Over the past few years, Sundance has produced highly acclaimed black films such as Ryan Coogler’s Fruitvale Station, Nate Parker’s Birth of A Nation and Beasts of the Southern Wild with Oscar nominee Quvenzhane Wallis. From a Jay Z produced documentary, to films starring Mary J. Blige, Nia Long and Mahershala Ali, the 2017 Sundance Film Festival brought us films with celebs we love and documentaries about the issues we care about. With a variety of films that narrate the black experience from a number of viewpoints, these were the top buzz-worthy black films from this year’s Sundance.
By Aphua Larbi-Amoah
Crown Heights
The feature film Crown Heights tells the story of Colin Warner who was wrongfully convicted of murder and how his best friend Carl King devotes his life to prove his innocence. Actor Lakeith Stanfield, who appears in the Golden Globe winning ’Atlanta’ plays Colin, while former All-Pro NFL defensive back Nnamdi Asomugha, who is married to Kerry Washington, portrays Carl.
Burning Sands
Burning Sands takes us into fraternity Hell Week at a fictional HBCU, through the eyes of one of the pledgees who is torn between honoring a code of silence or standing up against the intensifying violence of underground hazing. It stars Trevor Jackson, Alfre Woodard and Steve Harris.
Roxanne Roxanne
One of the most anticipated Sundance films was the biopic Roxanne Roxanne, based on the story of Roxanne Shante, the 80’s rap legend who shot to fame with Roxanne’s Revenge. Shante is one of the producers, along with Forest Whitaker and Pharrell Williams. It stars Moonlights Mahershala Ali, Nia Long and Chante Adams.
Mudbound
Starring R&B Queen Mary J. Blige and Straight Outta Compton’s Jason Mitchell; Mudbound is about two families, one white, the other black, in the post-World War II South and some of the things they deal with including racism. In a deal marking the highest sale of this year’s Sundance, Netflix acquired the critically acclaimed film for $12.5 million.
Time: The Kalief Browder Story
Executive produced by Jay Z, The Kalief Browder Story is a socially conscience docu-series that tells the story of 16-year-old Kalief Browder, who was incarcerated for years in Rikers Island for allegedly stealing a backpack, a crime he didn’t commit. He was locked up in Rikers Island Jail for three years, two of which he spent in solitary confinement. Browder was never tried and was finally released due to technicalities. He later committed suicide. The 6-part feature is slated to air on Spike TV in March.
Shots Fired
This year Sundance got a dose of television with a screening of Shots Fired, one of the highly anticipated new TV shows on Fox. It follows an investigator who digs into a case of a racially-charged shooting in a North Carolina town. It’s the creation of Reggie Rock Bythewood and his wife Gina Prince-Bythewood, who shot to fame with her film Love & Basketball. The all-star cast includes Sanaa Lathan, Stephan James, Helen Hunt and Richard Dreyfuss.
