Exclusive: Mansa, the ad-supported streaming platform highlighting Black content for a global audience, has partnered with Ava DuVernay’s Array Releasing on a licensing agreement to distribute a curated selection of Array’s independent feature films directly to audiences via the Mansa Streaming Service and on the Mansa Mix Fast channel.
The platform delivers a curated selection of films, TV shows, and Fast channels that showcase Black narratives from around the world. Since launching a year ago, Mansa has amassed a library of thousands of hours of content and is accessible on a growing list of distribution partners.
“Ava DuVernay is one of my closest friends and collaborators so I can’t overstate how meaningful this partnership between Array Releasing and Mansa is to me,” said David Oyelowo, award-winning filmmaker, actor, and co-founder of Mansa. “It’s not just about distributing films; it’s about amplifying the voices of those...
The platform delivers a curated selection of films, TV shows, and Fast channels that showcase Black narratives from around the world. Since launching a year ago, Mansa has amassed a library of thousands of hours of content and is accessible on a growing list of distribution partners.
“Ava DuVernay is one of my closest friends and collaborators so I can’t overstate how meaningful this partnership between Array Releasing and Mansa is to me,” said David Oyelowo, award-winning filmmaker, actor, and co-founder of Mansa. “It’s not just about distributing films; it’s about amplifying the voices of those...
- 5/13/2024
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Richard Roundtree (Family Reunion) and Terri J. Vaughn (The Steve Harvey Show) have been tapped for recurring roles opposite Henry Simmons and Joy Bryant in season 2 of OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network’s and Ava DuVernay’s anthology drama series Cherish the Day. Additionally, Angel Kristi Williams (Really Love), Sheldon Candis (Baltimore Boys) and Merawi Gerima (Residue) will direct episodes this season.
Cherish the Day, from DuVernay, Array Filmworks and Warner Bros. Television, is an anthology series that chronicles the relationship of one couple, with each episode spanning a single day. In season two, the rekindling of a romance is told — the love story of Ellis Moran (Simmons) and Sunday St. James (Bryant), who fell in love in high school but find themselves reunited in beautiful New Orleans. Ellis is a former basketball player who is now a single father of two, and Sunday is a vegetarian celebrity chef on the cusp of fame.
Cherish the Day, from DuVernay, Array Filmworks and Warner Bros. Television, is an anthology series that chronicles the relationship of one couple, with each episode spanning a single day. In season two, the rekindling of a romance is told — the love story of Ellis Moran (Simmons) and Sunday St. James (Bryant), who fell in love in high school but find themselves reunited in beautiful New Orleans. Ellis is a former basketball player who is now a single father of two, and Sunday is a vegetarian celebrity chef on the cusp of fame.
- 8/5/2021
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Tilane Jones, President of inclusive film collective Array, was honored with the Slamdance Founders Award on Saturday during a virtual presentation. The award is Slamdance’s highest accolade and Jones is the fifth recipient to receive the award. Previous winners include Chris Nolan, The Russo brothers and Steven Soderbergh.
The Founders Award is given to an individual that supports the filmmaker community of Slamdance well into their careers.
“Tilane has helped our community of artists grow through recognizing talent, launching and sustaining careers,” said Peter Baxter, President and co-founder of Slamdance. “We recognize she has worked tirelessly, with great dedication to nurture emerging artists who become the next generation of filmmakers. We want to thank Tilane and her company Array for her ongoing support of these artists, inspiration and being part of Slamdance’s community. For these reasons, we are honored to present Tilane Jones with Slamdance’s Founders Award.
The Founders Award is given to an individual that supports the filmmaker community of Slamdance well into their careers.
“Tilane has helped our community of artists grow through recognizing talent, launching and sustaining careers,” said Peter Baxter, President and co-founder of Slamdance. “We recognize she has worked tirelessly, with great dedication to nurture emerging artists who become the next generation of filmmakers. We want to thank Tilane and her company Array for her ongoing support of these artists, inspiration and being part of Slamdance’s community. For these reasons, we are honored to present Tilane Jones with Slamdance’s Founders Award.
- 2/13/2021
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: WME has signed writer-director Merawi Gerima and cinematographer Mark Jeevaratnam for representation in all areas. Gerima and Jeevaratnam are part of the filmmaking team behind Residue, a feature film that premiered at this year’s Slamdance Film Festival and was a 2020 Venice Film Festival selection.
Gerima wrote, directed, and produced the drama– his debut feature — which follows aspiring filmmaker Jay (Obinna Nwachukwu) who returns to his neighborhood in Washington, D.C. — but it looks different. It is gentrified beyond recognition. Dealing with alienation from his friends, troubled by the disappearance of a loved one and unsure of his place in this new community, Jay confronts issues of identity, isolation and loss on a tumultuous personal journey.
Residue was named one of the New Yorker’s best films of 2020 and was picked up for distribution by Ava DuVernay’s Array label.
Gerima, who has an Mfa degree from USC School of Cinematic Arts,...
Gerima wrote, directed, and produced the drama– his debut feature — which follows aspiring filmmaker Jay (Obinna Nwachukwu) who returns to his neighborhood in Washington, D.C. — but it looks different. It is gentrified beyond recognition. Dealing with alienation from his friends, troubled by the disappearance of a loved one and unsure of his place in this new community, Jay confronts issues of identity, isolation and loss on a tumultuous personal journey.
Residue was named one of the New Yorker’s best films of 2020 and was picked up for distribution by Ava DuVernay’s Array label.
Gerima, who has an Mfa degree from USC School of Cinematic Arts,...
- 12/16/2020
- by Amanda N'Duka
- Deadline Film + TV
At the center of Residue, writer-director Merawi Gerima’s debut feature, there’s a crisis born out of a familiar ritual: coming home. Jay (Obinna Nwachukwu) is a D.C. native who’s just returned home from college in Los Angeles. The experience is immediately rendered strange, right in front of his own doorstep. He’s blasting music from his car — a comfort so familiar to home that, through a trick of Gerima’s sound design, he (and we) barely notice it blasting. But a white neighbor — another new concept for Jay — definitely notices.
- 9/22/2020
- by K. Austin Collins
- Rollingstone.com
As box offices start to test the waters, Roger Michell’s family drama Blackbird starring Susan Sarandon is set to open in theaters and on demand starting today.
Known for My Cousin Rachel and Notting Hill, Michell directs a script by Christian Torpe, who wrote the 2014 Danish film, Silent Heart on which the family drama is based. In it, Sarandon plays Lily who, along with Paul (Sam Neil) invite their loved ones to their beach house for one final gathering after Lily decides to end her long battle with Als on her own terms. The weekend starts as a loving weekend with holiday tradition but as things unfold, unresolved issues between Lily and her daughters Jennifer (Kate Winslet) and Anna (Mia Wasikowska) come into the forefront. Rainn Wilson, Lindsay Duncan, Bex Taylor-Klaus and Anson Boon join the all-star roster in this ensemble drama.
The film made its world premiere last...
Known for My Cousin Rachel and Notting Hill, Michell directs a script by Christian Torpe, who wrote the 2014 Danish film, Silent Heart on which the family drama is based. In it, Sarandon plays Lily who, along with Paul (Sam Neil) invite their loved ones to their beach house for one final gathering after Lily decides to end her long battle with Als on her own terms. The weekend starts as a loving weekend with holiday tradition but as things unfold, unresolved issues between Lily and her daughters Jennifer (Kate Winslet) and Anna (Mia Wasikowska) come into the forefront. Rainn Wilson, Lindsay Duncan, Bex Taylor-Klaus and Anson Boon join the all-star roster in this ensemble drama.
The film made its world premiere last...
- 9/18/2020
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
An arresting feature debut about a man returning home to a community that has been transformed, Merawi Gerima’s Residue is honest enough about its protagonist’s emotions and motivations that it’s likely to cause discomfort in viewers wherever they fall on the socioeconomic spectrum. Elliptical and teasingly (but beautifully) photographed, it can give the impression of an experimental work but ultimately has a direct story to tell, one whose specificity doesn’t in the least diminish its broader relevance.
Like the filmmaker, Jay (Obinna Nwachukwu) grew up in a Washington, D.C., neighborhood surrounded by Black kids. His family ...
Like the filmmaker, Jay (Obinna Nwachukwu) grew up in a Washington, D.C., neighborhood surrounded by Black kids. His family ...
- 9/17/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
An arresting feature debut about a man returning home to a community that has been transformed, Merawi Gerima’s Residue is honest enough about its protagonist’s emotions and motivations that it’s likely to cause discomfort in viewers wherever they fall on the socioeconomic spectrum. Elliptical and teasingly (but beautifully) photographed, it can give the impression of an experimental work but ultimately has a direct story to tell, one whose specificity doesn’t in the least diminish its broader relevance.
Like the filmmaker, Jay (Obinna Nwachukwu) grew up in a Washington, D.C., neighborhood surrounded by Black kids. His family ...
Like the filmmaker, Jay (Obinna Nwachukwu) grew up in a Washington, D.C., neighborhood surrounded by Black kids. His family ...
- 9/17/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
"Y'all remember me?" Array + Netflix debuted the official trailer for an indie poetic drama titled Residue, marking the feature directorial debut of filmmaker Merawi Gerima, son of pioneering indie filmmaker Haile Gerima. The somewhat autobiographical film is about a filmmaker who returns home to Washington DC after years away, to write a script about his childhood, only to find his neighborhood unrecognizable and his childhood friends have since scattered to the wind. It's "an inventive and powerful story about identity, gentrification and the difficulty of returning home. It premiered at Slamdance and is playing in the Venice Days sidebar at the film festival this month. Exploring "the impact of gentrification, underemployment and Black male identity in Washington D.C., that is also duplicated in other major cities – Atlanta, Chicago, New Orleans, Harlem/Brooklyn/Bronx/Queens, St. Louis, Houston/Dallas – conjures the current interrogation of the systemic racism plaguing Black communities" around the US.
- 9/10/2020
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Array, Ava DuVernay’s film company, has acquired the rights to release “Residue,” a poetic drama from Merawi Gerima that won a pair of awards after its world premiere at the Slamdance Film Festival earlier this year. DuVernay announced the news on Tuesday.
Gerima wrote “Residue” and made his directorial debut on the film, as well as produced and edited the indie feature, and it was just on Tuesday selected as part of the 77th Venice International Film Festival’s Giornate degli Autori section. It previously won the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature and the Acting Award for its star Obinna Nwachukwu, along with receiving the honorable mention for Narrative Feature Grand Jury Prize, at Slamdance.
“Residue” will debut on Netflix on Sept. 17 and will also play in select cities theatrically throughout the month.
Also Read: Ava DuVernay's Array Hires Former Netflix Exec Sarah Bremner as Filmworks President
“Residue...
Gerima wrote “Residue” and made his directorial debut on the film, as well as produced and edited the indie feature, and it was just on Tuesday selected as part of the 77th Venice International Film Festival’s Giornate degli Autori section. It previously won the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature and the Acting Award for its star Obinna Nwachukwu, along with receiving the honorable mention for Narrative Feature Grand Jury Prize, at Slamdance.
“Residue” will debut on Netflix on Sept. 17 and will also play in select cities theatrically throughout the month.
Also Read: Ava DuVernay's Array Hires Former Netflix Exec Sarah Bremner as Filmworks President
“Residue...
- 7/28/2020
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
“Murmur,” from director Heather Young, won the Narrative Feature Grand Jury Prize from the 26th Slamdance Film Festival, the festival announced at its awards ceremony at the Treasure Mountain Inn in Park City, Utah on Thursday night.
The jury at the festival also recognized Merawi Gerima’s “Residue” with an honorable mention, and “Residue” also took home the audience award for narrative feature.
“We congratulate the winners of Slamdance 2020 and we celebrate all of our new filmmakers who have shown us that the art of filmmaking is brilliantly alive,” Slamdance co-founder Peter Baxter said in a statement. “This next generation collectively brings us art formed in risk taking, bravery and the unexpected. It’s not just their characters who are on an adventure. It’s the filmmakers as well and Slamdance will continue to be their companion.”
Also Read: The Scene From TheWrap at Sundance (Photos)
“The Grand Jury Award...
The jury at the festival also recognized Merawi Gerima’s “Residue” with an honorable mention, and “Residue” also took home the audience award for narrative feature.
“We congratulate the winners of Slamdance 2020 and we celebrate all of our new filmmakers who have shown us that the art of filmmaking is brilliantly alive,” Slamdance co-founder Peter Baxter said in a statement. “This next generation collectively brings us art formed in risk taking, bravery and the unexpected. It’s not just their characters who are on an adventure. It’s the filmmakers as well and Slamdance will continue to be their companion.”
Also Read: The Scene From TheWrap at Sundance (Photos)
“The Grand Jury Award...
- 1/31/2020
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Heather Young’s debut feature film Murmur won the Narrative Feature Grand Jury Prize at the Slamdance Film Festival, which announced winners at the end of its 26th edition Thursday. Merawi Gerima’s Residue was named honorable mention and won the fest’s audience award.
The jury called Murmur a “richly detailed and deeply humane drama” that “offers an insightful and sympathetic portrait of a lonely woman … who goes to self-destructive extremes while attempting to fill the gaping void in her life.”
Residue, awarded for its “at once inventive, poetic and angry about issues of identity, gentrification and the difficulty of returning home,” according to the jury, also won star Obinna Nwachukwu the Slamdance Acting Award.
The Documentary Feature Grand Jury Prize went to Higher Love, directed by Hasan Oswald.
Other audience winners included Brian Morrison’s Bastards’ Road, which won for Documentary Feature. Shoot to Marry, directed by Steve Markle,...
The jury called Murmur a “richly detailed and deeply humane drama” that “offers an insightful and sympathetic portrait of a lonely woman … who goes to self-destructive extremes while attempting to fill the gaping void in her life.”
Residue, awarded for its “at once inventive, poetic and angry about issues of identity, gentrification and the difficulty of returning home,” according to the jury, also won star Obinna Nwachukwu the Slamdance Acting Award.
The Documentary Feature Grand Jury Prize went to Higher Love, directed by Hasan Oswald.
Other audience winners included Brian Morrison’s Bastards’ Road, which won for Documentary Feature. Shoot to Marry, directed by Steve Markle,...
- 1/31/2020
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
Heather Young’s drama “Murmur” has been selected as the winner of the narrative feature grand jury prize at the Slamdance Film festival.
The movie, which won the Fipresci Discovery Prize at the Toronto International Film Festival, stars Shan MacDonald as an older woman who, while performing community service at an animal shelter, begins compulsively adopting pets to ease her loneliness. Merawi Gerima’s first feature, “Residue,” won an Honorable mention from the jury and the Audience Award for Narrative Feature.
“The Grand Jury Award for Narrative Feature goes to Murmur, the quietly devastating debut feature from Canadian filmmaker Heather Young,” the jury said. “This richly detailed and deeply humane drama offers an insightful and sympathetic portrait of a lonely woman — affectingly portrayed by newcomer Shan McDonald — who goes to self-destructive extremes while attempting to fill the gaping void in her life. An Honorable Mention goes to Merawi Gerima’s mesmerizing first feature,...
The movie, which won the Fipresci Discovery Prize at the Toronto International Film Festival, stars Shan MacDonald as an older woman who, while performing community service at an animal shelter, begins compulsively adopting pets to ease her loneliness. Merawi Gerima’s first feature, “Residue,” won an Honorable mention from the jury and the Audience Award for Narrative Feature.
“The Grand Jury Award for Narrative Feature goes to Murmur, the quietly devastating debut feature from Canadian filmmaker Heather Young,” the jury said. “This richly detailed and deeply humane drama offers an insightful and sympathetic portrait of a lonely woman — affectingly portrayed by newcomer Shan McDonald — who goes to self-destructive extremes while attempting to fill the gaping void in her life. An Honorable Mention goes to Merawi Gerima’s mesmerizing first feature,...
- 1/31/2020
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
The 26th edition of the Slamdance Film Festival has set its slate for the films in the Narrative and Documentary Feature Film Competition programs as well as the lineup for their Breakouts section. The fest will take place in Park City, Utah January 24-30, 2020.
As the fest “by filmmakers, for filmmakers,” this year’s Slamdance will feature 16 premieres, including 10 world premieres with films from United States, Belarus, Canada Germany, Japan, Mexico, Peru, Poland, Russia, and South Africa. The films in competition are feature-length directorial debuts with budgets of less than $1 million and without Us distribution. Films in both categories are also eligible for the Audience Award and Spirit of Slamdance Award.
“Slamdance is above all a place of discovery,” said Slamdance Co-founder and President Peter Baxter. “Every year filmmakers break out of the festival because the industry at large recognizes the need for new voices. With a record breaking 8,231 submissions this year,...
As the fest “by filmmakers, for filmmakers,” this year’s Slamdance will feature 16 premieres, including 10 world premieres with films from United States, Belarus, Canada Germany, Japan, Mexico, Peru, Poland, Russia, and South Africa. The films in competition are feature-length directorial debuts with budgets of less than $1 million and without Us distribution. Films in both categories are also eligible for the Audience Award and Spirit of Slamdance Award.
“Slamdance is above all a place of discovery,” said Slamdance Co-founder and President Peter Baxter. “Every year filmmakers break out of the festival because the industry at large recognizes the need for new voices. With a record breaking 8,231 submissions this year,...
- 12/2/2019
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
The Slamdance Film Festival unveiled its 2020 lineup of microbudget films Monday that will premiere at the Sundance alternative, among of which include projects about Chernobyl, a brainwashing camp, drag queens and a taxidermist looking for Bigfoot.
All films in competition during its weeklong celebration in Park City from Jan. 24-30 have no U.S. distribution and a budget of under $1 million. Films from 10 countries will participate: U.S., Belarus, Canada, Germany, Japan, Mexico, Peru, Poland, Russia, and South Africa.
“Slamdance is above all a place of discovery,” said Slamdance Co-founder and President Peter Baxter. “Every year filmmakers break out of the festival because the industry at large recognizes the need for new voices. With a record breaking 8,231 submissions this year, our artist-led organization brings a lineup full of wonderful risk taking and unique storytelling. That’s the spirit of Slamdance 2020.”
Also Read: 'High Flying Bird' Film Review: Steven Soderbergh...
All films in competition during its weeklong celebration in Park City from Jan. 24-30 have no U.S. distribution and a budget of under $1 million. Films from 10 countries will participate: U.S., Belarus, Canada, Germany, Japan, Mexico, Peru, Poland, Russia, and South Africa.
“Slamdance is above all a place of discovery,” said Slamdance Co-founder and President Peter Baxter. “Every year filmmakers break out of the festival because the industry at large recognizes the need for new voices. With a record breaking 8,231 submissions this year, our artist-led organization brings a lineup full of wonderful risk taking and unique storytelling. That’s the spirit of Slamdance 2020.”
Also Read: 'High Flying Bird' Film Review: Steven Soderbergh...
- 12/2/2019
- by Jeremy Fuster
- The Wrap
Slamdance Film Festival has unveiled its 26th anniversary narrative and documentary feature film competition programs, as well as the lineup for its new breakouts section.
The narrative lineup includes director Heather Young’s drama “Murmur.” The movie, which won the Fipresci Discovery Prize at the Toronto International Film Festival, stars Shan MacDonald as an older woman who, while performing community service at an animal shelter, begins compulsively adopting pets to ease her loneliness.
The festival, launched in 1995 as an alternative to Sundance, has included showings of such notable titles as Oren Peli’s “Paranormal Activity.” The fest, which takes place at the Treasure Mountain Inn in Park City, Utah, from Jan. 24 to Jan. 30, will screen 23 movies including 10 world premieres, five North American premieres, and one U.S. premiere.
Slamdance alumni include Joe and Anthony Russo, Christopher Nolan, Marc Forster, Jared Hess, Lena Dunham, Benh Zeitlin, Seth Gordon, and Lynn Shelton.
The narrative lineup includes director Heather Young’s drama “Murmur.” The movie, which won the Fipresci Discovery Prize at the Toronto International Film Festival, stars Shan MacDonald as an older woman who, while performing community service at an animal shelter, begins compulsively adopting pets to ease her loneliness.
The festival, launched in 1995 as an alternative to Sundance, has included showings of such notable titles as Oren Peli’s “Paranormal Activity.” The fest, which takes place at the Treasure Mountain Inn in Park City, Utah, from Jan. 24 to Jan. 30, will screen 23 movies including 10 world premieres, five North American premieres, and one U.S. premiere.
Slamdance alumni include Joe and Anthony Russo, Christopher Nolan, Marc Forster, Jared Hess, Lena Dunham, Benh Zeitlin, Seth Gordon, and Lynn Shelton.
- 12/2/2019
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
Selectors considered record 8,231 submissions.
New work from Uruguay, Japan and South Africa are among the 20-strong Slamdance Film Festival feature film competition line-up unveiled on Monday (December 2) alongside the second Breakouts selection.
The 26th edition of the Park City, Utah, festival runs from January 24-30 and across all sections includes 16 premieres, including 10 world, 5 North American, and one Us berths. All competition films are feature-length directorial debuts with budgets under $1m and without Us distribution. All are eligible for the Audience Award and Spirit of Slamdance Award, the latter of which is voted upon by filmmakers at the festival.
“Slamdance is...
New work from Uruguay, Japan and South Africa are among the 20-strong Slamdance Film Festival feature film competition line-up unveiled on Monday (December 2) alongside the second Breakouts selection.
The 26th edition of the Park City, Utah, festival runs from January 24-30 and across all sections includes 16 premieres, including 10 world, 5 North American, and one Us berths. All competition films are feature-length directorial debuts with budgets under $1m and without Us distribution. All are eligible for the Audience Award and Spirit of Slamdance Award, the latter of which is voted upon by filmmakers at the festival.
“Slamdance is...
- 12/2/2019
- by 36¦Jeremy Kay¦54¦
- ScreenDaily
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