It's bad enough to be incarcerated, but it's even worse when you realize your life ceases you know it. The humiliation, the fights, the struggle just to start alive or not be physically violated is a reality many inmates across the country deal with as routinely as brushing one may brush their teeth. But, here in California gangs in prison make up 1% of the population and are responsible for 30% of the murders. It's a culture where most of these men (part of a sector called Aryan Brotherhood ) are serving life without parole so they have NOTHING to lose.
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LA FILM FESTIVAL 2017: OUT OF STATE→
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"The first time I walked into the Saguaro Correctional Center in Eloy, Arizona I cried. There, in the middle of a dusty prison recreation yard, were 100 men chanting my entrance into the facility. Prior to arriving, I had reasonable concerns about filming in prison and had been advised by mentors to love my subjects but to also be cautious given their histories. Every expectation was immediately thrown out the door when I saw these men chanting in varying
Read MoreLA FILM FESTIVAL 2017: SKID ROW MARATHON→
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When one thinks about skid row, the last thing that would come to mind is running through the streets of Los Angeles to prepare for a marathon half way around the world.
The Honorable Judge Craig Matthews spends his entire day sentencing convicted criminals from the Los Angeles Superior Court. When he invites these skid row felons to join him on Mondays and Thursdays at 5:45am...the results will blow you mind.
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LA FILM FESTIVAL 2017: THE BOOK OF HENRY→
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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?
Read MoreABFF 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 MoreAm I Black or Am I Blue? Special Brooklyn Nine-Nine on Profiling
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Racial profiling isn't limited to civilians. Our boys in blue are often at the tail end. Does it really matter in those situations if they are black or blue? Does it matter how that officer reports the incident? Most importantly, does your precinct support or reject an officer's outrage? Brooklyn Nine-Nine star Terry Crews, Co-Creator/Executive Producer Dan Goor and show writer Phil Augusta Jackson shed light on their thoughts with bringing this sensitive subject to network television through a sitcom
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 MoreI AM NOT YOUR NEGRO
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Each time I have watched this, I walk away thinking the same thing I thought when I watched 13th, Selma, Hidden Figures, Loving and so many other films covering the experience of people of color our country. The more things change...the more they stay the same.
James Baldwin could see this even when he began writing this unfinished piece compiled of his notes chronicling encounters with Medger Evers, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X allowing viewers to explore and experience a fresh, yet familiar narrative of the radical perspective and current tension in America as we knew it then and today.
Read MoreUnited Shades of America
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Emmy-nominated United Shades of America with W. Kamau Bell is an eight-part CNN Original Series that follows the sociopolitical comedian as he explores subcultures across the county using humor to start a conversation about race and how our differences unite and divide us.
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