Ava DuVernay AFFRM

Yesterday, I spent the entire day watching some of my favorite Black romcoms—on deck was love jones, Love & Basketball, Just Wright and Boomerang—and reminiscing about the good ol’ days when we could count on going to the movie theater, plunking down a $10 bill and seeing quality stories told by screenwriters and directors who just, like, get us. Though Fruitvale Station, Lee Daniels’ The Butler, 12 Years A Slave and The Best Man Holiday ushered a Black cinema renaissance of sorts over the last few months, around our way, we’ve been depending on independent Black filmmakers to take up the mantle where Hollywood has failed. Leading the charge is AFFRM, a.k.a. the African-American Film Festival Releasing Movement, an independent film distribution and marketing company founded by director (and my hero) Ava DuVernay that makes a way out of no way for Black filmmakers to show their work to audiences in theaters across the U.S. And now, Ava and AFFIRM are hoping we’ll join them in being rebels for the black cinema cause.

Over the next few weeks, AFFRM is recruiting “Rebels”—a community of film lovers—to support their efforts to nurture, distribute and present Black independent films to “the film of color connoisseur.” The goal: to have 500 people donate either $25 or $100 to help AFFRM expand its program, which, in the last years, released a whopping six independent films, including Ava’s brilliant Middle of Nowhere and I Will Follow.

Want to be a rebel? You should! Watch the video below to find out how and, more importantly, why you should be down, and check out affrmaction.com to contribute.

@AFFRM + ARRAY | Rebel With Us from @AFFRM on Vimeo.

Meanwhile, if you love melanin rich movies, you want to be on Twitter today for the AFFRM “Rebel-a-thon,” a nine-hour celebration of Black cinema. Dude, some of our favorite filmmakers, producers and actors are straight taking over the AFFRM Twitter account (@AFFRM): Julie Dash (Daughters of the Dust), Ava DuVernay (award-winning director of Middle of Nowhere), Ryan Coogler (Fruitvale Station), Gina Prince-Bythewood (Love & Basketball), Paul Garnes (producer, Middle of Nowhere, “The Game,” and “Being Mary Jane“) and more, will talk about and champion Black cinema for 15-minute to hour-long blocks beginning at 11 a.m. EST (8 a.m. PST).

I’m checking for Gina Prince-Bythewood to see if she plans a Love & Basketball sequel. Mama NEEDS this. Like, what happened to Monica once she got into the NBA? And was Quincy okay with being the stay-at-home dad? How did that dynamic work, with her making the money and pursuing her career, even as her man grappled with not being able to play pro-ball anymore? Did they raise super-athletes? I don’t have the answers, Sway!

If you’ve got questions for the filmmakers of some of your favorite movies or you’re a budding filmmaker, producer, casting director or soundtrack and score producer and you’re looking for some answers, too, make the time to hang out at the Rebel-A-Thon. Check out the schedule (all times are PST) and follow #AFFRMrebels:

8:00 AM – 8:15 AM PST
Julie Dash
Writer/Director
DAUGHTERS OF THE DUST

8:15AM – 8:45AM PST
Patrik-Ian Polk
Writer/Director
THE SKINNY, “Noah’s Arc”

8:45AM – 9:15AM PST
Paul Garnes
Producer
MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, “The Game,” “Being Mary Jane”

9:15AM – 9:45AM PST
Pete Chatmon
Writer/Director
PREMIUM

9:45AM – 10:15AM PST
Lena Waithe
Producer
DEAR WHITE PEOPLE

10:15AM – 10:45AM PST
Aisha Coley
Casting Director
MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, 25TH HOUR, HE GOT GAME, BAMBOOZLED

10:45AM – 11:15AM PST
Storm Saulter
Writer/Director
BETTER MUS’ COME

11:15AM – 11:45AM PST
Morgan Rhodes
Music Supervisor
MIDDLE OF NOWHERE

11:45AM – 12Noon PST
Neil Drumming
Writer/Director
BIG WORDS

12:00PM – 1:00PM PST
Ava DuVernay
Writer Director
MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, I WILL FOLLOW

1:00PM – 1:30PM PST
Victoria Mahoney
Writer/Director
YELLING TO THE SKY

1:30PM – 2:00PM PST
Shaka King
Writer/Director
NEWLYWEEDS

2:00PM – 2:15PM PST
Gina Prince-Bythewood
Writer/Director
LOVE & BASKETBALL

2:15PM – 2:45PM PST
Justin Simien
Writer/Director
DEAR WHITE PEOPLE

2:45PM – 3:15PM PST
Charles Murray
Writer/Director
THINGS NEVER SAID

3:15PM – 3:45PM PST
Emayatzy Corinealdi
Actress
MIDDLE OF NOWHERE

3:45PM – 4:15 PM PST
Matthew Cherry
Writer/Director
THE LAST FALL

4:15PM – 4:30PM PST
Ryan Coogler
Writer/Director
FRUITVALE STATION

4:30 PM – 5:00PM PST
Tilane Jones
Co-Producer
MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, I WILL FOLLOW

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Denene Millner

Mom. NY Times bestselling author. Pop culture ninja. Unapologetic lover of shoes, bacon and babies. Nice with the verbs. Founder of the top black parenting website, MyBrownBaby.

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