How many times do we watch an injustice happen to a compete stranger or even a next door neighbor and run a blind eye? Better yet, what if a loved one passes on and has a final wish they are insistent be carried out...would you do it?
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ABFF 2017: CREATED EQUAL→
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In a world where gender equality remains a critical issue, this controversial film, doesn't set out to challenge the Catholic Church doctrine, but asks a very modern question... Should women be allowed into seminaries to study for the priesthood? "Created Equal is a film that gives you a voyeur experience into the stained glass ceiling that exists in the Catholic Church and asks the question about women being allowed into seminaries without actually taking sides," shares Bill Duke. "We are so excited that the American Black Film Festival has officially selected our film as a world premiere and look forward to the conversation that is created around this highly debated topic."
Read MoreBLOOD ROAD→
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Like so many in the U.S., my father was a Marine who served his country in Vietnam. While he was away, he sent letters and reel-to-reel tapes to me, My Mom and my brother letting us in on his adventures, his fears and his never-ending love for us. Daddy was one of millions of men that ventured down the Ho-Chi-Minh trail, otherwise known as "blood road" for all the blood shed by both sides during the war.
While watching this documentary, I couldn't help thinking about the fact that our family was one of the lucky ones. My Dad returned from the war in one piece, but there are so many that were "missing in action".
One of those missing soldiers was Captain Steve Rusch. His plane was shot down during the war and his family didn't know if he was a P.O.W (prisoner of war), dead or lost somewhere with a mistaken identity. It would be 30 years later, that a portion of his remains would be found - two teeth.
Read MoreTHE FREEDOM TO MARRY→
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The Freedom to Marry chronicles Wolfson, Bonauto and a few couples along the way who they fought the good fight with. This documentary, at times, was just as heartwarming as it is heartbreaking, but inspiring all at once.
Read MoreWonder Woman→
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This prequel, which delves into the origins of this strong-willed amazon, is a rollercoaster ride from first frame to the last. Taking place roughly a century earlier, Wonder Woman comes to "Man's World" for the first time during World War I. It was not lost on me that this is literally the third film I have seen this year directed, written and produced by a woman (Patty Jenkins)and starring a woman! Who says women don't rule the world!!!
Read MoreSophia Coppola Makes History at 70th Annual Cannes Film Festival
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Oscar-winner Sofia Coppola made Cannes Film Festival history becoming the second woman in the event’s 70-year history to win best director for her Focus Features release The Beguiled. Previously, Soviet director Yuliva Solntseva won for her 1961 war drama Chronicle of Flaming Years about the Russian’s resistance to the 1941 Nazi occupation.
Read MoreBEATRIZ AT DINNER
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Beatriz, an intuitive healer and massage therapist, drives to Newport Beach for a session with one of her most loyal clients, Cathy (Connie Britton). When her car breaks down and am unable to get it fixed until the following morning, Cathy invites Beatriz to stay for dinner and that's when the fireworks begin.
Read MoreILLICIT
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Sasha and Guy Curtis appear to be a beautifully educated couple who are both successful in their own right.. Sasha, a former model, is now mostly a housewife and Guy is a supervisor for former felons trying to get on the right track. When one of those felons takes advantage s when things go terribly awry for the Curtis family.
Read MorePirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales
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Its' been a minutes since we have seen Captain Jack Sparrow or the film franchise that was spawn from a Disneyland ride in 2003. Now, 14 years later, if you love the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise, you won't be disappointed with "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales". Back in his Oscar nominated, unforgettable role of Captain Jack Sparrow, actor Johnny Depp performs this character as though he were a second skin. It's so organically natural for him and the jokes never cease to amuse.
Read MoreI AM HEATH LEDGER
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Described by his Mom as a "wild stallion", this overzealous Australian teen booked his first film "10 Things I Hate About You," shortly upon arrival in Tinseltown. However, it was his big break opposite Mel Gibson in The Patriot that put him on the map and Brokeback Mountain made him an A-list star.
Read MoreSNATCHED→
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Snatched sheds the light on this unconditional love under the most trying of circumstances. Starring Goldie Hawn and Amy Schumer, this mother/daughter buddy comedy takes a dark twist that you never see coming. Nevertheless, you still howl at these two golden-haired beauties as they embark upon an unexpected vacation adventure that brings them closer than even they would've never anticipated.
Read MoreGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2
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Picking up where “Guardians of the Galaxy”—2014’s highest grossing film of the summer—left off, Peter Quill aka Star-Lord and his gang of eccentric characters patrol and protect the universe, doing mercenary work in the wake of the popularity and fame garnered from saving Xandar. Set to the magnificent backdrop of Mixtape #2 (Parliament Funkadelic's "Flashlight" is one of my favs), doing a seat boogie while rooting for the Guardians to prevail over evil was definitely part of the experience. No one was happier to see a thief, a thug, an assassin and an angry little tree reunited!
Read MoreCOPWATCH
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Do we ever wonder what happens to those capturing the injustice? I know I didn't, but thanks to the new documentary Copwatch that portal has now been opened. Directed by Camilla Hall, this documentary profiles several WeCopwatch members - revealing how their mission to film police brutality has impacted their lives. This isn't about what happened in front of the cameras, but about those who stood behind them. The members featured captured the fatal arrests of Eric Garner, Michael Brown and Freddie Gray.
Read MoreLet It Fall→
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Remembering the L.A. Riots and the Rodney King beating vividly, I was surprised to become enlightened about all the elements and incidents that were popping off. I had no idea that a young LatashaHarlins was shot in the head over some orange juice by the shop owner. No idea that Karen Toshima, a budding artist, was gunned down in Westwood. No idea that James Mincey, Jr. was murdered based on the stereotype that he "looked" "big and threatening" or that innocent families had their homes ransacked for drugs leaving their abode inhabitable.
Read MoreBorn In China
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In celebration of Earth Day, DisneyNature releases "Born In China." This remarkable documentary is narrated by John Krasinski and takes audiences on a breathtaking journey into the wilds of China.
Directed by Chinese filmmaker Lu Chuan, produced by Disney’s Roy Conli and renowned nature filmmakers Brian Leith and Phil Chapman, "Born In China" shows an authentic side of nature in China that global audiences have never seen before,” says director Lu Chuan. “These animals are metaphors. They give birth, like we do and do their best to raise their cubs, like we do. They succeed and they fail. Their drive to do what is best for their families resonates with all of us.”
Read MoreSmurfs: The Lost Village
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If Beyoncé' lit a match under millennial women with her concept album "Lemonade", Smurfette is the ringleader for the Female Smurf Nation. At least until she stumbles upon the "lost village", which is saturated with female Smurfs. These dolls have a strong sense of self, confidence and identity. For all these reasons and more, Smurfs: The Lost Village will really strike a chord with young girls.
Read MoreBeauty and The Beast
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Love and stories about love never go out of style. These types of stories make us sentimental, long for a lost love or a love that was never to be realized. Disney's Beauty and Beast stays true to form with this latest incarnation of "a tale as old as time"!
Read More#inspiringWomanPBS Maya: And Still I Rise→
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We don't know the heartbreak of never having a lifetime love. We don't know how isolating and lonely it is to be a strong, intelligent, independent black woman. We don't know what it is to balance love for a parent, even when that parent treats you as if you have rocks for a brain. These are the Maya Angelou private images that we would never know...until now.
Read MoreAn Inconvenient Sequel - Truth to Power
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Al Gore has been instrumental in keeping the conversation front and center, but like any issue that reaps the benefits of government assistance, he has been met with resistance and criticism from likely and unlikely sources. His biggest critic? The 45th President of the United States - Donald J. Trump. Trump has gleefully boasted that global warming is a hoax and at one point demanded that Gore's Nobel Peace Prize be taken away.
Read MoreMarches, Trump, The Blackhouse and HBCU's at the Forefront of Sundance 2017
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Hosted by Jessica Williams, the 2017 awards ceremony was a celebration of independent film, but also a detestation of the new administration of President Donald Trump. With Executive Orders banning citizens from a number of Muslim majority countries from entering the U.S. for the next several months and more, his January 20 inauguration threw a shadow over the festival, coming one day after this year’s Robert Redford-founded shindig kicked off.
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