News

World premieres from Disney+, AMC, Startz, Peacock, A&e, OWN, FX and National Geographic are among the highlights of the 2021 Tribeca Festival’s 20th anniversary celebration, announced today.

The events will take place in New York City June 9-20 and claim to be the first major film festival to host in-person events since the worldwide pandemic began.

The Tribeca Festival was founded by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, and Craig Hatkoff in 2001 to spur the economic and cultural revitalization of lower Manhattan following the attacks on the World Trade Center.

The festival focus is on new and returning TV series, new indie episodic storytelling, and an industry-facing Creators Market. The Tribeca TV lineup will include nine shows made up of six series premieres, one season premiere, two docuseries, and speaking appearances by Tina Fey, Christian Slater, Joshua Jackson, Jasmine Cephas Jones, and Helen Hunt.

The Tribeca Festival will also feature a performance by rock icons Kiss.

Black Entertainment Television (Bet) has turned to the digital realm for new content. The cable and satellite channel picked up three original web series from entertainment and lifestyle network Black&Sexy for airing on linear television.

The first series picked up by Bet is RoomieLoverFriends, which debuts on September 16, 2015, at 11 Pm Est on the cable channel. The drama series, written by Black&Sexy co-founders Dennis Dortch and Numa Perrier and premiering online in 2012, follows the story of two roommates whose relationship gets complicated after they find themselves in bed together. Directed by Dortch, RoomieLoverFriends will have one hour-long episode aired each week on Bet.

Bet will also run Black&Sexy’s Sexless series, which debuted in early 2015 and follows a group of female friends who decide not to have sex to try to find real, lasting relationships. Finally, Bet will air episodes of the 2013 series Hello Cupid, about a young,...

Black & Sexy TV is an online entertainment and lifestyle network founded by Dennis Dortch, Numa Perrier, Brian Ali Harding, and Jeanine Daniels that produces the kind of content its name would lead you to think it produces. That is, It focuses on programming for a “young, progressive, Black audience who seek a truer reflection of their modern culture.” The company is adamant about its independence, too, but don’t let that and the dated Black & Sexy TV website lead you to believe the quality of its productions are in any way inferior. The people behind the brand have an impressive pedigree, Plus, they just inked a development deal with HBO. The premium cable and satellite television channel with more than 140 million subscribers worldwide will develop The Couple, a realistic comedy web series about a heterosexual relationship with the kind of dialogue you’d expect in a mumblecore flick, but the...

Congrats to Dennis Dortch, Numa Perrier, Jeanine Daniels, Desmond Faison and the rest of the Black&Sexy.TV team, as The Couple, their immensely popular web series, just might be coming to a TV screen near you some time in the future! I'm told that the creatives have entered an agreement with HBO that will bring The Couple, the web series that amusingly explores relationship dynamics, to the cable TV network, with none-other-than Spike Lee exec producing! It's the kind of move (TV networks picking web series) that many have wanted to see happen more often, as trends we've been tracking for at least the last 2 years, show content creators,...

Spike Lee will be Live on Black&SexyTV tonight, at 7:30pm Pst (10:30pm Est), to talk about his new project, which he's currently working to finance via Kickstarter, and much more, with the Black&SexyTV crew - Dennis Dortch, Numa Perrier, Jeanine Daniels, and Brian Ali Harding. Spike would like to connect with you all an open forum Q & A, that'll be moderated by Black&SexyTV.  It'll happen Live, via the Black&SexyTV YouTube channel this evening, again, at 7:30pm Pst (10:30pm Est). Come one, come all... Here's the direct link to the YouTube page where it'll all happen tonight: http://bit.ly/SpikeLeeLIVE. By the way, $275,909 has...

A new season of Roomieloverfriends, the web series created by the Black & Sexy TV team (aka Dennis Dortch and Numa Perrier), and executive produced by Issa Rae (aka Awkward Black Girl) via her Issa Rae Productions.  We here at S&A totally love what these folks are doing within the web series space, building a strong library of work, giving audiences (especially black audiences) varied slices *our* varied experiences mostly ignored by the mainstream.  So take advantage of their offerings. And even if this one doesn't appeal to you specifically, there are others to choose from within the Black & Sexy TV/Issa Rae...

A new season of Roomieloverfriends, the web series created by the Black & Sexy TV team (aka Dennis Dortch and Numa Perrier), and executive produced by Issa Rae (aka Awkward Black Girl) via her Issa Rae Productions.  We here at S&A totally love what these folks are doing within the web series space, building a strong library of work, giving audiences (especially black audiences) varied slices *our* varied experiences mostly ignored by the mainstream.  So take advantage of their offerings. And even if this one doesn't appeal to you specifically, there are others to choose from within the Black & Sexy TV/Issa Rae...

Here's the latest from Dennis Dortch and Numa Perrier's Black & Sexy TV, a new entry into the 'single black woman looking for love' category - this time about finding love online. Starring newcomers Ashley Blaine Featherston and Hayley Marie Norman, Hello Cupid follows a young woman's adventures in internet dating. Featherston co-created the project along with Lena Waithe. The first of 10 episodes debuted this week and is embedded below:...

The toughest stage in the production is now behind them (granted every stage presents its own set of challenges; but I think we can agree that raising necessary funds/financing is often the hurdle that most are never able to get over). The Kickstarter campaign they launched a month ago, officially ended today, October 9, with a grand total raised of $32,665 (from 477 backers, or about $68 each) - 30% more than their campaign goal, which was $25,000!  Needless to say, they're definitely making this movie. Congrats to Dennis Dortch, Numa Perrier, Jeanine Daniels, Desmond Faison and the rest of the Black &Sexy Team! The...

Dennis Dortch is the director of the Sundance film A Good Day to Be Black & Sexy, available to watch on Netflix now. He also has created a veritable empire on YouTube with his channel Black & Sexy TV consisting of two successful web series, The Couple and The Number, and two more on the way. He and his team are currently crowdfunding a film based on The Couple. In this interview he talks about the difference between creating a film and creating content for the Web, how to juggle multiple web series at a time and how to keep an audience with an increasingly short attention-span engaged.

Filmmaker: I saw in a previous interview that you were originally interested in the music business but switched to film. Are you happy with your choice? How involved are you in choosing the music for your content?

Dortch: Yes. I feel that I didn...

It's coming, It's coming!  Yesterday, The Couple not only reached but as of today surpassed its $25,000 fund raising goal. Congrats to the Black and Sexy Team! So The Couple series created by Dennis Dortch, Jeanine Daniels, and Numa Perrier, via their Black & Sexy brand, starring Numa Perrier and Desmond Faison will be a feature film. They have 8 days left in the campaign and it's not too late to still pledge your support.  Many readers are active participants in the filmmaking process and know that a little cushion is a good thing. Check out the celebratory moment and The Couple Bonus Episode below:...

If you missed our announcement of this, or just need to revisit the details, here's a quick recap: The web series The Couple (created by Dennis Dortch, Jeanine Daniels, and Numa Perrier, via their Black & Sexy brand, starring Perrier and Desmond Faison), is becoming a feature film! The feature film's story will center on how winning a large sum of cash ($750,000) changes the lives of the couple, and those close to them. To Kickstart the project, the production team launched a fundraising campaign yesterday, to raise $25,000 in 30 days (27 days to go). I want to see the complete film, so I already made my contribution, and...

If you missed our announcement of this, or just need to revisit the details, here's a quick recap: Fans of the web series that amusingly explores relationship dynamics, The Couple (created by Dennis Dortch, Jeanine Daniels, and Numa Perrier, via their Black & Sexy brand, starring Perrier and Desmond Faison), will be glad to know that a feature film based on the popular series is in the works! Here's what we know thus far: - First, it doesn't mean the web series will end; it will continue; consider the feature film an extension of the brand. It's a great time to be a content creator, as you're not limited to 1 or 2...

Here's episode of the new web series created by the Black & Sexy TV team (aka Dennis Dortch and Numa Perrier), and executive produced by Issa Rae (aka Awkward Black Girl) via her Issa Rae Productions.  I'm sure everyone who reads this site is familiar with all those names and brands by now; at least I hope so. They've all worked together before (specifically Dennis directing an episode of Awkward Black Girl, and Issa Rae appearing in a few episodes of the popular Black & Sexy TV series The Number. But this is an entirely brand new seperate web series that they've teamed up on, titled Roomieloverfriends, starring Shayla Hale and...

Here comes a new web series created by the Black & Sexy TV team (aka Dennis Dortch and Numa Perrier), and executive produced by Issa Rae (aka Awkward Black Girl) via her Issa Rae Productions.  I'm sure everyone who reads this site is familiar with all those names and brands by now; at least I hope so. They've all worked together before (specifically Dennis directing an episode of Awkward Black Girl, and Issa Rae appearing in a few episodes of the popular Black & Sexy TV series The Number. But this is an entirely brand new seperate web series that they've teamed up on, titled Roomieloverfriends, starring Shayla Hale and Andra Fuller...

This is the kind of news that gets a black film writer excited! Fans of the web series that amusingly explores relationship dynamics, The Couple (created by Dennis Dortch, Jeanine Daniels, and Numa Perrier, via their Black & Sexy brand, starring Perrier and Desmond Faison), will be glad to know that a feature film based on the popular series is in the works! Dennis revealed the news in an interview with 24 Wired TV earlier this week (embedded below), and of course I had to know more, as several questions immediately came me when I first heard the news.  Here's what I learned that can be shared at this time: - First, it...

Episode 5 of The Couple...  courtesy of Dennis Dortch, Jeanine Daniels, Numa Perrier and Desmond Faison. Watch the latest below titled Man Of The House. And as an Fyi, Dennis says that July is "The Couple Month," with all new episodes every Sunday; And congratulations are in order, as the Black & Sexy TV brand hit it first milestone - 10,000 YouTube subscribers.

Continuing on with the hilarious, fun and sexy web series 'The Couple,' by Dennis Dortch, exec-produced by Jeanine Daniels and starring Numa Perrier and Desmond Faison. They're you, me and everyone we know. If you missed the last Minisode titled One Bathroom, you can watch it Here. Watch the latest below, Minisode #8, titled Eating Out.  Numa's character particularly irksome in this one; yet she's lovely and we can't resist this duo. :)...

Here's episode #8, and also the season finale of Dennis Dortch's popular web series titled The Number, or "the one thing you never, ever discuss with your fiancé." Written and directed by Dennis, and produced by Numa Perrier and Jeanine Daniels, it stars Chasen Allen and Jessica Shelby. In this finale episode, titled The Std Test, Jason and Melissa take an Std Test for the wedding:...

Here's episode #7 of Dennis Dortch's popular web series titled The Number, or "the one thing you never, ever discuss with your fiancé." Written and directed by Dennis, and produced by Numa Perrier and Jeanine Daniels, it stars Chasen Allen and Jessica Shelby. In this episode, which features special guest Issa Rae (aka The Awkward Black Girl), titled The Break Up, in which Jason has to do what he has to do:...

You know them... they're The Couple...  we've gotten to know them a little bit, and will continue to get to know them, as long as Dennis Dortch, Jeanine Daniels, Numa Perrier and Desmond Faison alow us to do so. They're you, me, and everyone we know; hilarious, sexy, and fun to hang out with. You know... regular folk :) Why some network hasn't picked this up (or The Number) as a potential series yet is puzzling to me. But maybe each works fine just like this, in small doses. But I'm sure Dennis and company have bigger plans. Watch the latest below, Minisode #7, titled One Bathroom, as Black &...

2 days late on this, but better late than never... Here's episode #6 of Dennis Dortch's hwell-received new web series titled The Number, or "the one thing you never, ever discuss with your fiancé." Written and directed by Dennis, and produced by Numa Perrier and Jeanine Daniels, it stars Chasen Allen and Jessica Shelby. In this episode, which features special guest Issa Rae (aka The Awkward Black Girl), titled Shut Up!, Melissa and Lisa dine together:...

Consider it our birthday present to ourselves and to you as well… tomorrow, April 16th will mark the 2nd anniversary of this site’s existence. It was on that day that I posted the very first Shadow And Act entry. It’s a coincidence, and maybe it was also a foretelling of sorts that the very first Shadow And Act post was an announcement for a filmmaker series featuring Spike Lee and Lee Daniels organized by the Tribeca Film Festival, Apple, and indieWIRE.

I say it’s was maybe a foretelling or sorts because, I’m happy to announce that, as of next week Tuesday, April 19th, Shadow And Act will be joining the indieWIRE Network.

Shadow And Act will now operate within an organization with an iconic heritage, known for its journalistic excellence, and up-to-the-minute breaking news coverage, and more, all in support of, and to strengthen the independent film community.

BrandChannel.com is a site that lists all product placement found within #1 studio feature films, going back to 2001.

Something to pay attention to next time you sit down to watch a movie, and to later discuss, when you and your pals go to Starbucks afterward and order cappuccinos, oblivious of the fact that you might be doing so because a character in the movie you just saw was drinking one

For example… Limitless, last week’s number 1 movie, featured brands that include: adidas, Apple, At&T, Bentley, BlackBerry, Bloomberg, Dell, Google, Ibm, Levi’s, Louis Vuitton, Maserati, Mercedes, New York Post, Percocet, Red Bull, Smartwater, St. Regis Hotel, Trump, and Two Men and a Truck.

Several “high end” brands there. I haven’t seen the film however. But since you’re technically supposed to be able to tell who the target audience of the film is, by looking at the brands featured in the film,...

So… instead of constantly anticipating the next studio produced and/or distributed “black film” to open at a theatre near you (and often being disappointed), why not start sifting through the myriad of straight-to-dvd “black film” releases, with the chance that you might find a few gems here and there (or just fairly decent films) that may have gone unnoticed, for one reason or another.

The phrase “straight-to-dvd” is akin to the scarlet letter for any film that wears it, and that’s unfair. I think we can all agree that not every film rejected for theatrical distribution is unworthy. Likewise, certainly not every film released in theatres deserves the luxury.

There are a wealth of films by and about black people produced and distributed annually, and the vast majority never see a single theatre screen (except maybe at film festivals). So, why not look there, the DVD market, for content,...

Back thanks to popular demand… or maybe I should say black by popular demand…

Finally – Here’s the transcript of the phone interview I did with Jeff Clanagan, founder and CEO of CodeBlack Entertainment – maybe the most prominent independent, black-owned and operated vertically-integrated film production and distribution company in the USA.

It was about an hour-long conversation. I apologize for taking so long to post it up. I couldn’t post the audio recording, and so had to get the entire thing transcribed and edited.

Thanks to Cynthia for taking care of it all for me (the transcription and the editing), otherwise it’ll probably still be sitting on my hard drive undone.

And thanks to Jeff for taking the time to talk to me and answer all my (and your submitted) questions.

So, here ya go below, the full transcript, mostly unedited (although there were 1 or two segments I...

It didn’t make much of a splash when it was briefly released (limited) in theaters last month, but maybe you can really fete it now that it’s on both DVD and Blu-ray.

That’s right, Tanya Hamilton’s acclaimed feature film debut, Night Catches Us, starring Anthony Mackie and Kerry Washington, is now available for rental and purchase on DVD and Blu-ray. So, do yourself a favor and pick up a copy, why dont’cha!

Unfortunately, both discs are rather bare-bones, with zero extra features. Way to sell the film there Magnolia Pictures. This is the second black film the company has picked up in recent years and done absolutely nothing with (Dennis Dortch’s A Good Day To Be Black & Sexy was the other) :\

Amazon.com has the DVD for $15.49 (Here) and the Blu-ray for $16.99 (Here).

Watch the trailer again below, if you haven’t already...

I’ve been wanting to do this for some time – a periodically (maybe annually) updated list of up-and-coming black filmmakers, especially those working mostly outside the mainstream; something we could call “black filmmakers to watch,” preceded by a year, not-so unlike Filmmaker magazine’s annual “25 New Faces of Independent Film” list.

As I’ve already made known on this blog, I’m not necessarily a fan of lists, especially ranked lists where the arts are concerned.

However, I do see Some value in providing black cinema enthusiasts like yourselves (or cinema enthusiasts regardless of race) with the names of noteworthy black filmmakers who may otherwise go unnoticed by the the mainstream press, and even indie film publications like Filmmaker magazine. We’re celebrating those black filmmakers… propping them up, you could say. If a site like ours doesn’t do that, we certainly can’t complain when more prominent media outlets don’t.

I’m sure most of you have seen the film by now. It’s been in circulation for almost 2 years, and it’s been featured on this blog, as well as other black cinema blogs over the same period of time.

But, if you’re one of the few who hasn’t yet seen Dennis Dortch’s feature-film debut, And you have the Showtime premium cable network, then you can watch it tonight, when it makes it TV debut on Showtime, at 2am Est/11pm Pst.

In short, the film is a series of intertwining stories about contemporary African-American romances (hence the title).

So, why not end a good day feeling black and sexy by watching A Good Day To Be Black & Sexy tonight!

By the way, for those of you with Netflix accounts, you can watch it right this very minute (or whenever you want), because it’s available as an “Instant Watch” title.

Got word over the weekend that Tanya Hamilton’s debut feature, Night Catches Us, has been picked up for distribution by Magnolia Pictures!

The terms of the deal aren’t known yet, but a full press release with all the details is imminent. I’m assuming a theatrical release in part of the package, but, I can’t say with certainty.

In short, the film, which stars Anthony Mackie, Kerry Washington, Jamie Hector, and Wendell Pierce, is set in Philadelphia in 1978, and focuses on two former Black Panthers, Marcus (Mackie) and Pat (Washington), who reignite a love affair when Marcus returns home after years in exile.

I screened the film earlier this year, at the New Directors/New Films Film Festival, and reviewed it on this blog, which you can read Here.

I certainly hope that Magnolia does a better job with the film than they demonstrated with the last...

So… I’ve looked over the list of Sundance feature films in and out of competition, searching for any and all films by and/or about people of African descent, and, as has been the case for many years with all the most “industry-relevant” film festivals – festivals that consistently attract industry execs, looking for product to buy and/or sell (Sundance, Cannes, SXSW, Toronto, etc) – there are so few films by and about people who aren’t white; for the purposes of this blog, I’m obviously most interested in films that tell stories primarily about black people, all over the world.

Last year, like most other years, there were 2 or 3 “black films,” at most, that attracted enough industry and audience attention to garner distribution deals – Medicine For Melancholy, A Good Day To Be Black & Sexy, & Ballast; If I’m forgetting any, let me know. Regardless, my point is that...

One of the most underrated and overlooked titles at Sundance last year was Dennis Dortch's A Good Day to be Black and Sexy. Over six vignettes, Dortch takes a daring, authentic and frequently hysterical look at the sexual mores of a young black Los Angelenos. The film, which garnered Dortch a nomination at Tuesday's Gotham Awards for Best Breakthrough Director, opens in Los Angeles today via Magnolia Pictures. We caught up with Dortch to discuss seeing The Story of a Three Day Pass at MoMA, Marvin Gaye as an au ...

One of the most underrated and overlooked titles at Sundance last year was Dennis Dortch's A Good Day to be Black and Sexy. Over six vignettes, Dortch takes a daring, authentic and frequently hysterical look at the sexual mores of a young black Los Angelenos. The film, which garnered Dortch a nomination at Tuesday's Gotham Awards for Best Breakthrough Director, opens in Los Angeles today via Magnolia Pictures. We caught up with Dortch to discuss seeing The Story of a Three Day Pass at MoMA, Marvin Gaye as an auteur a ...

Soul Train: 'Good Day to Be Black & Sexy' is a rollicking ride President-elect Barack Obama may be the new face of Black America but his cultured speech and intellectual demeanor is worlds apart from the portrait of the Black male in writer/director Dennis Dortch's lively, funny and unabashedly lustful "A Good Day to Be Black & Sexy." In his omnibus drama, made up of six La-set stories about men, women and the sexual games they play with each other, Dortch portrays the typical Black male as dishonest, selfish and oversexed. "Black & Sexy" is more Lil Wayne than Obama, which suits the film perfectly.

Soul Train: 'Good Day to Be Black & Sexy' is a rollicking ride President-elect Barack Obama may be the new face of Black America but his cultured speech and intellectual demeanor is worlds apart from the portrait of the Black male in writer/director Dennis Dortch's lively, funny and unabashedly lustful "A Good Day to Be Black & Sexy." In his omnibus drama, made up of six La-set stories about men, women and the sexual games they play with each other, Dortch portrays the typical Black male as dishonest, selfish and oversexed. "Black & Sexy" is more Lil Wayne than Obama, which suits the film perfectly.

Soul Train: 'Good Day to Be Black & Sexy' is a rollicking ride President-elect Barack Obama may be the new face of Black America but his cultured speech and intellectual demeanor is worlds apart from the portrait of the Black male in writer/director Dennis Dortch's lively, funny and unabashedly lustful "A Good Day to Be Black & Sexy." In his omnibus drama, made up of six La-set stories about men, women and the sexual games they play with each other, Dortch portrays the typical Black male as dishonest, selfish and oversexed. "Black & Sexy" is more Lil Wayne than Obama, which suits the film perfectly.

• Ballast might have lead the total number of nominations, but it is Frozen River who picked up a pair, including Gotham Awards’ top prize. Really? If I were a betting man I’d have guessed right in two categories (Breakthrough Director and Actor), guessed half right in one (Best Ensemble) and would have terribly been wrong but pleasantly surprised with the Best Documentary going to Trouble the Water, and finally I’d would have been wrong on guessing Best Feature, and as you can guess, I’m perplexed on how Courtney Hunt’s border crossing drama faired a better chance in a category that was loaded in quality features. Best FEATUREBallast - Lance Hammer, director; Lance Hammer, Nina Parikh, producers (Alluvial Film Company)Frozen River - Courtney Hunt, director; Heather Rae, Chip Hourihan, producers (Sony Pictures Classics)Synecdoche, New York - Charlie Kaufman, director; Anthony Bregman, Charlie Kaufman, Spike Jonze,

...

On top of this morning's announcement of the Independent Spirit Award nominees the Ifp have announced their nominees for the Gotham Awards. You will notice a few common themes such as love for Frozen River, Ballast and Rachel Getting Married. The one thing that really catches my eye is the nomination of Melissa Leo in the Breakthrough Actor category. Leo is credited on 77 projects over at IMDb with ten of those expected for future release. She has been acting since 1984 and is just now considered a breakthrough? What an interesting world those independent awards are. Here's the list of nominees. Best Feature Ballast Frozen River Synecdoche, New York The Visitor The Wrestler Best Documentary Chris and#038; Don: A Love Story Encounters at the End of the World Man on Wire Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired Trouble the Water Breakthrough Director Antonio Campos, Afterschool Dennis Dortch, A Good Day to...

Getting a jump on everybody else, the Gotham Independent Film Awards have already released their nominations for 2008 honors, and I assume, based on the name, that Batman is charged with keeping the names of the winners safe and secure until the envelopes are opened.

If you only go to the movies five or six times a year and just to check out the blockbusters, these titles won't mean anything to you. If you follow independent film, you'll probably say to yourself, "Damn it! When can I see that?"

These awards don't predict much when it comes to the Oscars, but there are usually a couple of smaller films to keep an eye on later in the year, and the Gotham Awards highlight quite a few of those possibilities. There aren't individual acting awards, other than a breakthrough award, but Gotham, like virtually every award not named the Academy Awards, has an ensemble honor.

On Monday, October 20, Ifp has announced the contenders for the 18th Annual Gotham Independent Film Awards and Lance Hammer-directed drama "Ballast" has dominated the nomination list, taking in 4 separate nods. The movie, which has won the 2008 Sundance Film Festival's Dramatic Directing Award for Hammer, is nominated for Best Feature, Breakthrough Director, Breakthrough Actor and Best Ensemble Performance.

In the category of Best Feature, "Ballast" will be up against Courtney Hunt's "Frozen River", Charlie Kaufman's "Synecdoche, New York", Thomas McCarthy's "The Visitor" and Darren Aronofsky's "The Wrestler". Meanwhile, for the Best Ensemble Performance category, the film's cast that include Micheal J. Smith Sr. will be competing with "Rachel Getting Married" ensemble led by Anne Hathaway, "Synecdoche" cast led by Philip Seymour Hoffman, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" ensemble, Scarlett Johansson, Rebecca Hall, Javier Bardem and Penelope Cruz, and "Visitor" cast led by Richard Jenkins.

Though garnering the most gongs for the 2008 Gotham Awards,...