BAMcinématek and ActNow Foundation present the sixth New Voices in Black Cinema, Apr 21—24 Featuring four New York premieres, including Sundance hit How To Tell You’re a Douchebag and Venice prize-winner Free in Deed The Wall Street Journal is the title sponsor of BAM Rose Cinemas and BAMcinématek. Brooklyn, NY/Mar 31, 2016—From Thursday, April 21, through Sunday, April 24, BAMcinématek, in partnership with the ActNow Foundation, presents the sixth New Voices in Black Cinema festival. Reflecting the wide spectrum of views and themes within African and diaspora communities in Brooklyn and beyond, the series includes 10 feature length films, including four New York premieres, and two shorts programs. New Voices in Black Cinema, one of a variety of ActNow programs presented in partnership with BAMcinématek since 2009, provides a showcase for new and established voices in black independent cinema. The four New York premieres include Tahir Jetter’s Sundance hit, How To Tell You’re a Douchebag (April 23), a subversive take on the rom-com inspired by the likes of Spike Lee’s Mo’ Better Blues and Stephen Frears’ High Fidelity; Sean Hodgkinson’s Trafficked (April 23), in which a trio of vacationers are seduced by a charming stranger—with disturbing repercussions; Danny and the Human Zoo (April 22), Destiny Ekaragha’s BBC-produced drama written by and loosely based on the life and career of stand-up comedian Lenny Henry; and Jake Mahaffy’s Venice Film Festival Orizzonti award-winner Free in Deed (April 23), “a potent, provocative story” (Variety) about the duplicitous storefront church circuit. The festival kicks off on April 21 with a screening of Jonas Carpignano’s wrenching drama Mediterranea, about two African men and their experiences immigrating to Italy. “Rich and understanding” (The Guardian), the film is a timely and critical portrayal of the ongoing immigration crisis. Also screening on opening night is Somewhere in the Middle, Lanre Olabisi’s (August the First) sophomore feature, an ensemble work featuring outstanding performances by a quartet of actors who play complicated lovers. New Voices in Black Cinema continues with Sundance Audience Award winner Malik Vitthal’s Imperial Dreams (April 22). Playing a reformed gangster fresh out of prison, a pre-Star Wars John Boyega struggles to turn his life around and reconnect with family and friends in this riveting drama. Taking inspiration from the French New Wave and set in LA, French Dirty (April 24), directed by brothers Jesse Allain-Marcus and Wade Allain-Marcus, follows Vincent (Wade Allain- Marcus) taking stock of his life at 30 and processing a hook up with his best friend’s girlfriend. Former Black Panther Jamal Joseph directs Chapter & Verse (April 22), the story of an ex-gang member (Daniel Beaty) fighting to keep a teenage boy from making similar mistakes. The documentary When Elephants Fight (April 22), directed by Michael Ramsdell and narrated by Robin Wright, reveals the ways Western nations and corporations have furthered ongoing civil unrest in the Democratic Republic of Congo by buying “conflict minerals” used in the making of consumer electronics. Stories of Our Lives (April 24), directed by Jim Chuchu, paints a revealing portrait of LGBT Kenyans which bravely gives a voice to a tragically marginalized community in a country where homosexuality is illegal. New Voices in Black Cinema also presents a diverse collection of new short films, including Nijla Mumin’s Dream, Amy J. Wright’s Legacy, Erica Watson’s Roubado, Ekwa Msangi’s Sok Sonka, Esther de Rothschild’s Breaking in, Chelsea Wood’s Fog, Mark Eddy’s Haitian Son, Hosanna Marshal’s Open South Africa, Solomon Onita’s Joy, Che Grayson’s Rigamo, R.M. Moses’s Reflection, Kai Alexander’s Transcend, and Michael Boogie Pinckney’s The Trade. For press information, please contact: Hannah Thomas at 718.724.8002 / [email protected] Maureen Masters at 718.724.8023 / [email protected] New Voices in Black Cinema Schedule Thu, Apr 21 7pm: Mediterranea 9:30pm: Somewhere in the Middle Fri, Apr 22 2pm: Danny and the Human Zoo 4:30pm: When Elephants Fight 7pm: Imperial Dreams 9:30pm: Chapter & Verse Sat, Apr 23 2pm: Trafficked 4:30pm: Short Film Program 1 7pm: How To Tell You're a Douchebag 9:30pm: Free in Deed Sun, Apr 24 2pm: Stories of Our Lives 4:30pm: Short Film Program 2 7pm: French Dirty Film Descriptions Chapter & Verse (2015) 97min Directed by Jamal Joseph. With Daniel Beaty, Loretta Devine, Omari Hardwick. Just released from prison, an ex-gang member (Beaty) struggles to restart his life in Harlem while trying to keep a teenage boy from making the same mistakes. Oscar-nominated writer, activist, and former Black Panther Jamal Joseph directs this alternately tough and tender look at cycles of violence and second chances within the black community. Emmy winner Loretta Devine co-stars. Fri, Apr 22 at 9:30pm Danny and the Human Zoo (2015) 90min NY Premiere Directed by Destiny Ekaragha. With Kascion Franklin, Lenny Henry, Cecilia Noble. Written by British comedian Lenny Henry, this loosely autobiographical BBC production is a hilarious and insightful look at how a black entertainer found his voice in a predominantly white industry. Danny (Franklin) is a working-class teen growing up in a Jamaican family in 1970s Britain. His knack for impressions wins attention on the stand-up circuit—but he must stand up to racism on his rise to the top. Fri, Apr 22 at 2pm Free in Deed (2015) 100min NY Premiere Directed by Jake Mahaffy. With Edwina Findley, David Harewood, RaJay Chandler. This Venice Film Festival prizewinner is a gripping investigation of spirituality and charlatanism. Based on a harrowing true story, it follows a desperate mother (Findley) who, failed by the state, turns to a storefront church faith healer (Harewood) in hopes of curing her troubled son (Chandler). Boasting a trio of tour-de-force performances, Free in Deed approaches its provocative subject with a complex moral ambiguity. Sat, Apr 23 at 9:30pm French Dirty (2015) 72min Directed by Jesse Allain-Marcus & Wade Allain-Marcus. With Wade Allain-Marcus, Melina Lizette, Arjun Gupta. This freewheeling, exuberantly inventive indie gem zigzags between past and present as it follows Vincent (Wade Allain-Marcus), an aimless Angeleno simultaneously processing what it means to turn 30 while dealing with the emotional fallout of hooking up with his best friend’s girlfriend (Lizette). Channeling the live-wire stylistic spontaneity of the French New Wave, French Dirty pulses with the unpredictable rhythms of real life. Screens with Pedro Bermudez’s Hasta Mañana (18min). Sun, Apr 24 at 7pm How To Tell You’re a Douchebag (2016) 75min NY Premiere Directed by Tahir Jetter. With Charles Brice, DeWanda Wise, William Jackson Harper. Ray (Brice) is the writer of a notorious Brooklyn blog called “Occasionally Dating Black Women,” an inveterate womanizer, and, well, the title says the rest. But when this woefully unenlightened cad makes an enemy of—and then falls for—hotshot writer Rochelle (Wise) he gets a hard won lesson in humility. Straight from its premiere at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, this smart, sexy feature debut from Tahir Jetter cuts through romantic comedy conventions with wit and verve. Screens with Iquo Essien’s New York, I Love You (20min). Sat, Apr 23 at 7pm Imperial Dreams (2014) 87min Directed by Malik Vitthal. With John Boyega, Keke Palmer. Winner of the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival, this riveting drama follows a reformed gangster (a pre-Star Wars Boyega, in an electrifying performance) whose devotion to his family and his future is put to the test when he is released from prison. Returning to his old stomping grounds in Watts, Los Angeles, he struggles to turn his life around and reconnect with his four-year-old son. Fri, Apr 22 at 7pm Mediterranea (2015) 87min Directed by Jonas Carpignano. With Koudous Seihon, Alassane Sy, Paolo Sciarretta. This heartrending drama charts the desperate journey of Ayiva (Seihon) and Abas (Sy), two friends who risk everything to make the dangerous voyage from their native Burkina Faso to Italy in search of work. But rather than opportunity, the men find racism and hostility on the margins of a society that doesn’t want them. Told with vivid naturalism, Mediterranea is a laudably unsentimental, sobering look at the refugee experience. Thu, Apr 21 at 7pm Shorts Program 1 102min Dream (2015) 17min Directed by Nijla Mumin Legacy (2015) 12min Directed by Amy J. Wright Roubado (2015) 17min Directed by Erica Watson Sok Sonko (2015) 22min Directed by Ekwa Msangi Breaking in (2014) 5min Directed by Esther de Rothschild Fog (2015) 13min Directed by Chelsea Woods Haitian Son 16min Directed by Mark Eddy Sat, Apr 23 at 4:30pm Shorts Program 2 85min Open South Africa 22min Directed by Hosanna Marshall Joy (2015) 15min Directed by Solomon Onita Rigamo (2015) 12min Directed by Che Grayson Reflection (2016) 3min Directed by R.M. Moses Transcend (2015) 17min Directed by Kai Alexander The Trade (2015) 16min Directed by Michael Boogie Pinckney Sun, Apr 24 at 4:30pm Somewhere in the Middle (2015) 90min Directed by Lanre Olabisi. With Cassandra Freeman, Charles Miller, Marisol Miranda. Four lovers find themselves caught in a tangle of intersecting relationships in this engaging, New York City-set comedic drama. Utilizing three different perspectives, it centers on a couple whose unraveling marriage spirals into a series of emotionally messy affairs. The impressive ensemble cast developed their characters through a yearlong improvisational process, which pays off in richly realized performances. Thu, Apr 21 at 9:30pm Stories of Our Lives (2014) 62min Directed by Jim Chuchu.