Category: Film

Pinero, 2001, 103 minutes, Rated R
By Carla Robinson

There’s a new word for incomprehensible, it’s “ambitious.” These days, it’s bandied about whenever a so-called art film comes on the scene, particularly one that thumbs its nose at us viewers through its own self-involved, convoluted nature. Rather than admitting that it’s not that we don’t get it, but, rather, there’s nothing to be gotten, we label the work ambitious and walk away, scratching our heads when no one is looking. Well, let me be the first to burst out of the closet: Pinero is not an ambitious film. It’s a mess.

Worse. It’s a disservice to those seeking more intimate knowledge of the maelstrom of a man known as Miguel Pinero. Pinero was one of the founding members of The Nuyorican Poets Café and the writer of the Tony-nominated play about the harsh realities of prison life, Short Eyes (1974). For every accomplished act of model American citizenship he committed, Pinero took care to throw in a few machinations and power plays on the seedier side of the street. The result was a short life (Pinero died of liver disease at 41 in 1988) as an acclaimed writer and performer, but also as a drug addict, hustler, and jailbird. Pinero felt he had to “keep doing bad to keep the writing good.” His life was further complicated by his bisexuality and his possible molestation as a child. While not shying away from them, the film fails to connect these experiences with Pinero’s artistic obsessions.

Another problem is the casting of Benjamin Bratt, which imparts a dual, contradictory message. This is an independent, arty biopic that supposes those who come to see it have an awareness of its subject. It doesn’t seem intended for a general audience. Yet, there’s Mr. Bratt, fresh from his break-up with the queen of general audiences, Julia Roberts, and best known for his former role as the hunky Latin-esque detective on Law & Order. Pinero’s writer/director, Leon Ichaso, is trying to have it too many ways. Especially considering that his film steps all over itself to be the anti-biographical biography, to fly in the face of narrative, Hollywood-style filmmaking.

But the big question is does Bratt get the job done. Yes and no. He gives a performance that is credible and, at times, stirring. Yet, rather than completely embodying Miguel Pinero, Bratt’s performance is more akin to Benjamin Bratt trying very hard not to be Benjamin Bratt. However, as the wise ones say, any port in a storm. In this helter-skelter maze, Bratt’s portrayal emerges as the sole unifying element and while he rarely hits the nuances of New-York-Lower-East-Side-Puerto-Ricanism, he at least gives us something consistent to watch.

Who can figure what makes people like Miguel Pinero tick? Who can say why monsters kill and beauties love and why there’s a little bit of both in all of us? No one. Perhaps this is why the film gives up on itself and instead of trying to proffer insight, settles for the trickery of a scrambled story played out in mixed media. M

March 2002

$20,000 Grand Prize to Be Awarded to One Winner At Festival’s Closing Ceremonies

New York, NY (June 2 , 2003) – Home Box Office will showcase the works of five aspiring filmmakers at Film Life’s American Black Film Festival (ABFF) in South Beach, Florida, June 18-22. During the five-day retreat and international film market, film industry representatives and the general public will get a chance to preview the competing films at a special screening. Film Life, Inc. and AOL Time Warner, with HBO as founding sponsor, will present the festival.

“This year we had the largest number of entries in the history of the HBO Short Film Award,” said Olivia Smashum, senior vice president, subscriber marketing and business development at HBO. “This response underscores all our efforts on behalf of new talent and we look forward to presenting the next generation of filmmakers at the festival.”

The HBO Short Film Award, first given out at the 1998 ABFF, was created to celebrate the writing and directing talents of up-and-coming black filmmakers. A panel of distinguished African American directors and HBO executives will judge the final round of competition in South Beach. One filmmaker will be awarded the $20,000 grand prize during the festival’s Film Life Black Movie Awards ceremony on closing night, with the four runners up receiving $5,000 each.

This year’s nominees are:

• A-Alike, written and directed by Randall Dottin, about two brothers from opposite sides of the social spectrum who struggle to reconcile their estrangement. A graduate of Dartmouth College, Dottin has combined his love for the arts with teaching and activism. He is currently pursuing an MFA in film directing at Columbia University, while teaching filmmaking, acting, leadership and creative writing to young people through the Impact programs in New York City. He has several projects in development, including a play, a documentary and feature screenplay.
• Quiet, directed by Sylvain White, is the story of a man struggling to keep his sanity while dealing with a badgering wife, the grind of work and the loss of his son. Winner of numerous short film awards, White has also received accolades for a variety of commercials and music videos he’s directed and for his work with directors like Michel Gendry, Spike Jonze and July Dash. He received a scholarship to La Sorbonne University in France, his birthplace, and Pomona College in California, where he graduated with honors in media studies and film production.
• Short on Sugar, written and executive produced by Lynn A. Henderson (who also stars) and directed by Joe Anaya, follows the antics of a young coffeehouse owner as she devises ways to “accidentally” run into the man of her dreams. Henderson has a multi-faceted career in writing, producing and acting. Her film and TV credits include roles on “ER,” “Friends,” “Seinfeld,” “Will and Grace,” “King of Queens” and the theatrical release “The Relic.” Anaya most recently co-created, produced and wrote the VH1 series “Strange Frequency.” He studied film and video production at San Francisco State University and premiered his short “A Hollow Place” at the Sundance Film Festival in 1998.
• Swallow, written and directed by Frank E. Flowers, tells the story of a high school senior who, in looking for a way to make money for college, takes on an unusual internship as a drug mule and learns the art of the “swallow.” A native of the Caribbean, Flowers holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Southern California’s Film School, where acclaimed director John Singleton mentored him. He is currently working on his feature film debut, a thriller titled “Haven.”
• Welcome to Life, written and directed by Jowan Carbin, about a 6th grader who makes a pact of everlasting friendship with his best buddy, only to have the private moment turned into a nightmare by the appearance of a school bully. Carbin studied acting at the University of Southern California and received his BA in Theatre in 1999, with a minor in film. He left California that same year to attend Columbia University’s MFA Film program. His acting background has proven to be an enormous asset in honing his writing and directing skills as well as given him insight into actors’ needs.

Last year, HBO presented the grand prize to writer/executive producer Ben Watkins for his film “Quest to Ref,” the story of an aspiring basketball ref who tries to bring fairness to an inner-city court game.

Produced by Hypnotic and Universal Pictures, Ten Filmmakers Compete for Million Dollar Production Deal to Make Short Films Featuring Chrysler Automobiles in Cannes, Using Avid Xpress DV v3 Editing & Effects Software and Support From Avid Technology

Cannes, France (May 16, 2002) – Ten filmmakers will compete in Cannes for a one million dollar feature film production deal at the annual Chrysler Million Dollar Film Festival, a year-long competition produced by entertainment production company Hypnotic in association with Universal Pictures and Chrysler. During this Extreme Filmmaking Competition, filmmakers must cast, shoot, edit and premiere a five-minute Chrysler-branded short film featuring the two American Dream Machines from the Chrysler brand; the PT Cruiser or the Crossfire, Chrysler’s new sports coupe slated to go on sale in summer 2003. The Extreme Filmmakers will use Avid Xpress(R) DV editing and effects software from Avid Technology (Nasdaq: AVID), the recognized standard for professional filmmakers around the globe — for everything from DV to HD.

Upon arrival in Cannes, with screenplay in hand, the ten competing filmmakers select the stars of their films from a pool of local actors, pre-screened by a leading cast agent, to star in their films. A casting call was held at the Chrysler Villa, where the actors had an opportunity to meet and audition for the filmmakers and U.S. based talent attending the festival will be welcome.
“The casting of the PT Cruiser and Crossfire provides the Extreme Filmmakers the opportunity to embrace and reflect the Chrysler brand’s dedication to design, romance and innovation into their films,” said Jeff Bell, Vice President of Marketing Communications, DaimlerChrysler.

“The people behind the Chrysler Million Dollar Film Festival are committed to discovering aspiring filmmakers, and Avid is equally committed to delivering technology to help future editors, directors and producers like these succeed as they build careers,” said Chas Smith, Avid’s Senior Vice President of Worldwide Sales and Marketing. “In Cannes, Avid is putting professional-quality tools at the fingertips of the Extreme Filmmakers and we expect great things. Later this year we look forward to supporting the Chrysler Million Dollar Film Festival winner as they create their million-dollar film.”

Once the films are cast and locations scouted, the filmmakers will have only a few days to shoot footage in Cannes, Antibes and Juan-les-Pins. Each filmmaker will be equipped with a Chrysler Voyager minivan as a production vehicle and will be able to schedule time to film either the PT Cruiser or the Crossfire. Limited resources and tight deadlines will challenge the filmmakers to produce their branded short films with only a small team assisting with production and editing. From Avid, each Extreme filmmaker receives a Dell laptop loaded with Avid Xpress DV 3 software, portable Avid storage, and 24-hour, on-the-ground support by technical staff from Avid to help create their films.

Once shot and edited, the Extreme Films will premiere for a blue ribbon panel of industry professionals during an invitation-only event. The five finalists will be selected to proceed to the Feature Film Packaging phase in Los Angeles during the summer of 2002. While living at the Chrysler Summer House and working on the Universal lot, the finalists will develop a million dollar film production package while working in partnership with an industry mentor. Then in September 2002, at the Toronto Film Festival, the five finalists will present their feature film pitch as well as the film’s promotional poster and trailer and ultimately, one filmmaker will be selected as the 2002 winner of the Chrysler Million Dollar Film Festival.

The ten filmmakers selected to compete in the Extreme Filmmaking Competition in Cannes, France, and their qualifying films, are:

— Will Canon, Arlington, TX — “Roslyn”
— Patrick Daughters, New York, NY — “In Life We Soar”
— Richard Dougherty, Los Angeles — “My Chorus”
— Maurice A. Dwyer, New York, NY — “Whoa”
— Matthew Ehlers, Rochester, NY — “Lunch”
— Geoffrey Haley, North Hollywood, CA — “The Parlor”
— Catherine Tingey, New York, NY — “Girl’s Guide to the Galaxy”
— Jeff Wadlow, Los Angeles, CA — “The Tower of Babble”
— Seth Wiley, Los Angeles, CA — “The Good Things”
— Ivan Zivkovic, Los Angeles, CA — “Remote Control”

The Chrysler Villa, located at the Hotel Martinez in the heart of Cannes, will serve as the Cannes headquarters for the Chrysler Million Dollar Film Festival and host numerous industry events, including the international press junket for Woody Allen’s “Hollywood Ending” on May 16th and 17th.

By Carla Robinson

In writer/director Vanessa Middleton’s ode to maturation, 30 Years to Life, not only are African-Americans depicted as genuinely human, they’re depicted as humans with good jobs, strong friendships, and money. Watching films like 30 Years to Life, no one can deny that we’ve come a long way, baby. We now have the luxury of seeking not only the cake in life, but also the icing.

That is what the six friends in this film face – how to get the things they want, now that their basic needs are covered. Natalie (Melissa DeSousa), Troy (Tracy Morgan), Joy (Erika Alexander), Malik (Allen Payne), Stephanie (Paula Jai Parker) and Leland (T.E. Russell) all seek those elusive, ethereal things that make for a more fulfilling life. Things like long-term commitment, recognition, and purpose.

The film opens at Natalie’s thirtieth birthday party, where the sight of thirty birthday candles is enough to send her into a tizzy. Nat’s problem is that she’s got no man, yet, having conquered the corporate world, she’s ready to move over to the mommy track. DeSousa’s performance makes Natalie vulnerable and sweet, and a character that could come off as whiny is instead endearing. Especially when Natalie hooks up with Bruce, a dashing doctor played with appropriate arrogance by Kadeem Hardison. Bruce wants a woman who’s more comfortable whipping up culinary creations than churning out PowerPoint presentations. That’s definitely not Natalie, as her buddy Troy warns her.

Allen Payne (Malik), Melissa De Sousa (Natalie), Tracy Morgan (Troy), Paula Jai Parker (Stephanie), Erika Alexander (Joy) and T.E. Russell (Leland) (L-R) in 30 Years to Life

While the others watch Natalie get in over her head, they’ve got troubles of their own as they face thirty. Troy is a stand-up comic with a promising career that simply never took off. Joy and Leland, a terminally shacked-up couple, disagree over the need for marriage. Overweight Stephanie no longer wants to live life as an invisible woman, so for her birthday, she gets liposuction. Her new body wins her Malik’s attention, which isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Malik is a womanizer who is forced to reckon with his own superficial ways when he dumps his advertising job to become a model.

Middleton, a former writer for “Cosby,” “Hangin’ With Mr. Cooper,” and “Sister Sister,” uses her sitcom training to expertly juggle multiple subplots. Everyone gets a turn to shine, and it’s nice to see such a solid ensemble cast play off one another (Erika Alexander is simply adorable as Joy). Middleton also does a refreshing job of depicting the conflict between the sexes. She doesn’t paint the men as cads or the women as saints. Boys and girls get equal playing time. Middleton used her own money, along with backing from hip-hop producer Timbaland, to finance 30 Years to Life. In an interview, Middleton, a Bronx native, said, “I knocked my script around LA for three years trying to get it picked up and couldn’t, that just shows that the talent and material is out there, but Hollywood isn’t trying to tell our story.” Undoubtedly, her dogged determination will ensure a bigger, broader space for us on the silver screen. M

July 2002

By Ramona Prioleau

Good things are typically associated with the number seven. And for the American Black Film Festival, its seventh year was no exception. Throughout it history, ABFF has enjoyed a healthy slate of widely recognized corporate backers. This has been due in no small part to the festival’s early association with the advertising agency UniWorld Group, Inc. and its Executive Director Jeff Friday’s background in event and entertainment marketing.

In addition, Friday’s demonstrated insistence on fostering an environment in which the needs of sponsors are catered to and generally where sponsors are afforded top-notch bang for their buck helped engender sponsor loyalty to an event initially located along the Gulf of Mexico.

“Companies like HBO, Lincoln, ABC, Inc. and Blockbuster are returning to the ABFF year after year, not only because we present some of the most promising African American talent, but also because we provide a growing marketplace of affluent film consumers that are eager to support their brands” acknowledged Jeff Friday..

Having relocated in 2002 to the South Beach resort area of Florida, ABFF snagged the corporate brass ring when AOL Time Warner signed on as presenting sponsor in 2003. An entertainment behemoth, AOL has a long history of promoting diversity in the arts and has supported such entities as the Apollo Theater and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.

In remarking on her company’s sponsorship of the festival, Gerri Warren-Merrick, Vice President of Corporate Community Relations of AOL, noted that “AOL is committed to finding and developing the widest possible diversity of talent.”

“The ABFF is a particularly important opportunity for [AOL] to help bring to light the creative genius of black filmmakers and to infuse the entire film industry with new ideas, perspectives and energy,” continued Ms. Warren-Merrick.

© 2003 RLP Ventures, LLC
On the Scene at ABFF 2003

While its corporate parent came fashionably late to the party, AOL’s subsidiary HBO has been a long-term sponsor of the festival and underwrites as well as produces the HBO Short Film Competition, one of the most popular offerings during the five-day event.

Where big backers and big bucks are found, the big time is sure to follow. So 2003 saw ABFF revamp its schedule to include a number of marquee attractions. To its slate of indie films, panel discussions, intensive workshops and award show, the festival added events that created quite a buzz and had Miami residents wondering how they could get in on the action.

Festivalgoers were generally thrilled during separate events that featured filmmaker/thespian Laurence Fishburne and the creator and cast of HBO’s The Wire. But, it was the screening of The Spook Who Sat By the Door and the talkback with Sam Greenlee the film’s firebrand writer/producer that engendered the most impassioned applause and raucous cries of heartfelt appreciation. Friday explained that “at Robert Townsend’s suggestion, [ABFF] launched the new event to feature a film of the past, called Classic Cinema with Robert Townsend.” According to Friday, in its current manifestation, “[ABFF is] committed to reflecting on what has happened and projecting what’s to come.”

Townsend, who sits on ABFF’s advisory board, has supported the festival since its inception because it provides a necessary outlet for diverse voices. “This festival is all about empowerment. What this film festival is about for filmmakers of color is really about encouraging them to release their voices. They really don’t have that many places,” said Townsend at the festival press conference.

© 2003 RLP Ventures, LLC
On the Scene at ABFF 2003

Each year the festival celebrates its own with awards bestowed upon industry veterans and ingénues. In 2003, special awards were given to Gabrielle Union (AOL Time Warner Rising Star Award) and Russell Simmons (AOL Time Warner Innovator Award).

Entrepreneur Russell Simmons, best known for co-founding Def Jam records, has also made his mark in other industries, including fashion, advertising television and film. Remarking on his success at the festival press conference, Simmons also took the time to comment on the business implications of marginalizing products that speak to a certain segment of society. Stating that businesses do so at their financial peril, Simmons encouraged the community to “continue to push and point out where problems [of access] exist, develop our talent and hope that the corporations will catch up with the people.”

In addition to awards to established performers, festival awards also went to indie films and performers in those projects. Award recipients included:

• Writer/director Frank E. Flowers for Swallow – HBO Short Film Award ($20,000);
• Director Sacha Parisot for Skin Deep – Lincoln Filmmaker Trophy award (Two-year lease of a Lincoln Navigator);
• Writer/director Christine Swanson for All About You – Blockbuster Audience Award for Best Feature Film ($15,000);
• Janice Richardson for Anne B. Real – Best Performance by an Actress; and
• Steve White for Skin Deep – Best Performance by an Actor.

Filmmaker Frank E. Flowers was mindful of the impact that winning the HBO Short Film Award would have on his career in particular and Cayman Island cinema generally. “It feels great that I was able to tell a story that I believed in as well as something that’s close to my heart. To be congratulated like this and to be honored like this, it really validates the project and all the hard work.”

“[My success at ABFF] is a great stepping stone in a way validating the stories we want to tell [in the Caribbean]…It’s a great launching pad to begin a career of excellent work telling stories about our people in the most excellent fashion. It shows that Caribbeans are making good movies, not good West Indian movies, not good Black movies, but great movies about our people, experience and subculture that has yet to be seen,” Flowers added.

The festival awards served also to inspire one of its special honorees. Aglow after receiving the AOL Rising Star Award, Gabrielle Union took a moment to praise the skill of the actresses competing in the festival’s Best Actress category. Union noted that the strong performances of those actresses were motivational and that “[the competition] helps you stay hungry knowing that you need to improve and you can’t rest on your last performance.”

Even with a festival that has grown almost tenfold in seven years, challenges still exist for ABFF, including securing additional theater screens at venues during the blockbuster summer season and managing the growth of the festival. “Our first year, we had about 300 people and this year we had about 3,000 and one of the things I remember about those [early] days was the intimacy and I think that is what made it special. It was an intimate group of the people and we all got to know each other in those five days,” Friday recollected at the festival press conference.

“The biggest challenges are maintaining the intimacy as you get bigger and providing access so people can get to know each other. My thing is I just want people to build interpersonal relationships this week and I don’t want ever to get so big that that dynamic goes away,” Friday stressed.

With all that ABFF has achieved so far and with the festival’s guiding principles, Friday and his staff are up to the task. M

June 2003