Black Media Matters

Episode #24 - Welcome to another COVID film list Feature & a short Black Media Matters which focuses on the importance of black voices within the film industry and how diversity within the cinema space benefits the art form. For so long black talent has been suppressed within the industry but when a diamond shines so bright, one can’t help but notice it in the rough; Paul Robeson who began making films in 1925 with Body and Soul. Josephine Baker who was the first black woman to star in a film in 1934 with Zouzou. And perhaps one of the most influential black filmmakers, Spike Lee who made his mark as a staple director with his first feature film, She’s Gotta Have It.

With so many gifted black filmmakers & actors, it can be hard to narrow it down to a mere listicle; but in this episode Justin Joseph Hall and Laura Davi hone-in on some of their favorite films which also happen to focus on stories that revolve around black lives, experiences, and issues. (Spoiler alert: Spike Lee is mentioned more than once on the feature films list and throughout the podcast.)

Short films discussed include Hair Love, Child of Resistance, 3 Brothers: Radio Raheem, Eric Garner and George Floyd, Dock Ellis & the LSD No-No, and Halfway Home: A Father’s Story.

To donate to the Connecticut Children with Incarcerated Parents, please check out their website here.

Feature films include The Butler, 13th, If Beale Street Could Talk, Malcolm X, Pursuit of Happyness, and Do the Right Thing.

And perhaps just as important as the filmmakers themselves are the actors & actresses that help bring the craft to life. These artists, plus additional filmmakers mentioned by Brian Trahan during this episode, are as follows:

Charles Burnett (Director) - Nothing but a Man

Viola Davis (Actress) - Fences

Jordan Peele (Writer/Director) - Get Out

Oprah Winfrey (Actress) - The Color Purple

Thandie Newton (Actress) - Crash

Melvin van Peebles (Writer & Actor) - Classified X

Debbie Morgan (Actress) - Eve’s Bayou

Thanks for tuning-in! Stay safe.

Credits for podcast:

Produced by Fourwind Films

Host: Justin Joseph Hall

Contributor: Laura Davi

Brian Trahan - Sound Mixer, Additional Music

Theme song of Season 4 is Loopster by Kevin MacLeod.

Christian Felix: Book Club, Blue Collar

Episode #22 - Christian Felix is an actor from Chicago now based in New York City. He now regularly does a specific kind of acting in diversity training, which is one of the coolest jobs you’ve never heard of previously. No matter what you say about Christian, he is definitely a professional storyteller. On top of him expressively recounting amazing adventures , he’s a spectacular listener. This is what makes him successful throughout his years and his willingness to be professional in all setting yet still have fun. The exact person you want on any filmset.

Christian’s theme for the episode is how film sets can be fun and funny or incredibly contentious and still create great works of art. The short film Book Club by VARIETY SHAC Christian brought is a film where he was a background actor with hilarious comedians (Chelsea Peretti and Fred Armisen to name a couple) where his main job was not to laugh. He talks about other television sets such as the show Blacklist that were more stressful and lead us directly into his feature choice Blue Collar.

Blue Collar had three lead actors who were in a tif during the time of shooting. Richard Pryor, Harvey Keitel, and Yaphet Kotto were all told they were the lead and drugs and feuds lead to a rough set life as Christian explains in descriptive detail. The story centers around worker’s unions and the fight of the worker against the larger system is a story that continues to be retold and relived throughout the test of time.

If you want to hear more of Christian, please check out our podcast We Don’t Even Know where he co-hosts with Shonali Bhowmik.

Credits for podcast:

Produced by Fourwind Films

Brian Trahan - Sound Mixer, extra music

Theme song of Season 4 is Loopster by Kevin MacLeod.

Michael Fequiere: Kojo, Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father →

Episode #4 - Michael Fequiere, a Brooklyn based filmmaker and photographer presented this month. The first presentation was Kojo: A Short Documentary directed by Michael about the gifted 12-year-old jazz drummer Kojo Odu Roney. The feature presentation was 2008 Documentary Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father. Because the feature presentation was a Canadian production, the audience paired the film with shortbread cookies and Canadian beer.

Michael's short films have screened in numerous festivals both domestic (L.E.S. Film Festival, Big Apple Film Festival) and worldwide (Toronto International Film Festival, Cannes Film Festival: Short Film Corner). To learn more about his work, visit his website at http://www.michaelfequiere.com/. 

Credits:

Host - Justin Joseph Hall

Location & Production Company - Fourwind Films

Michael Fequiere - Director/Editor, photo by Daria Huxley