Thursday, April 4, 2013, founder and creative director of FunkJazz Kafé, Jason Orr, will present a new version of his award-winning film, “FunkJazz Kafé: Diary of a Decade (The Story Of A Movement)” for a special Atlanta screening. Recently returning from a sold-out New York City screening, Orr will present the music documentary about the [...]
Erroll Garner: New Documentary on Self-Taught Jazz Piano Giant
February 27, 2013 | Posted by
Erroll Garner was and still is considered one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time. He was described by one jazz critic as a “brilliant virtuoso” and “one of the most distinctive of all pianists.” Another writer said of Garner: “Playing the piano for him was as easy as breathing is for you and [...]
‘In Between Stories’ Documentary Debunks Stereotypes About Africans
February 27, 2013 | Posted by
In Between Stories is a short 2012 documentary directed by Roda Siad. Originally Siad’s master’s thesis in media production at Ryerson University, the film offers a portrait of four young artists of African descent living and working in Toronto. The film draws a connection between one-dimensional media portrayals that focus on war and crisis in Africa, [...]
Beyoncé’s ‘Life is But a Dream’ Possibly a Bit Too Dreamy
February 15, 2013 | Posted by
There are plenty of great performers who can be likened to Beyoncé, but Nina Simone isn’t one of them. Diana Ross, Madonna and Whitney Houston all come to mind. Yet Simone, a pained chanteuse in exile with a cult following and only one Top 20 hit (“I Loves You, Porgy”), is the sole predecessor Beyoncé [...]
BMF: The Rise & Fall of a Hip-Hop Drug Empire
December 21, 2012 | Posted by
Detroit brothers Demetrius and Terry Flenory probably could have risen to take over one of their hometown’s Big-Three auto manufacturers had their organizational genius been productively channeled in the right directions. Instead the brothers are going to spend the rest of their potentially brilliant lives locked behind prison bars as societal pariahs. The Flenory brothers [...]
Emory University Apologizes for Dental School’s Anti-Semitic Actions in 1950s
October 11, 2012 | Posted by
Hundreds of people turned out at Emory on Wednesday as the school apologized for anti-Semitic actions at its dental school in the 1950s. Between 1948 and 1961, 68 percent of Jewish students in the dental school failed or were held back. “I got the letter. I was totally unaware. Nobody ever called me into their office – [...]
Controversial ‘Venus And Serena’ Documentary Shows Williams Sisters’ Rise to Top of Pro Tennis
October 3, 2012 | Posted by
I’m a huge fan of tennis and a huge fan of the Williams sisters. So when I discovered that TIFF had programmed a feature length documentary about them in the 2012 line-up I was eager to see it. The documentary is co-directed by Maiken Baird and Michelle Major and produced by Academy Award winning director [...]
Lil Wayne Threatens Lawyer During Hilarious Deposition [Video]
September 25, 2012 | Posted by
If you happen to be an attorney, the last person you probably want sitting across from you at a deposition is Lil Wayne. That came through quite clearly in videotape obtained by TMZ of a deposition that occurred in Wayne’s lawsuit against Quincy Jones III, a documentarian who produced a film about Wayne—after getting permission [...]
‘The Black Line’ (Profile of the African-American Woman) Part 3
September 1, 2012 | Posted by
Filmmaker, D. Channsin Berry says that it was a divine calling which prompted him to create the documentary series, “The Black Line”. (A Profile of the African-American Woman) Part 3. The 75-minute documentary features a broad spectrum of other African-American women. “The Black Line” a film that provides unique insight into the thoughts, practices, and [...]
Documentary: Youth Stopped-And-Frisked 60 Times
June 15, 2012 | Posted by
A documentary published by the New York Times follows the life of Tyquan Brehon, a young man in one of Brooklyn’s most heavily policed neighborhoods. Before Brehon reached 18, the police had unjustifiably stopped him on more than 60 separate occasions. In several instances, he was handcuffed and detained for hours in a cell without [...]
