FESTIVAL REVIEW: 2016 TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL

The Bushwick Film Festival loves independent film festivals! Especially those, like the Tribeca Film Festival, that take place in our very own city. #Tribeca2016 had its 15th edition last week, and we attended a number of panels, screenings and talks, which we shared with all the indie film lovers out there who follow us on Instagram and Facebook. If you missed the experience on social media, you can read a summary below of the films we liked and didn’t like, along with what inspired us. And remember to follow us on Twitter, Instagram and like us on Facebook so we can stay connected!

Films

Califórnia | Photo by Aline Arruda, courtesy of Tribeca Film Festival

Califórnia

Set in Brazil during the 80s, Califórnia follows a young girl between the time of her first period and her first sexual experience. Estela (Clara Gallo) is desperate to escape her life and embark on a trip with her uncle to California. But she is forced to explore her identity and desires while the looming AIDS epidemic of the era threatens her wishes. Califórnia follows most of the ingredients of a coming-of-age story, except that it is told from the feminine perspective. As director Marina Person noted at a Q&A following the last screening, this is an important difference. It’s hard not to enjoy this movie and even fall for some of the characters. Califórnia proves to be another example of how, no matter the language or setting, humanity has more universal stories than we’d like to admit.

— Moraima Capellán Pichardo

Live Cargo | Photo by Daniella Nowitz, courtesy of the Tribeca Film Festival

Live Cargo

Live Cargo (directed by Logan Sandler) offers up a story I couldn’t invest myself in, and yet, I didn’t want to miss a single frame. Early into the film’s runtime, the opaque nature of its storytelling left my mind wandering, but – even without a plot I could attach my concerns to – it still undoubtedly made an impact. Most of the moviegoing public, myself included, probably hasn’t seen an abundance of digital black & white films. It’s possible some audiences have never even seen a single one. Let’s face it, B&W is not “in” and may never be again. What’s special about Live Cargois that it doesn’t look like the 120-year-old The Arrival of a Train, or even Raging Bull. Its textures vary from those films because new cinema in 2016 looks like the present, not the past.

Anti-digital crusaders like Quentin Tarantino and Christopher Nolan will choose death before going digital, but their renouncement of a new era of films and filmmakers is no different than when your parents told your teenage self to turn down that loud and offensive punk rock record that you were really into. Live Cargo’s creative team embraces modern filmmaking techniques, and in the process delivers something that is different from all of the films your favorite auteurs made, but every bit as gorgeous.

— Joseph Willwerth

The Charro of Toluquilla | Photo by José Villalobos Romero, courtesy of the Tribeca Film Festival

The Charro of Toluquilla

A few minutes before the screening, I was walking behind a man wearing a black sombrero and a plaid button-down. Given that we were in the Tribeca neighborhood, it was easy to recognize him as El Charro de Toluquilla. I had also been keeping up with the documentary ever since reading about it over at IndieWire, when it premiered at the Guadalajara Film Festival.  

The Charro of Toluquilla provides a brief but intimate look at Jaime García, who embodies the image of traditional macho Mexican horsemen (charros), while living unapologetically as HIV-positive. In over three years of production, director Jose Villalobos Romero managed to integrate himself into the life of El Charro, who at a Q&A reassured the audience that his personality is authentic, no matter how over-the-top it might seem to be. (Sidenote: To everyone’s delight, he energetically ran up and down the theater aisles, handing over the microphone for questions). El Charro is hard to forget, and he doesn’t disappoint.

The documentary portrays a refreshing and often laugh-out-loud funny take on a father-daughter relationship and the topic of marriage. It is the type of storytelling we need in a time when Mexican men are often portrayed as caricatures for political gain.

— Moraima Capellán Pichardo

Wolves | Photo by Juanmi Azpiroz, courtesy of Tribeca Film Festival

Wolves

Director Bart Freundlich, piled on more drama and surprises in Wolves than this moviegoer could handle. The film includes a degenerate gambler, an alcoholic, a pervert, a struggling author and a bad father – and that’s only Michael Shannon’s character. Newcomer Taylor John Smith excels on the screen as a high school basketball star at odds with his dad (Shannon),  and navigating situations that no 18-year-old should have to be prepared for. Freundlich takes every coming-of-age archetype and pushes it to the extreme, throwing subtlety out the window, but by doing so, he fails to give proper care to such serious subject matter.

— Joseph Willwerth

Talks and Panels

Ira Sachs and Andrea Arnold

During a Tribeca Talk, Ira Sachs (Love Is Strange) spoke with director Andrea Arnold (Fish Tank) about her career of filmmaking adventures and her new film,  American Honey, set to debut at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival. When Sachs asked what she found most shocking about her time shooting in America, Arnold detailed the horrors of poverty and drugs that the crew witnessed while filming in the South. When he asked her about her fears, she surprised everyone by claiming that she has none. In fact, Arnold seems to thrive on making low-budget independent films and has no qualms about being a woman in an industry dominated by men. Arnold’s secret to achieving her one-of-kind realism on the screen is to make movies like she prepares a meal in the kitchen, “without a recipe.” The auteur consistently challenges her creative self: American Honey was filmed with countless non-actors. who she only gave new pages of the script to just prior to each day of filming. Arnold apparently heeds her own advice to the audience: “Take the reins and go for it.”

Idina Menzel & Marc Platt

A packed audience had the pleasure of catching Idina Menzel (Frozen) in a very different setting during a Tribeca Talk, moderated by producer and friend Marc Platt (Wicked). There wasn’t a person seated who didn’t love hearing about how, when she was younger, the world-renowned singer had actually believed that she would one day be able to star as one of the black leads in Dreamgirls. Ever since her parents brought her to a Broadway show in her pajamas, Menzel has been nothing less than enamored with singing and acting, in all its forms. Though her career is full of successes, she emphasized that there have been just as many lows, just as many rejections, as there were times when she felt acceptance for her work. Through it all, she has appreciated all of the moments in her career and, for the record, would be overjoyed to be CGI’d into the long-in-the-works Wicked movie (if it ever gets made).

Menzel also runs A BroaderWay Foundation, a camp that fosters the creativity of underprivileged young girls and gives them the opportunity to dream big, just like she did when she was their age.

— Joseph Willwerth

Submissions Now Open for the 10th Annual Bushwick Film Festival!

Submissions are open for the 10th Annual Bushwick Film Festival! Filmmakers and web series directors who want the unique opportunity to screen their work in front of Bushwick audiences can now submit their film via Film Freeway through July 15th.

Important dates are as follows:

• Early Bird Deadline: February 28

• Regular Deadline: March 1 – May 31

• Late Deadline: June 1 – July 15

• Notification Date: August 15, 2017

• Festival Dates: October 12 – 15

This fall, from October 12-15, we will celebrate our milestone 10 year anniversary, marking a decade of bringing independent stories to audiences from all walks of life. The four day weekend will include screenings, panels, workshops, parties, and networking opportunities. To date, the festival has showcased the work of over 300 filmmakers, most of them Brooklyn and New York-based, as well as international films from 30 countries across the globe. In addition to a wide range of genres and topics, we continue to highlight films directed by and starring women, along with stories from underrepresented groups.  

Please share this exciting news and help us make this years festival one to remember! If you have any questions about submissions, please feel free to contact us at:programming@bushwickfilmfestival.com

Thanks in advance!

JPMorgan Chase & Co. Women’s History Month Panel

Written by: Kweighbaye Kotee

During Women’s History Month, I had the opportunity to produce and moderate a panel for J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. International Women’s Day event on March 8th. The panel was comprised of the super inspiring and amazingly talented women from the documentary film Dream, Girl. The Bushwick Film Festival had the privilege to screen Dream, Girl last year, a film that is a testament to the powerful and creative forces that women are and have always been.

The energy on stage was particularly electric that afternoon. I had the chance to speak with Erin Bagwell, the director of Dream, Girl, and the subjects she followed in the documentary: Crista Freeman (CEO of Phin & Phebes), Clara Villarosa (co-founder of Villarosa Media) and Annie Wang (co-founder of Senvol).

Erin, Crista, Clara, Annie and I are all entrepreneurs in traditionally male-dominated industries. It’s no secret that starting any business comes with its own challenges but adding misogyny into the mix of paperwork and time management brings some unique hurdles. Historically, women have not been encouraged to seek work or become independent. Women are still underrepresented in most industries,even the ones that are marketed to us specifically (E.G. makeup, fashion, etc). In a world that is run by the sometimes invisible but all too real patriarchy , it is so important to hear and share the stories of our growth and the lessons we learned to get where we are today.

Top 10 Films of 2016 – Selected by Team BFF

With all the hoopla surrounding Oscar season, The Bushwick Film Festival began thinking about the movies from 2016 that moved us, made us laugh, and inspired us to take action. To celebrate the diversity that 2016’s cinematic landscape brought with it, we asked 10 staff and volunteer members at the festival to pick their personal favorite films from last year and tell us why they stood out. Without further ado, we present to you the Bushwick Film Festival’s Top 10 Films of 2016.

Fire At Sea (Directed by Gianfranco Rosi)

Kira Boden-Gologorsky, Programming Intern

In Fire at Sea, innovative storytelling searches for a new route to explore a familiar narrative. Migrants have moved through Lampedusa, an island closer to Tunisia than it is to Sicily, for decades. But in more recent years, the influx has exponentially increased, effecting the lives of not only those seeking refuge but those whose personhood is embedded in the island. Rosi turns to Samuele, a 12 year old boy from Lampedusa, as a vantage point from which the plight of the migrants and the lives of the island’s inhabitants are explored in parallel. Samuele’s connections to the island illustrate the web of people who come in contact with North African migrants. Unlike a traditional documentary, Fire at Sea contains few statistics, which are obviously didactic, instead opting to explore metaphors in Samuele’s life, sweeping visual landscapes, and personal anecdotes to give a new perspective. The documentary lends an inarguably intimate touch to a global crisis, and gives hope that new types of storytelling can and will impact the world for the better.

The Jazz Loft According to W. Eugene Smith (Directed by Sara Fishko)

Tyrone Tanous, Production Consultant

The source material is incredible in scope and quality and is incorporated into the story in engaging design. I love Jazz music and this film serves the music’s history, an artist’s personal story, and other tales of New York City. This film is a multifaceted journey and recommended! Between 1957 and 1965 in New York, dozens of jazz musicians jam night after night in a dilapidated Sixth Avenue loft, not realizing that much of what they play and say to each other is being captured on audio tape and in still pictures by the gentle and unstable genius, former LIFE Magazine photographer W. Eugene Smith, who lives in the loft space next door. Photographer W. Eugene Smith recorded 4000 hours of audio tape and took 40,000 photographs in the Jazz Loft between 1957 and 1965. This is the first film to make use of this archive, now housed at the Center For Creative Photography at the University of Arizona.

Lion (Directed by Garth Davis)

Gonnie Zur, Programming Intern

After getting a glimpse of his craft in Top Of The Lake, it didn’t take much for me to go see Garth Davis’s Lion when it opened at TIFF this past September. In it, Davis brings to the screen the unimaginable life story of Saroo Brierley: a native Bengali man who, due to an unfortunate set of events, is separated from his family at the mere age of five. It might’ve been luck or chance, or fate, that later united Saroo with his adoptive parents: a kind Australian couple that gave him his life back — a better life, some would say. But as he gets older and understands that he’s still holding on to the remnants of his past, Saroo realizes that in spite of the consequences that tore him and his family apart, he’s willing to risk everything to reunite with them. Unsurprisingly, Dev Patel manages to perfectly and honestly deliver Saroo, and Nicole Kidman portrays the archetype of motherhood as Sue. In all honesty, it has been a while since I’ve seen performances with such strength and precision. Every shot, every angle and sound, is infused with pure emotion. After catching my breath and wiping the tears away (yes there were tears), I felt grateful to have witnessed this one of a kind cinematic piece. Moreover, these types of stories, give you perspective and a chance to give in to your emotions. It did for me; as I sat in that darkened Toronto theater, as far as physically possible from Saroo’s Calcutta, I felt as close to him as one can feel.

Fences (Directed by Denzel Washington)

Brian Wendelken, Volunteer

Denzel Washington’s adaptation of August Wilson’s Fences is a film that deals with the themes of corrupted innocence, gender roles in society and within the family, and the harsh realities of life (particularly as a black man in 1950’s Pittsburgh). It is also a story of forgiveness, love and setting your own course. Its Christmas Day release felt appropriate to close out 2016, a year that has seen such chaos and social unrest on a global scale. Denzel Washington’s portrayal of Troy Maxson shows a man whose bravado, charisma and promises keep his family together. Troy watches his son, Cory (Jovan Adepo), becoming a man and fears that Cory will follow in his footsteps. Troy raises Cory tough and is hard on him out of spite or perhaps due to foresight but even at his most loving moments he confides in Cory that he just wants him to get as far away from Troy’s life as he can. He wants Cory to be nothing like himself and pressures him to study and help with chores. When Troy’s infidelities come to light and threaten to tear his family apart, his wife (Viola Davis) is faced with the impossible task of living with Troy, keeping their home together and even raising Troy’s daughter as her own; giving hope and light to the darkest and most harrowing situation imaginable. Fences is a powerful film and I believe it is one of the most important stories told in the history of American theater or cinema.

Zootopia (Directed by Byron Howard & Rich Moore)

Camila Perez, Volunteer

This animated Disney movie features the courageous tale of an innocent, good hearted bunny named Judy Hopps who has dreams of becoming a city cop alongside an intimidating team of tough buffalos and tigers and bears, oh my! The story’s plot is driven with a multitude of different animals (a reference to the diversity of our own human cities). Zootopia fearlessly dives into the corruption of speciesism within the animal society that is embedded deep within the structure of how their law enforcement works. Judy Hopps’ character is a great role model for both kids and adults because she showcases bravery, resilience, and ruthlessness even in a harsh and unfair environment. This is my favorite 2016 film because even though this kids movie is rated PG, there are deeper messages that offer very relevant contexts to think about like racial profiling (or in this case, species profiling), police brutality and corruption. Even with all of these controversial topics intertwined in the film, the brave Judy Hopps is ready to combat anything in the way of the fair and just society she dreams of policing. The movie is inspiring, laugh-out-loud funny, stimulating—an exciting and entertaining combination for audiences of all ages to witness the hopeful bunny successfully land a ‘good cop’ role, one that demonstrates the role we hope all of our own city cops fill.

The Lobster (Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos)

Juan Collado, Intern BFF

The Lobster navigates a future dystopia where single people must fall in love within 45 days or else become an animal of their choice and released into the wild. The film, a commentary on the ways love and relationships are drilled into our minds, explores the extent many will go to in order to fall in love and also how little others will try. I admire Yorgos Lanthimos choices as a filmmaker to use film as a medium to shine a light on our society. I love how untimely the comedic points in the movie are and how one can relate to the character’s predicament and their reasons for not falling in love. As a big Colin Farrell fan, I found myself loving him more in this obscene, abstract, and bizarre environment. The Lobster is much like many other films I love from the other side of the world such as Songs from the Second Floor and Vodka Lemon. This movie is definitely out there as far as content and storytelling goes, but if you’re up to the task, this movie will make you look at death, suicide, love, and systems of oppression differently. 

21 Days Under the Sky (Directed by Michael Schmidt)

Karen Cooper, Volunteer

This documentary takes DIY motorcycles and the all-American road trip to another level. We follow four bikers who meet in San Francisco to begin a 3,800-mile coast to coast ride. The film takes in America’s extraordinary landscapes along the way and the final result feels raw, wild and awe-inspiring. I was extraordinarily lucky to see it in the presence of the writer, poet/journalist Kate O’Connor Morris, (yay for women in film!) along with cast and crew. Also, I’m pretty sure having the screening in a Brooklyn gallery/biker bar, with a slew of bikes lined up outside (all of which ROAR’D after the film ended), also impacted my decision to vote this as my favorite film of 2016!

These C*cksucking Tears (Directed by Dan Taberski)

Joseph Vassily Willwerth, Creative Projects Coordinator

The Establishment weighed heavy on this here moviegoer as I rifled thru my mind’s filmic library in search of a title that would not only sum up my sense of taste in 2016, but the emotional fabric shaped by its 365 day runtime. Smoke That Travels (Briët) and Napoleon In Exile (Litwak) were disqualified due to a conflict of interest, as were Gosh (Gavras) and Kenzo World – The New Fragrance (Jonze) because music videos, commercials and short films are not worthy of, and historically speaking, never on Best of Lists. But then I heard a voice. It was a convincing one, and its outlier tone asserted this: “There’s a lot wrong with the establishment . . . . . and f*ck [them]!” The voice behind this influential adage, Patrick Haggerty, is also the hero of a 16 minute documentary called These C*cksucking Tears and it’s the best darn motion picture of 2016. 

The fabulously titled film follows a now 72-year-old Haggerty as he plays old folks homes and clubs alike, while recounting his life as the artist who released the first openly gay country album the U.S. of A. ever heard (Lavender Country, 1973). As a young boy raised in 1950s America who was gay but not fully conscious of it, Haggerty struggled with something universal: the fear of rejection felt when one’s behavior does not align with social mores. As he aged, and went on to write songs that put his sexuality front and center (e.g. “Cryin’ These C*cksucking Tears”), Patrick’s inclinations (musical and sexual) cost him fame, fortune — and by his account, acceptance in the conservative country music capital of Nashville — but they did not cost him dear ol’ dad. In a pivotal childhood moment, face covered in glitter, lipstick from ear to ear, a fearful Patrick quickly ducked away to avoid his father as they beelined towards each other in a hallway. Haggerty Sr. later confronted his son and gave him a piece of advice which would fundamentally shape Patrick, who took his father’s loving command, adopted it, and in turn became the expressive, artistically innovative, sex-positive soul that this documentary reveals him to be. It’s advice that oughta be passed down not only from every father to every son, but right here, right now, from me to you: “don’t sneak — or you’ll ruin your immortal soul.”

The Birth of A Nation (Directed by Nate Parker)

Nathalie Thomas, Executive Assistant

This film came to us at a time of great racial upheaval in our country and at the height of the Black Lives Matter protests that took our news media outlets by storm. The Birth Of a Nation is my favorite movie of 2016 because it was the impetus that propelled many uncomfortable but important conversations about race — conversations that are urgent and need to take place. I found this film provocative (and that’s not alluding to the allegations surrounding its director). The film’s true history is one that has been cast in the shadows, hidden and masked by many other narratives. At the helm, Parker manages to reveal a small flicker of the painful reality of an oppressed people with dignity and agency. This, all while making a point out of the title by pushing two cinematic pieces into a conflicting conversation. The timing of this film was crucial and is another reason why it’s so close to my heart. It also pulled many other Oscar nominated films into the overall dialogue of the black experience in America i.e. Hidden Figures, Fences, Moonlight, Loving and I Am Not Your Negro. This film was great even if for the sole reason that it starred, was written, directed and produced by a single black man — an admirable rarity in the film industry. I foresee a lot of thesis papers being written on Nate Parker’s The Birth of a Nation. It’s sure to become part of the fabric that shapes the dialogue about race in America for years to come.

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story ( Directed by Gareth Edwards)

Tilo Zingler, Marketing Research Analyst

First of all, I am aware that this is probably as far far away from an independent film as said galaxy in the beginning of each Star Wars installment. Nevertheless, this film did something I deemed impossible; Rouge One rekindled some of the Star Wars magic of old. After George Lucas himself oversaw the making of Episodes I-III and failed on so many levels, the hope of creating a cinematic experience worth of the original trilogy faded. With Episode VII hitting cinemas last year, Disney showed some promise, but ultimately left us feeling like they tried too hard by squeezing in as many original trilogy references as they could into one movie.

While Rogue One is still far from perfect, director Gareth Edwards shows that he understands some of the strengths of the original three in tone, character and storytelling, while learning from the mistakes of the latter films. It has a more authentic and grimier look; stormtroopers with dirt on their uniforms, vehicles with visible dents and scratches that actually look like they have seen plenty of intergalactic warfare and not just those straight out of the CGI shop. It is the focus on details combined with a good cast and a story that is plausible within the existing Star Wars canon, that make this movie a pleasant surprise. It was simply my favorite movie experience of 2016 because it left me with a new hope for the Star Wars franchise under Disney, and the desire to watch this classic Star Wars masterpiece again.

Festival Review: 2016 DOC NYC

The Bushwick Film Festival is a huge supporter of independent films and filmmakers! So last week, we got our industry badges and attended several panels, industry events and films at DOCNYC—the largest documentary film festival in America. While at the fest we also ran into a couple of recent BFF alumni that we want to give a shout out to: Tyler Johnston, director of My Father’s Land and Benjamin Shweky, director of Chocolate Cake. 

House on Coco Road directed by Damani Baker

Films we saw include: The House on Coco Road directed by Damani Baker; a film that moves effortlessly through decades of documents and material, while detailing the falsehood of Ronald Reagan’s 1983 Grenada invasion and the lives it affected most; Kid Yamaka directed by Matt Ogens, a stylish and insightful VICE Fightland short, which looks at the trials and tribulations of a boxer’s life and how his colorful past fuels his performance inside of the ring; and Gleasondirected by J. Clay Tweel, which offers an in-depth portrait of a former NFL players change in purpose, as he takes on ALS and commits himself to passing on a piece of who he is before it’s too late. We also saw Woman on Fire, directed by Julie Sokolow and 86-32, directed by Randy Wilkins; the reviews of which you can find below.

86-32 – Directed by Randy Wilkins

During the 1988 Olympics in South Korea, if you were an opponent of Roy Jones Jr. — the young, black, unconventional and all-powerful boxer, also known as Superman — he beat you. Unless of course you were South Korean. In this ESPN 30 for 30 short, an older Jones relives the infamous 88’ finals match where a corrupt jury handed over what should have been his gold medal, to Si-Hun; a South Korean Native that he bested by 54 points. You can find the controversial fight on Youtube but 86-32 mostly forgoes archival footage of a battered Si-Hun in favor of talking head style interviews. In a market oversaturated with sports-action films, director Randy Wilkins wisely chooses to focus on Jones’ personal retelling of the events; fair, considering it was his voice that was drowned out by Olympic bureaucracy. Listening to him, you wouldn’t know a day had past. This is a man who knows the truth but still can’t grasp it. Jones’ story resonates and it’s easy to see why: a handful of suits knocked him off the path to international stardom and took his dignity away. In response, Jones looks right into the camera and asks, why not give it back? We recommend that you get to know the Roy Jones Jr. story better by watching the film here for free.

Woman on Fire – Directed by Julie Sokolow

The Guinans did what few families will ever have to do: accept that their son had transitioned into a woman. The film follows Brooke Guinan — the first transgender firefighter in NYC — as she navigates relationships with her family, boyfriend, FDNY coworkers and the world at large, from the perspective of an identity different than her supposed one. Director Julie Sokolow gets full access to Brooke and her family and the result is an honest and unfiltered look at a person who has felt womanhood in her soul for as long she can remember, and an extended support system that is willing to stand with her through the challenges as she pursues her personal truth. With a solid amount of media coverage, Brooke’s been hailed as an “inspirational icon” and has become a posterchild for LGBTQ rights, as well as female representation & rights within the fire department; in times like these, we need more of what she’s got.

We had a really great time at DOCNYC. We hope you get a chance to checkout some of these films and directors and continue to support independent filmmaking.

FILM REVIEW: MOTHER OF GEORGE

Mother Of George, written by Darci Picoult and directed by Andrew Dosunmu, is a film as much about secrets and truth (or the distortion of them) as it is about the complicated and oftentimes public display of a woman’s childbearing challenges in many African cultures. Set in a tightly knit immigrant community in Brooklyn, NY, the film poses many unbearable questions — foremost, how far would someone go to hide the truth of things? The answer, shockingly far. Before we get further into the films’ review, I can’t help but share how I met its writer, Darci Picoult, at the Bushwick Film Festival’s “Women in Film” Panel in October.

When I nervously called Cori Thomas ( Screenwriter and Co-founder of Pa’s Hat Foundation) to ask her if she would be willing to be on the Bushwick Film Festival’s “Women in Film” Panel this year, I was extremely thrilled when she not only agreed, but also offered to call Darci Picoult, writer of Mother Of George, to be on the panel. And Darci Picoult said yes! Now, with Cori and Darci on board, the program was officially locked and their addition made the entire festival rock solid.

Cori strongly suggested that I go and see Mother Of George before the panel. However, the film hit theaters when the festival was just weeks away. But after meeting Darci and admiring her extremely insightful answers to the eager female filmmakers in the audience and hearing about the film’s journey, I ran to Quad Cinemas in Union Square just days after we closed.

As I lingered in my seat after the final credits had scrolled out of sight and the lights came up, I wondered if I had experienced the film differently because of two things. First, I had heard from the writer herself about the details of the film’s fifteen year journey to the screen. I had witnessed first hand how much she loved her own daughter (Darci’s final panel question asked her who her biggest inspiration was, and her response was her daughter, who sat bashfully in the front row). Would I have felt such a strong sense of appreciation without knowing the thousands of things that came together to make the film nearly perfect? And second, if I, myself, had not been from West Africa, Liberia, would the film have hit so close to home emotionally?

The film opens at the traditional Nigerian wedding of Adenike (Danai Gurira) and Ayodele (Isaach de Bankole). From the moment the first image hit the screen, I felt overwhelmed with how beautifully cinematographer Bradford Young (Middle Of Nowhere) depicted African culture, rich in all its tradition, color, grandeur, and African people (close camera shots of faces and bodies). The camera movement was breathtaking and the wedding scene beautiful. But it wasn’t too long after the blessings and advice were bestowed on the bride and groom with a final wish by the groom’s mother for a grandson named George, that the other face of tradition and culture reared its ugly head.

So the answer is yes. Yes, I may have had a different experience because of the two circumstances mentioned, but as it stands Mother Of George is a remarkable example of what can happen when a storyteller/playwright like Darci who has fine-tuned her craft teams up with a director like Andrew Dosunmu, who knows his subjects so intimately.

I highly suggest seeing the film in theaters, but sorry New York, it’s no longer on our big screens. But for our friends in Milwaukee and Tallahasse it is! Mother of George will continue to make its way across the U.S. between now and February. Click here to see a complete list of showtimes.

Director: Andrew Dosunmu

Writer: Darci Picoult

Stars:  Isaach De Bankolé, Danai Gurira, Yaya Alafia, See full cast and crew