Things are heating up in Miami Beach as ABFF makes a return for their 27th annual film festival! With They Cloned Tyrone being the opening night film, movie goers got to see actor John Boyega, who played Fontaine in the film, get into character by serving three separate red carpet looks.
Last Friday, I had the opportunity to attend a special advanced screening of Sony’s The Woman King hosted by Black Girls Rock!. The Woman King directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood (Love and Basketball) and starring Viola Davis, John Boyega, Lashana Lynch, Sheila Atim, Thuso Mbedu, and Hero Fiennes Tiffin, is “the remarkable story of the Agojie, the all-female unit of warriors who protected the African Kingdom of Dahomey in the 1800s with skills and a fierceness, unlike anything the world has ever seen. Inspired by true events, The Woman King follows the emotionally epic journey of General Nanisca (Oscar®-winner Viola Davis) as she trains the next generation of recruits and readies them for battle against an enemy determined to destroy their way of life.”
When guests arrived at the screening, which took place at the AMC Theatres on 34th Street, they were checked in and given special wristbands brandishing the hashtag #IAmAWomanKing. We were then guided upstairs to a lounge area. The lounge area had a photo booth station, operated by two photographers, that helped guests show off their best warrior poses. Once the cameras flashed, the photos were printed, and we were sent on our way to enjoy the rest of the lounge area. Around the photo booth, were some stills of the screen. One of General Nanisca (Davis) and King Ghezo (Boyega) overlooking their village, one of Izogie (Lynch) staring off into the distance, and another of the Agojie walking into battle, led by General Nanisca.
Guests of the Black Girls Rock! screening were also treated to an array of delicious appetizers, free popcorn and soda, and free drinks. You could enjoy all of these while mingling with the lovely and friendly cater waiters and other guests of the screening. On our way into the theatre, we were treated to a red-carpet experience where photographers were at the ready to take pictures of us posing with the backdrop of the film’s poster. There was a short introduction from Black Girls Rock! Founder Beverly Bond and a guest speaker helped set the tone for what I found to be an enjoyable film.
The Woman King premieres in theatres September 16th.
When asking talented Director Abi Damaris Corbin about what drew her interest in creating the vision for this specific true story feature in the movie “Breaking”, she gave a compassionate and personal response – “it was a transformative thing for me to write and be a part of too, because I gained a greater level of empathy for my dad.”
From the director and writer of box office hit Get Out and Us, Jordan Peele introduces the sci-fi horror film, NOPE.
With his ‘Small Axe’ series of films on Amazon Prime, Steven McQueen proves how formidable he is as a filmmaker.
The force brought us together originating all the way back to 1977, and now together we can witness the end of a saga in the final Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
On Monday night, Black Girl Nerds hosted a special screening of ‘Pacific Rim: Uprising’ in Regal Battery Park followed by a Q&A with John Boyega.
The anticipated sequel sports an all-new cast of the best up and coming actors in Hollywood and about $150 million dollars worth of action-packed battle scenes, but is it worth watching?
The greatest film franchise of all time produces yet another hit
You say free will. A term with layers upon layers of complexities. But we didn’t choose to be black. They didn’t either. Who does?