over the phone. “Whereas now, there's a lot of television I don't get to see because there's so much good television to catch up on.” The resurgence of phenomenal TV prompted Warner’s return to the small screen with roles in everything from USA's Suits to FX's American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson. However, his latest role in the new ABC drama series, Ten Days in the Valley, is going to present an entirely new side of the Emmy-nominated actor. Ten Days in the Valley follows Jane Sadler (Kyra Sedgwick) an overworked television producer whose world shatters when her daughter goes missing in the middle of the night. Warner co-stars as Matt Walker, the head writer on Jane’s show who might not be exactly who he appears to be. Warner was immediately intrigued by the project and his character when he first read the script. “Matt is very layered, “ he explained. “I'm used to being cast as a nice guy, and it's great to have an opportunity to play somebody who's not simply just a nice guy.”

Roles like this one challenge the Grammy-winner, so taking on the crime series was thrilling for him. “If anything, how fun it is to play someone who has a value set that may be different from mine," the Malcolm & Eddie star expressed. “Because here's a guy who is very well-qualified to run his own show but feels like he's being stifled by Jane, and that creates a sense of resentment, a sense of desperation that I, Malcolm, don't really experience much in life. “

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MoMA's Black Intimacy series explores black relationships on film this October

Black intimacy is still a rarity on screen. Though we're at a point where Black stories are more prevalent in both film and on television than ever before -- Black relationships in the cinematic realm are still scarce. There's a deep desire to see relationships both romantic and platonic between Black folks. During the sophomore season of Issa Rae's hit HBO series Insecure, there was a ton of uproar surrounding the depiction of condom use or lack thereof. That conversation didn't simply appear from thin air. Since there are so few stories about love, sex, relationships, and friendships depicting Black people -- fans were desperately searching for an all-encompassing view in one 30-minute sitcom. Throughout cinematic history, Black love and intimacy have not been erased entirely. There are some filmmakers who've understood the importance of showcasing these relationships from the beginning.

This October, New York City's Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) will celebrate some of the most dynamic stories of Black love. Black Intimacy will look at cinematic portrayals of black familial, romantic, queer, and platonic relationships, and how filmmakers reconcile the personal and the political in their particular films. From the 1964 stunner, Nothing But A Man starring Ivan Dixon and Abbey Lincoln to the Emmy-award winning Master of None episode "Thanksgiving," written by and starring Lena Waithe the series will examine Black love and consider whether it can be portrayed in cinema without being deemed political.

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Deon Cole talks BET's new game show, 'Face Value' and how 'black-ish' changed his life (EXCLUSIVE)

It's really early in Los Angeles; I can hear it in comedian Deon Cole's voice as we chat on the phone, but he's still excited to speak. His new game show series, Face Value is set to premiere on BET in just a few days. On top of that, he's shooting ABC's black-ish, touring, filming the Steve Carrell-produced series, Angie Tribeca and gearing up for Grown-ish -- the black-ishspin-off that will debut on Freeform in 2018. That doesn't even cover his current Netflix projects, his stand-up special The Standups and Def Jam 25 are currently streaming. When I asked how he's juggling it all, Cole laughed. "Well I sleep in between interviews," he said jokingly. "I just have a lot to say and a lot to do. I appreciate the condition I'm in." His latest venture, Face Value which is executive produced by his black-ish co-star Wanda Sykes is a late-night game show that will challenge people’s prejudices. Based solely on appearances, contestants will access strangers and make snap judgments about them. When Sykes first approached him with the idea, Cole was immediately intrigued. "I've never seen a show like this," he explained. "Getting paid to be judgemental. It's also to show people are wrong as well as right. A lot of people were like 'I'm not going to be that way anymore.'"

Face Value has helped the Conan writer to challenge his own ideas about other people. Though he's hosting the series, he also finds himself questioning things along with the contestants -- and sometimes he's even shocked. "I think I'm a better judge of character than I am a comic because you have to deal with people," he said. "You have to know people. That's the only way that you can really write jokes well basically makes me brush up on my skills as far as just looking at people and trying to figure them out. I think that's what it did to me. It's not rocket science; it's a fun show."

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Jessica A. Caesar's web series 'MEME QUEENS' is what happens when ex-beauty queens take on the internet

In the age of social media, there's an immense desire to glow up-- to become internet famous and build wealth through likes, DMs, and sponsorships. Unfortunately, when you really consider it, most of us are basic AF and without any real talent, connections or money, longlasting internet fame is simply a pipe dream. In her hilarious web series MEME QUEENS, actress and creator, Jessica A. Caesar explores the lives of two former beauty queens. Now in their late '20s, the ladies are desperate to ride on the curtails of reality stars and Instagram models. Too old for the pageant world, Nicole (Caesar) and her bestie Brynne (writer/actress Gilli Messer) sign up for a sketchy reality internet show. The show begins to pick up traction as the women's most absurd and ridiculous behavior gets turned into viral memes.

For $100 a day, Nicole and Brynne let some dude name Ron, film them in their home and at their job, an app startup called Petter where people join to engage in heavy petting. (Nothing past second base of course.)

Styled similarly to the NBC classics, The Office and Parks and Recreation, all seven episodes of MEME QUEENS were self-funded and shot over the course of just three days with a micro-budget. Caeser, whose acting credits include Atlanta, Vice Principals, Grey’s Anatomy and Grimm wrote all of the episodes with Messer.

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Award-winning short film 'Charcoal' tackles colorism on a generational level

As an adult, I haven't often thought of my dark brown skin in any particular way. I've praised its lack of blemishes and that fact that it has allowed me to bake in the unforgiving sun without a worry or care. There have been comments of admiration and disgust thrown my way here and there -- one from a small girl I was babysitting who told me she couldn't go outside for fear of getting any darker. There was another, the day before a friend's wedding from an older Black woman who told me to put foundation on my knees for the ceremony -- apparently; they were too dark for photographs. I am thankful now that the negative thoughts and insecurities that tormented me during my childhood no longer have a place in my life, and I also realize how very rare that is. With her award-short film, Charcoal, Haitian-American filmmaker and photographer, Francesca Andre presents the story of two Black women deeply wounded by the perils of colorism within the Black community. It's a film that shows how self-hatred is taught.

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Interview: The cast & creators of 'The Deuce' on selling sex, the '70s and misogyny

Sex is everywhere. From beverage commercials to lipstick ads, hardly anything in popular culture is sold without some semblance of eroticism embedded in it. Since the 1970's, depictions of sex and sexuality have only gotten raunchier, more explosive and often exploitative. It's a subject also now stands at the forefront of our society -- and yet the way in which we discuss sex and more importantly sex work is not exactly progressive. The Wire creators George Pelecanos and David Simon wanted to shift the conversation. The duo has returned to HBO with a spectacular new drama, The Deuce. The series focuses on the rise of the porn industry and its legalization in New York City's seedy Time's Square beginning in 1971. By honing in on the people on the streets -- the bartenders, mobsters, the sex workers and their pimps, The Deuce is both incredibly detailed and piercing. Once again, Simon and Pelecanos have worked diligently to flesh out characters who would typically be cast aside as one-dimensional fixtures in other series and films. On a late Thursday morning, at the HBO building which sits just two avenues over from the tourist trap that birthed the porn industry, I sat down with Pelecanos, Simon, James Franco who stars as identical twins Vincent-- a bartender and Frankie, a gambler and degenerate. Also present was Maggie Gyllenhaal who is exquisite as self-made prostitute Candy, Gary Carr who plays the volatile and charismatic pimp C.C. and The Wire alum Lawrence Gilliard, Jr who portrays kind-hearted cop, Chris Alston.

For Simon, this moment in our history was the perfect time to bring The Deuce to life. "You can't tell me that after 50 years of the increasingly ubiquitous nature of pornography in the culture hasn't made it more and more permissible for everybody from the President of the United States to the anonymous voice on Twitter to basically call women whores," he emphasized. "It's become our discourse, almost a default any woman tries to say anything publicly. There's something pornographic in our whole demeanor."

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Gbenga Akinnagbe talks HBO's 'The Deuce' — a series on the porn industry's rise in '70s NYC (S&A Fall TV Preview)

George Pelecanos and David Simon — the dynamic team behind HBO's The Wire and Treme have returned to television with a breathtaking drama. The Deuce is a '70s set series that follows the rise and legalization of pornography in New York City's Times Square, once termed 'The Deuce.'  As always, the creators present a meaty and fully fleshed out cast, encompassing everyone from sex workers, cops, pimps, journalists, mobsters and beyond to lend their perspective to this time. Starring James Franco as identical twin brothers Vincent and Frankie Martino; Maggie Gyllenhaal as a self-made prostitute Candy, Gary Carr as pimp C.C., and Gbenga Akinnagbe as the vicious pimp Larry Brown among many others, The Deuce is certainly a timely piece that comments on the misogynist- filled era that we live in today.

Ahead of the series premiere, Shadow and Act's Aramide Tinubu sat down to speak with Akinnagbe about The Deuce, returning to Pelecanos and Simon and what he discovered about himself from embodying Larry Brown.

Aramide Tinubu: What intrigued you about The Deuce overall, and why did decide that you wanted to work with David Simon, George Pelecanos and the team from The Wire again?

Gbenga Akinnagbe: That's my Wire Family. I love working with them. I grew up on TV working with them, so they've influenced how I tell stories, the stories I like to watch and be a part of. Aside from that, we all remained tight even off screen for years. Knowing the quality of the work that David and George do, I knew that this show would give an interesting perspective to people who are easily dismissed as one sided criminals on TV -- pimps, hooker, gangsters. And also, the time period, the '70s -- those clothes, come on.

AT: It's fantastic to look at. The series is really rich in texture as well. How did you come on board The Deuce to play Larry?

GA: I went in, and I read for that, and that's how that worked. I was fortunate enough to book the role. Initially, I read for a different character and then they brought me in for . It just kind of clicked. It made sense.

AT: Can you tell me a little more about Larry? What interested you about him specifically? He's a pimp in New York City in the '70s which is very different from your character Chris from, The Wire. However, both men have that same level-headed ferociousness that drives them.

GA: Larry is very different from Chris. Chris was very methodical, and he wasn't a drug dealer. He didn't really care about those things -- the fancy things. He was a sociopath but looked out for his boys and the people he cared about. Larry is in for the business of it. He's much more of a business man. He's got hopes and dreams and aspirations, and he's going to do what he needs to do; apply his skill set, which is pandering sex to get what he wants. Chris did what was necessary. Larry does what is flashy. There's a drive there obviously with Larry that's complicated, and it unfolds throughout the season.

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