Unspool Hollywood

Basketball Legend Dick Barnett’s Long, Challenging, And Historic Journey to Get His College Team Inducted into The Hall Of Fame is the Subject of Inspiring New Documentary

Dick Barnett spent three seasons with the Lakers before helping the Knicks beat L.A. twice in the NBA finals.

In 1957, nine years before Texas Western's NCAA title victory over Kentucky, there was the Tennessee A&I (now known as Tennessee State University) Tigers. And while Texas Western became the first team to win the NCAA title with an all Black starting lineup, Tennessee A&I was the first Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) to win a national championship tournament. Led by Hall of Fame coach John McLendon, and future NBA players Dick Barnett and John Barnhill, Tennessee A&I closed out the 1950s winning the NAIA Tournament in 1957, 1958, and 1959, the first college team, on any level, to win three consecutive national titles.

Fittingly, in the 65th anniversary year of the Tigers' first national championship of that historic run, comes the 2022 release of The Dream Whisperer (The Dream Whisperer Trailer - YouTube). Eleven years in the making, the documentary chronicles New York Knicks legend Dick Barnett's long and often frustrating journey to have his team recognized for its achievement at the highest level -- induction into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame. The Dream Whisperer, which will first be playing the festival circuit, is a not only a homage to a historic team from a small HBCU school which won three consecutive national championships in the midst of segregation in the Jim Crow South, but a testament to Barnett's persistence and perseverance to make sure the Tigers' legacy would be honored and remembered.

"This is a story about the first college basketball team to win three consecutive national championships. A team that almost was lost to history until I decided to do something about it," said Barnett, who is now 85. "It's about a legacy that needs to be protected and passed on."

Narrated by Dr. Barnett, The Dream Whisperer features interviews with: John Thompson, Hall of Fame coach; Julius Erving, Hall of Fame NBA player; Walt Frazier, two-time NBA Champion; Bill Bradley, two-time NBA Champion; Phil Jackson, Hall of Fame coach; David Stern, Hall of Fame NBA Commissioner; Joanna McLendon, Coach McLendon's widow; Jim Satterwhite, Tennessee A&I championship team member; Harry Carlton, Tennessee A&I championship team member; Howard Gentry, former Tennessee State University Athletic Director; Dr. Harry Edwards, Civil Rights activist; John Doleva, President, Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame; and George Willis, sports journalist.

Barnett, known as the Skull during his college days, was selected by the Syracuse Nationals in the first round (No. 5 overall) of the 1959 NBA Draft. The Nationals made the playoffs in Barnett's first two years before he jumped to the American Basketball League in 1961, where he led the Cleveland Pipers, owned by George Steinbrenner, to the ABL title. Barnett and his Fall Back Baby jump shot returned to the NBA in 1962, playing for the Los Angeles Lakers, a team that made it to the NBA Championship Finals in two of the three years he played for them.

He was traded to the New York Knicks in 1965 and was a member of the 1970 and 1973 NBA Championship teams. The Knicks retired his No.12 jersey, which hangs in honor with those of his teammates inside Madison Square Garden. Barnett, who holds a master's degree in public administration from New York University and a PhD in education administration and supervision from Fordham University, continues to champion the battles for equity and social justice by telling his story, and the story of the courageous and talented Tennessee A&I team, on which he played, to students, of all ages, around the country.

The Dream Whisperer is executive produced by Ed Peskowitz, Penelope Peskowitz, Eric Drath, George Willis, and Grammy Award-winning hip hop producer 9th Wonder, produced by Danielle Naassana, Aaron Cohen, and directed by two-time Emmy winner Eric Drath.

The Dream Whisperer will have its world premiere at the 30th Annual Pan African Film & Arts Festival on Sat., Apr. 30th at 7 p.m. with Dick Barnett in attendance.

Tickets are available here.

Who: Pan African Film & Arts Festival and Dick Barnett

What: The 30th Pan African Film & Arts Festival

When: Saturday, April 30, 2022, Red Carpet at 6 p.m., Screening at 7 p.m., Q&A to follow screening

Where: Cinemark Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza 15 and XD, 4020 Marlton Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90008

PAFF30 is taking place in-person through May 1, 2022, at the Cinemark Baldwin Hills and the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza. The Festival will showcase nearly 200 films, as well as a slew of accompanying filmmaker Q&As and audience engagement opportunities. In addition, PAFF’s renowned Black art show will take place at the Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza.

For additional information about PAFF visit paff.org.

CAST OF ACCLAIMED FILM ‘SOUTH CENTRAL’ TO REUNITE FOR SPECIAL SCREENING OF FILM ON 30TH ANNIVERSARY OF 1992 CIVIL UNREST

South Central is a critically-acclaimed 1992 American crime-drama film, written and directed by Stephen Milburn Anderson. This film is an adaptation of the 1987 fictional novel, The Original South Central L.A. Crips by Donald Bakeer, a former high school teacher in South Central Los Angeles. The film stars Glenn Plummer, Byron Minns, Carl Lumbly, and Christian Coleman. South Central was produced by Oliver Stone and released by Warner Bros.

South Central tells the story of a man who is put into prison for 10 years. Coming out of prison he wants to live a normal life in South Central Los Angeles and stop with crime but his son has yet followed the criminal path of his father.

Who: Pan African Film & Arts Festival and Donald Bakeer, Glenn Plummer, Byron Minns, Carl Lumbly, and Christian Coleman.

What: The 30th Pan African Film & Arts Festival

When: Friday, April 29, 2022, Red Carpet at 8 p.m., Screening at 9:10 p.m., Q&A to follow screening.

Where: Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza 15 and XD, 4020 Marlton Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90008

For additional information about PAFF visit paff.org.

Pan African Film and Arts Festival Announces Kickoff of Yearlong 30th Celebration With Black History Month Retrospective Series

Virtual retrospective series to celebrate 30 years of PAFF Feb. 15-28 with ‘Best of PAFF’ Hybrid in-person and virtual festival still set for April in Los Angeles

Jimmy Jean-Louis in Rattlesnakes, which was shown at the 2019 Pan African Film Festival, is among the films to be screened during PAFF's Black History Month Retrospective Series

LOS ANGELES — The Pan African Film & Arts Festival (PAFF), one of the largest Black History Month events in America and the largest Black film festival, will kick off its yearlong 30th celebration in February with the first of several specially curated blocks of the festival’s most fascinating, complex and most liked films over the past three decades. Throughout the festival’s 30-year history, PAFF has celebrated Black filmmakers and actors whose work has pushed the envelope in cinema in the US and abroad in Africa and other parts of the world. The Best of PAFF Retrospective Series kicks off with a Black History Month exhibition featuring nearly two dozen cinematic groundbreaking foreign and domestic films. The inaugural Best of PAFF Retrospective Series will take place virtually Feb. 15-28, 2022. Film listings, tickets, and passes are available at paff.org.

To celebrate PAFF’s 30-year milestone, the festival will continue its retrospective series in March highlighting Black female filmmakers and their films.

In addition, the 30th annual Pan African Film and Arts Festival is slated to place April 19-May 1 after being postponed due to the rise of COVID cases in Los Angeles County. The hybrid festival of in-person and virtual screenings will take place in Los Angeles at its flagship venues the Directors Guild of America, Cinemark Baldwin Hills, and XD and Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza.

The Best of PAFF Retrospective Series is sponsored in part by the City of Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture, Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell, Los Angeles City Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson (8th District), Los Angeles City Councilmember Curren Price (9th District); the 10th Los Angeles City Council District; the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, LA Arts COVID-19 Relief Fund with the California Community Foundation, and the LA County COVID-19 Arts Relief Fund administered by the LA County Department of Arts and Culture.

About the Pan African Film Festival

Established in 1992 by Hollywood veterans Danny Glover (The Color Purple, Lethal Weapon), the late Ja’Net DuBois (“Good Times”), and Ayuko Babu (Executive Director), the Pan African Film Festival is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that has remained dedicated to the promotion of Black stories and images through the exhibition of film, visual art, and other creative expression.

PAFF is the largest and most prestigious Black film festival in the U.S. and attracts local, national, and international audiences. It is also one of America’s largest Black History Month events.

Find the Pan African Film Festival on:

Twitter: https://twitter.com/paffnow
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paffnow
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paffnow
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ThePanAfricanFilmFestival
The PAFF is generously supported by the City of Los Angeles, the Department of Cultural Affairs, Los Angeles County Arts and Culture, Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell, Los Angeles Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson and Los Angeles Council District 10.

For more information, please contact press@paff.org.

STATEMENT FROM PAN AFRICAN FILM FESTIVAL ON THE DEATH OF SIR SIDNEY POITIER

Ayuko Babu and Sir Sidney Poitier at the 2002 Pan African Film Festival in Los Angeles.

LOS ANGELES — Ayuko Babu, co-founder and executive director of the Pan African Film Festival (PAFF), released the following statement about the death of the trailblazing actor, director, and activist Sir Sidney Poitier.

"Mr. Poitier was a loud voice letting the world know who we are when Jim Crow tried to muzzle us. He portrayed his people with dignity and integrity, setting a standard of consciousness in Hollywood that elevated the roles available to Black actors. His iconic films such as “Lilies of the Field,” "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner," “To Sir, With Love,” and “In the Heat of the Night” opened the door for today's Black actors to demand roles that portray the Black experience with pride, and for that, we will always love him and be grateful. His life and work will continue to be an inspiration throughout generations. Our condolences to his family and loved ones. We all share in this tremendous loss.”

About the Pan African Film Festival

PAFF is the largest and most prestigious Black film festival in the U.S. and attracts local, national, and international audiences. It is also one of America’s largest Black History Month events.

Find the Pan African Film Festival on:

For more information, please contact press@paff.org.

Dennis Hopper’s OUT OF THE BLUE Regional Expansion

Director: Dennis Hopper
Starring: Linda Manz, Dennis Hopper, Sharon Farrell, Don Gordon, Raymond Burr

Dennis Hopper's OUT OF THE BLUE Regional Expansion including: Los Angeles, Toronto, Chicago, Seattle, Atlanta, New Orleans and more.

Los Angeles: American Cinematheque - January 6th
Atlanta: Plaza Theatre - January 7th
New Orleans: Broad Theatre - January 7th
Toronto: Revue - January 28th
Chicago: Music Box - Late January, date TBD
Nashville: Belcourt Theatre - Late January, date TBD
Winnipeg: Winnipeg Cinematheque - February 1st
Seattle: Beacon Theatre - February 11th

OUT OF THE BLUE-Dennis Hopper (Jail Phone) (Photo Credit-Discovery Productions)

Presented by Chloë Sevigny & Natasha Lyonne

Official Selection: Cannes Film Festival, Venice Film Festival and SXSW Film Festival.

"Thumbs Up! Bitter, unforgettable. An unsung treasure." - Roger Ebert

“In many ways, it’s maybe my best film.” - Dennis Hopper

“If a masterpiece comes along, people ought to see it.” -
Jack Nicholson

OUT OF THE BLUE- Linda Manz, Dennis Hopper (Punk) Photo Credit: Discovery Productions

Shocking. Controversial. Unforgettable. - Dennis Hopper’s brilliant punk rock masterpiece of adolescent rebellion is ready for a new, long overdue close-up!

A kind of spiritual sequel (and cautionary counterpoint) to Hopper’s own Easy Rider, OUT OF THE BLUE chronicles the idealism of the sixties decline into the hazy nihilism of the 1980’s.

Don Barnes (Dennis Hopper) is a truck driver in prison for drunkenly smashing his rig into a school bus. Linda Manz (Days of Heaven) plays Cebe, his daughter, a teen rebel obsessed with Elvis and The Sex Pistols. Her mother (Sharon Farrell) waitresses, shoots up drugs and takes refuge in the arms of other men. Cebe runs away to Vancouver’s punk scene and ends up on probation under the care of psychiatrist Raymond Burr. After Don’s release, the family struggles to re-connect before the revelation of dark secrets leads to a harrowing conclusion.

ABOUT DENNIS HOPPER: Born in Dodge City, Kansas, May 17,1936: Actor-director Dennis Hopper’s “Out of the Blue” premiered at Cannes in 1980. His directorial debut, “Easy Rider “(1969, Cannes Award “Best First Work,” was a countercultural landmark whose success helped spark the New Hollywood era of seventies filmmaking). His follow-up “The Last Movie” (1971) won the CIDALC Critics Prize Award at the Venice Film Festival. He went on to direct “Out of the Blue,"(1980) - Official Cannes selection; “Colors," (1988) “Backtrack,” (1990) and “The Hot Spot,” (1990). His 200+ acting roles include “Rebel Without a Cause,” “Giant,” “Mad Dog Morgan,” “Apocalypse Now,” “Blue Velvet,” and “Hoosiers” (Academy Award nomination, Best Supporting Actor). Also a renowned photographer and artist, Hopper died in Los Angeles, May 29, 2010.

OUT OF THE BLUE- Linda Manz Photo Credit: Discovery Productions

FILM PRESERVATION

Working from the original 35mm negative restored by Discovery in 2010, John Alan Simon and Elizabeth Karr’s Discovery Productions undertook the digital scan and mastering of Out of the Blue to premiere as an official selection at the Venice Film Festival in 2019, preserving Hopper’s landmark film to make it available to new audiences.The New 4K restoration was shown for the first time on the big screen theatrically at Metrograph in November, 2021 in New York.

Despite critical acclaim at its original Cannes premiere in 1980, OUT OF THE BLUE went unreleased because it was considered too bleak for U.S. audiences.

John Alan Simon, then a film critic/journalist, rescued the film from the shelf, secured distribution rights and took it on the road with Dennis Hopper back in 1982 to art house theaters across the U.S. including a 17-week record-breaking run at the Coolidge Corner Cinema in Boston and then NYC and Los Angeles theatrical releases.

“It’s incredibly important to us that OUT OF THE BLUE be preserved for future generations to experience its emotional impact and as the artistic achievement that helped re-establish Dennis Hopper as an important American director,” commented Elizabeth Karr on behalf of Discovery Productions.

"For me, this restoration project was pay-back for all I learned from Dennis Hopper when we originally took OUT OF THE BLUE on the road in 1982 after I rescued it from the shelf. He was an amazing artist and friend and OUT OF THE BLUE remains as unforgettable as he was and serves as an indelible tribute to the talents of Linda Manz,” John Alan Simon from Discovery Productions concluded.

Chloë Sevigny and Natasha Lyonne came onboard as presenters for Discovery Productions’ OUT OF THE BLUE 4K restoration and 40th Anniversary Theatrical Re-release.

"Out Of The Blue" - what a great movie! Linda Manz in that movie, mama mia!” - Natasha Lyonne on NPR interview with Terry Gross

“I love actress Linda Manz! As Cebe in “Out of the Blue”, arguably one of the best teen characters ever portrayed on film.” - Chloë Sevigny (from her Instagram)

OUT OF THE BLUE- NEW 4K Restoration/ 40th Anniversary Trailer

OUT OF THE BLUE- Dennis Hopper (Whiskey) (Photo Credit: Discovery Productions

SOCIAL MEDIA and Website:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OutOfTheBlueDennisHopper/

Twitter: @HopperMovieOOTB https://twitter.com/HopperMovieOOTB

IG: outofthebluefilm https://www.instagram.com/outofthebluefilm/

Web: www.outofthebluedennishopper.com

ABOUT DISCOVERY PRODUCTIONS

John Alan Simon and Elizabeth Karr are the nucleus of Discovery Productions, an indie writing/directing/producing team. Discovery’s development slate includes prestigious literary works from authors Philip K. Dick, Jim Thompson, Lucius Shepard and Ian Watson. The distribution arm of Discovery Productions has released independent films, including RADIO FREE ALBEMUTH, the adaptation of the sci-fi novel by Philip K. Dick, directed and adapted by John Alan Simon and Dennis Hopper’s OUT OF THE BLUE, currently embarking on its 4K digital restoration and 40th Anniversary re-release.

VIEW TRAILER BELOW!

KEY WEST FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES GOLDEN KEY AWARDS FOR SEAN BAKER, KODI SMIT-MCPHEE AND CLINT BENTLEY

AWARDS CONTENDERS “RED ROCKET,” “THE POWER OF THE DOG,” AND “JOCKEY” TO SCREEN AT FESTIVAL

2021 FESTIVAL RUNS NOVEMBER 17TH -21st

New York, NY- October 15, 2021 — The Key West Film Festival announced today the recipient of its annual Golden Key Awards, including two new awards honoring Emerging Talent and Breakthrough Florida director.

This year’s Golden Key Award for Excellence in Filmmaking goes to Sean Baker, director of Red Rocket, opening nationwide in December via A24. Baker will attend in person and participate in a discussion with Carlos Aguilar, film critic for the Los Angeles Times, The Wrap and RogerEbert.com, following the film’s screening. Baker’s film Starlet was featured in the first edition of the Key West Film Festival in 2012.

The inaugural Golden Key for Emerging Talent, given to actors who will be destined to grace our screens for years to come, will be presented to Kodi Smit-McPhee for his breakout role in the Netflix release of Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog, which will screen at the festival just as it begins its national theatrical release. Aguilar will host a pre-recorded discussion with Smit-McPhee following the screening, which will serve as the Closing Night film. Smit-McPhee stars alongside Benedict Cumberbatch, Jesse Plemons, and Kirsten Dunst in the film.

Another inaugural award- the Golden Key for Breakthrough Florida director, recognizing a Florida bred director whose films will be seen widely in the future – will be given to Clint Bentley. A Florida native, Bentley’s Jockey, starring Clifton Collins Jr, will be released by Sony Pictures Classics later this year. The award will be presented by former ESPN anchor Bob Ley following a screening of the film.

Filmmaker Sean Baker

Sean Baker is a writer, director, producer and editor who has made seven independent feature films over the course of the past two decades. His most recent film was the award-winning The Florida Project (2017) which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and was released by A24 in the U.S. Among the many accolades the film received -- including an Oscar nomination for Willem Dafoe for Best Supporting Actor -- Sean was named Best Director by the New York Film Critics Circle. His previous film Tangerine (2015) premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and won an Independent Spirit and two Gotham Awards. Starlet (2012) was the winner of the Robert Altman Independent Spirit Award and his previous two features, Take Out (2004) and Prince of Broadway (2008), were both nominated for the John Cassavetes Independent Spirit Award.

Kodi Smit-McPhee

Kodi Smit-McPhee is an Australian actor known for his critically acclaimed roles as The Boy in The Road, Owen in Let Me In, Norman Babcock in ParaNorman, Alexander in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Nightcrawler in X-Men: Apocalypse, and Dark Phoenix, and the lead role in the prehistoric film Alpha. Upcoming roles include Jane Campion's much anticipated The Power Of The Dog, for which he is already generating major Oscar buzz for Best Supporting Actor.

Michael Tuckman, Director of Programming of the Key West Film Festival, "We are elated to present these two new awards to Kodi and Clint, whose work will continue to astound, amaze and inspire audiences for decades to come. Kodi’s performance in “Power” is one that immediately places him among the finest actors of his generation. Clint’s steady and intimate portrait of an aging jockey shows the work of director years beyond his directorial debut. Sean continues his mastery of telling the story of American lives, literally on the other side of the tracks, in Red Rocket as he has been doing since his award-winning “Take Out” first graced the screens.”

Visit kwfilmfest.com for full program information – which will be announced on October 19, along with a schedule of events and travel and lodging details.

ABOUT THE KEY WEST FILM FESTIVAL

Honoring creativity, diversity, sustainability and beauty, the Key West Film Festival is an annual celebration of film and filmmakers set to take place November 17-21, 2021.

A diverse, entertaining and artistically rigorous selection of films will be represented through a broad array of categories that offer opportunities for filmmakers, both aspiring and established, to commune and exchange ideas while showing their work to audiences in an historic and artistically vibrant tropical paradise.

For more information, visit our website: https://kwfilmfest.com

Twitter - @keywestfilmfest
Instagram - @keywestfilmfestival
Facebook - Key West Film Festival

#kwff #kwff2021 #tropiccinema

THE PAN AFRICAN FILM FESTIVAL’S STATEMENT ON THE DEATH OF MICHAEL K. WILLIAMS

Los Angeles, CA - Ayuko Babu, co-founder and executive director of the Pan African Film Festival (PAFF), released the following statement about the death of actor Michael K. Williams who was best known for his role as Omar Little on HBO's "The Wire."

“Brother Michael was an incredible actor. He captured a depth of humanity to his characters that reflected his own. We will miss him. Our condolences to his family and loved ones. We all share in his loss.”

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OTT.X ANNOUNCES SECOND ANNUAL IMPACT AWARDS

Streaming Video Industry trade association OTT.X seeks nominations for original online programming that inspires positive action and promotes acceptance and equality.

OTT.X, the industry trade association supporting the OTT streaming ecosystem, has opened submissions for the second annual OTT.X Impact Awards. The OTT.X Impact Awards is a program created by and for the over-the-top streaming industry to recognize creators, producers, platforms and channels who are using the power of streaming video to make a positive impact. Submissions are being accepted from June 23 through September 30, 2021 for audio visual works that premiere and are distributed through OTT channels and platforms. Nominations will be announced on November 9 and winners will be announced at the Impact Awards Ceremony to be held on December 9, 2021.

“Our industry has the attention of millions of people globally,” said Mark Fisher, OTT.X President and CEO. “The stories we tell, messages we send and truths we reveal have the power to change the world. Using this power to promote understanding, acceptance, equality and to inspire positive action is a responsibility that OTT.X and our membership are committed to.” Paul Colichman, CEO of Here Media and OTT.X Impact Awards Steering Committee Chair commented, “As streaming transforms the entertainment landscape it also democratizes video content distribution. This allows for more programs that focus on social justice, equality, kindness and compassion.”

The inaugural OTT.X Impact Awards was held virtually on December 10, 2020 and recognized three winners including Here Media’s “Girls Voices Now - ‘Not Quite Here, Not Quite There’” for Impactful Short Title, Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment’s “Going From Broke’ for Impactful Series, and Passion River’s “Intelligent Lives” for Impactful Full-Length Feature.

What: Second annual OTT.X Impact Awards – Recognizing content and innovation in the OTT streaming industry that inspires positive action and promotes acceptance of and equality for all people.

How to Apply: Visit https://www.entmerch.org/impact-awards/

Key Dates:

Submissions open – June 23
Submissions close – September 30
Nominations announced – November 9
Awards Ceremony / Winners Announced – December 9
Qualifications: Content must premiere on an OTT channel or platform, maintain exclusive availability via OTT distribution and be available in the US for at least 3 weeks. Qualifying period is the twelve-months ending September 30, 2021.

For more information as well as content submissions visit the OTT.X Impact Awards site; https://ottximpactawards.org/

About OTT.X

OTT.X is the not-for-profit international trade association dedicated to advancing the interests of the multi-billion home entertainment industry. OTT.X-member companies operate business that engage in or support the commercial OTT distribution of audiovisual entertainment. Membership comprises the full spectrum of the ecosystem, including digital retailers, MVPDs, AVOD and SVOD networks and channels, platforms, companies creating and/or distributing content for these channels of distribution, and companies providing services or technology for the use of others in this community. OTT.X (formerly EMA) was established in April 2006 through the merger of the Video Software Dealers Association (VSDA) and the Interactive Entertainment Merchants Association (IEMA).

To learn more, go to www.ottx.org.

MEDIA CONTACT

MILLENNIAL PR
Mitch Swan
323.378.6687
mitch@millennialpublicrelations.com

2022 List of Walk of Fame Honorees

The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce's Walk of Fame Selection Panel have announced the 38 new honorees to the 2022 Hollywood Walk of Fame.

MOTION PICTURES:
Francis Ford Coppola, Macaulay Culkin, Willem Dafoe, Salma Hayek, James Hong, Helen Hunt, Michael B. Jordan, Regina King, Ray Liotta, Ewan McGregor, Adam McKay, Jason Momoa, Tessa Thompson and Carrie Fisher (posthumous)

TELEVISION:
Byron Allen, Greg Berlanti, Ricky Gervais, Peter Krause, Bob Odenkirk, Holly Robinson-Peete, Norman Reedus, Tracee Ellis Ross, Jean Smart, Ming-Na Wen and Kenan Thompson

RECORDING:
Black Eyed Peas, George E. Clinton Jr., Ashanti Douglas, DJ Khaled,
Avril Lavigne, Los Huracanes Del Norte, Martha Reeves and Ermias “Nipsey Hussle” Asghedom (posthumous)

LIVE THEATRE/LIVE PERFORMANCE:
Patti LuPone, Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis, Jr. and Angelica Vale

RADIO:
Richard Blade

New category, Sports Entertainment:
Michael Strahan

About:
The man credited with the idea for creating a Walk of Fame, was E. M. Stuart, who served in 1953 as the volunteer president of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. In that year, according to a Chamber press release he proposed the Walk as a means to “maintain the glory of a community whose name means glamour and excitement in the four corners of the world.” He appointed a committee to begin fleshing out the idea and the architectural firm of Periera and Luckman was employed to develop some specific proposals. Where the original idea came from is not certain; however, the ceiling of the dining room of the historic Hollywood Hotel once had stars painted on the ceiling with the names of celebrities and that may have been a precursor of the idea to place stars in the sidewalks.

CHARLES BURNETT and the L.A. REBELLION at the 2021 TCM Classic Film Festival

See it on HBO MAX available from May 6th!

THE L.A. REBELLION

This late 1960s-early 1990s independent film movement was founded by Black film students at UCLA, including Charles Burnett, Julie Dash and Billy Woodberry and features influences by African cinema and Italian neo-realism.

Includes the films: Bless Their Little Hearts (1983), Daughters of the Dust (1991) and To Sleep with Anger (1990).

Panel Discussion
TCM Host Jacqueline Stewart, Billy Woodberry and Charles Burnett discuss The L.A. Rebellion.

CHARLES BURNETT

Charles Burnett is a writer-director whose work has received extensive honors. Born in Vicksburg, Mississippi, his family soon moved to the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles. Burnett studied creative writing at UCLA before entering the University’s graduate film program. His thesis project, Killer of Sheep (1977), won accolades at film festivals and a critical devotion; in 1990, it was among the first titles named to the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry.

European financing allowed Burnett to shoot his second feature, My Brother’s Wedding (1983), but a rushed debut prevented the filmmaker from completing his final cut until 2007.

In 1988, Burnett was awarded the prestigious John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur (“genius grant”) Fellowship and shortly thereafter Burnett became the first African American recipient of the National Society of Film Critics’ best screenplay award, for To Sleep with Anger (1990).

Burnett made the highly acclaimed “Nightjohn” in 1996 for the Disney Channel; his subsequent television works include “Oprah Winfrey Presents: The Wedding” (1998), “Selma, Lord, Selma” (1999), an episode of the seven-part series “Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues” (2003) and “Nat Turner: A Troublesome Property” (2003), which was shown on the PBS series “Independent Lens.”

Burnett has been awarded grants from the Guggenheim Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts and the J. P. Getty Foundation. In 2011, the Museum of Modern Art showcased his work with a month-long retrospective.

BILLY WOODBERRY

Born in Dallas in 1950, Billy Woodberry is one of the founders of the L.A. Rebellion film movement. His first feature film Bless Their Little Hearts (1983) is a pioneer and essential work of this movement, influenced by Italian neo-realism and the work of Third Cinema filmmakers. The film was awarded with an OCIC and Interfilm awards at the Berlin International Film Festival and was added to the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress in 2013. His latest feature film And when I die, I won’t stay dead (2015) about the beat poet Bob Kaufman was the opening film of MoMA’s Doc Fortnight in 2016.

Woodberry has appeared in Charles Burnett’s “When It Rains” (1995) and provided narration for Thom Andersen’s Red HOLLYWOOD” (1996) and James Benning’s “Four Corners”(1998).

His work has been screened at Cannes and Berlin Film Festivals, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), Harvard Film Archive, Camera Austria Symposium, Human Rights Watch Film Festival, Tate Modern and Centre Pompidou.

He received his MFA degree from UCLA in 1982 where he also taught at the School of Theater, Film and Television. Since 1989 Billy Woodberry is a faculty member of the School of Film/Video and the School of Art at the California Institute of the Arts.

2021 TCM Classic Film Festival

Thursday, May 6th through Sunday, May 9th at two virtual venues: the TCM network and the Classics Curated by TCM Hub on HBO Max.

View HBO Max Lineup

View Turner Classic Movies Schedule

View Linear Schedule

For more information, please visit http://filmfestival.tcm.com

2021 TCM CLASSIC FILM FESTIVAL TRAILER:

About Turner Classic Movies (TCM)

Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is a two-time Peabody Award-winning network that presents great films, uncut and commercial-free, from the largest film libraries in the world highlighting the entire spectrum of film history. TCM features the insights from Primetime host Ben Mankiewicz along with hosts Alicia Malone, Dave Karger, Jacqueline Stewart and Eddie Muller, plus interviews with a wide range of special guests and serves as the ultimate movie lover destination. With more than two decades as a leading authority in classic film, TCM offers critically acclaimed series like The Essentials, along with annual programming events like 31 Days of Oscar® and Summer Under the Stars. TCM also directly connects with movie fans through events such as the annual TCM Classic Film Festival in Hollywood, the TCM Big Screen Classics series in partnership with Fathom Events, as well as through the TCM Classic Film Tour in New York City and Los Angeles. In addition, TCM produces a wide range of media about classic film, including books and DVDs, and hosts a wealth of material online at tcm.com and through the Watch TCM mobile app. Fans can also enjoy a TCM curated classics experience on HBO Max.

About HBO Max

HBO Max® is WarnerMedia’s direct-to-consumer platform, offering best in class quality entertainment. HBO Max features the greatest array of storytelling for all audiences from the iconic brands of HBO, Warner Bros., DC, Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Turner Classic Movies and much more. The streaming platform initially launched in the United States in May 2020. This year, it will expand into Latin America and the HBO-branded streaming services in Europe (the Nordics, Spain, Central Europe, the Baltics and Portugal) will be upgraded to HBO Max.