The American Cinematheque has announced a “New Jack City” Special Screening Event on April 9 followed by a Q&A with director Mario Van Peebles.
“New Jack City’ getting shut down in Westwood in 1991 is indicative of a confluence of violence against Black people on-screen and off-screen in real life. This is a legacy of film and television that actively continues to haunt us today,” said series co-curator Roya Rastegar. “We often talk about the power of film to represent marginalized communities. But the burden to ‘be real’ and authentically represent one’s community can be a trap for BIPOC filmmakers. This program reflects on and honors films from the 1990s that blunted the force of representational and respectability politics and played with the idea of what’s ‘real.’”
Over the next year, The American Cinematheque will host “Perpetratin’ Realism” to explore the new wave of films in the 1990s by Black filmmakers. Dubbed by scholar and critic Manthia Diawara, “new Black realism” films featured dynamic portrayals of Black people grappling with the hierarchies of power and the living legacies of white racism, gun violence, and illicit economies.
Currently, programmed films include “Clockers” directed by Spike Lee, “Menace II Society” directed by The Hughes Brothers, “Set It Off” directed by F. Gary Gray, “I Like It Like That” directed by Darnell Martin and “House Party” directed by Reginald Hudlin.
‘Reservation Dogs’Creators Taika Waititi and Sterlin Harjo and Receive ICG Publicists Television Showpersons Award
Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi, multi-award-winning co-creators and executive producers of the acclaimed TV series “Reservation Dogs,” have been named recipients of the ICG Publicists (International Cinematographers Guild, IATSE Local 600) 2022 Television Showpersons Award.
“Reservation Dogs” is the first TV series to feature an all-Indigenous team of writers, directors and series regulars. Harjo and Waititi will be honored at the ICG Publicists Awards luncheon at The Beverly Hilton on March 25, it was announced today by Awards Chairs Tim Menke and Sheryl Main.
“As we look forward to celebrating publicists, we are also excited to recognize the showmanship of Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi for co-creating the innovative and critically-acclaimed Reservation Dogs. We applaud them for advancing the representation of Indigenous people on television. Reservation Dogs is compelling TV at its best for all audiences,” said Menke.
Academy Museum to Honor Tilda Swinton and Steve McQueen at Gala
The Academy Museum has announced details of its second annual gala. Miky Lee, Steve McQueen and Tilda Swinton will all be honored on Oct. 15.
Halle Berry, Jason Blum, Ryan Murphy and Lupita Nyong’o will all co-chair the night which will raise vital funds to support the museum’s access, education and programming initiatives.