Finalists Selected for NBCUniversal Short Film Fest

The Six Finalist Shorts Explore Race Relations, Women’s Rights and Gender/Sexual Identity

Finale Screening and Awards Ceremony Recognizing Finalists Will Be Held October 24 in Hollywood

The 13th Annual NBCUniversal SHORT FILM FESTIVAL, which celebrates diverse stories while finding the next generation of storytellers, has unveiled six original short films, pilots and webisodes as this year’s finalists. They will be recognized at the festival’s finale screening and awards ceremony on October 24, 2018, at the Director’s Guild of America in Hollywood.

The finalists' shorts, “B.U.T.S: Spanish Class,” “Kyenvu,” “Masks,” “Monday,” “Rani” and “We Know Where You Live” were selected from 15 semi-finalist shorts after being showcased at public screenings in New York City this past August. They have already earned acclaim at prominent festivals including CAAMFest, the New York Television Festival, Outfest and the Pan African Film Festival.

This year’s finalists, chosen from more than 3,400 submissions, set a festival record for female representation—both on and off camera. Four out of the six finalists were written and/or directed by women, and female characters are at the center of four of the shorts. While each short film depicts stories exploring today’s social and cultural issues in its own way, they are all rooted in universally relevant themes of love, acceptance, and compassion.

“In the festival’s most competitive year to date, we had an incredible selection of shorts, and we are thrilled with the quality and caliber of our finalists,” said Karen Horne, SVP of Programming Talent Development & Inclusion, NBC Entertainment. “Our festival has always aimed to bring unique, diverse stories and storytellers to the forefront, and each finalist is a fantastic representation of the kind of talent we seek to foster.”

At the finale screening and awards ceremony next month, the festival will announce winners for awards such as Best Writer, Best Director and Best Actor. They will be determined by a panel of entertainment industry professionals, members of the press, and NBCUniversal executives. The event is free and open to the public. Tickets can be reserved at the festival website.

The NBCUniversal SHORT FILM FESTIVAL is presented by NBCUniversal and NBC Entertainment. It is one of the tentpole initiatives within the NBC Talent Infusion Programs (NBC TIPS) that promote and encourage people of diverse backgrounds to become the next generation of storytellers. Other programs include Female Forward, the Alternative Directors Program, Writers on the Verge and the StandUp NBC nationwide search for stand-up comedians.

Synopses of the finalist films are:

B.U.T.S: “SPANISH CLASS”                                                       Episode Director: Brendan Colthurst

 Writers: Emma Ramos, Irene Lucio, Bernardo Cubria and Timmy Wood

Nominated twice for an Imagen Award for Best Web Series, B.U.T.S is a sketch comedy web series created and starring Irene Lucio and Emma Ramos making fun of themselves and their surroundings through a Latina lens. In each episode, they portray different characters that parody and satirize the many ‘afflictions’ of the modern-day woman. In the “Spanish Class” episode, a couple, Lucy and Timmy, get way more than they bargained for when they set out to learn Spanish in a week. (trailer)

KYENVU                                                                                 Writer & Director: Kemiyondo Coutinho

An independent young Ugandan woman lives through the taunts of using public transport on a daily basis. As she struggles to find her footing in a patriarchal society that entitles men to women’s bodies, she finds love in a bittersweet moment. The film won at the Pan African Film Festival and Zanzibar International Film Festival. (trailer)

MASKS                                                                                        Writer & Director: Mahaliyah Ayla O

A closeted medical student risks being outed to her family on the same evening a masked gunman opens fire at a gay nightclub. “Masks” won the AT&T Audience Award for Best Short Film at the San Francisco International LGBTQ Film Festival. (trailer)

MONDAY                                                                                                Writer & Director: Dinh Thai

Kwan is everyone’s one-stop shop for anything stolen or illicit, but his reasons for hustling are not as clear-cut as they seem. While maneuvering between disparate cliques and facing racism, he’ll be forced to question the immorality of his occupation. “Monday” was a first place winner at the HBO APA Visionaries and won Best Direction at the New York Television Festival. (trailer)

RANI                                                                                                 Writer & Director: Hammad Rizvi

In the streets of Pakistan, a socially outcast transgender woman sets out to take care of an abandoned child. “Rani” won the Fox Inclusion Award at Outfest Los Angeles. (trailer)

WE KNOW WHERE YOU LIVE                                                                     Director: Honora Talbott

Writers: Bill Posley and Honora Talbott

When a newlywed Latinx couple moves into a trendy, gentrifying LA neighborhood, two hipsters invite themselves over to offer a "warm welcome." But as the night goes on, it’s clear these neighbors are not what they seem: cold pressed, cold brewed and cold-blooded. (trailer)

About the NBCUniversal SHORT FILM FESTIVAL

Founded in 2006, the NBCUniversal SHORT FILM FESTIVAL is the first and only film festival created and run by an entertainment studio solely dedicated to celebrating the importance of diversity in entertainment and discovering the next generation of storytellers. The annual bicoastal program is a nationwide search for diverse talent, both in front of and behind the camera, including those from ethnically diverse backgrounds, members of the LGBTQ community and female content creators. Winners are awarded prizes ranging from development meetings and holding deals with NBCUniversal to cash grants and industry standard software and camera packages. Festival alumni include Steven Caple Jr. (“Creed 2”), Hasan Minhaj (“The Daily Show”), Randall Park (“Fresh Off the Boat”) and Simone Missick (“Luke Cage”). For more information, visit NBCUshortsFEST.com #NBCUshortsFEST

About the NBC Talent Infusion Programs (NBC TIPS)

Since 2000, NBC has been dedicated to discovering and nurturing on screen and behind-the-camera talent of diverse and inclusive backgrounds through the NBC Talent Infusion Programs (NBC TIPS). NBC TIPS are amongst the most extensive and robust diversity and inclusion programs in the television industry. They feature more than 20 programs including Writers on the Verge, the Diverse Staff Writer Initiative, Female Forward, Emerging Director Program, Alternative Directors Program, StandUp NBC nationwide search for stand-up comedians and the NBCUniversal SHORT FILM FESTIVAL that celebrates diverse stories and the filmmakers who create them. Program alumni are celebrated producers, writers, directors and actors in the entertainment industry who have gone on to win Emmys, Golden Globes and SAG Awards and include Deon Cole, Donald Glover, Lil Rel Howery, Mindy Kaling, Danny Pudi, Natasha Rothwell, Danielle Sanchez-Witzel, Keto Shimizu and Alan Yang. For more information, visit NBCUniTIPS.com.

Hard Lessons Are Learned in Bioh's 'School Girls'

(l-r) Abena Mensah-Bonsu, Latoya Edwards, Paige Gilbert,
Joanna A. Jones, Maameyaa Boafo and Mirirai Sithole

By Darlene Donloe

Mean girls – every school has one, two or even a pack of them. You know them. They are the ones who try to rule the school through intimidation and harassment while believing themselves to be the sun, the moon, and the stars. They build themselves up by tearing down other girls who dare to breathe the same air or come anywhere near their orbit.

Jocelyn Bioh’s comedy/drama, School Girls, Or, the African Mean Girls Play, is about a particular mean girl named Paulina (Maameyaa Boafo) at a Ghanaian boarding school for girls, who has her eyes set on representing Ghana in the Miss Universe pageant.  She believes she’s pretty, healthier, smarter, capable, and of course the obvious choice.  She brags about a boyfriend no one has ever seen. She boasts about getting her clothes from a family member in the states who gets them at Walmart. She talks about a dress she plans to wear that comes from Calvin Klean. And is excited to talk about White Castle being ‘a castle with food.’  When she talks, the other girls listen – and are even envious.  To them, the West is the place to be – mostly because it’s where Bobby Brown lives. They are all Brown’s biggest fans.

Joanna A. Jones (Ericka) and Maameyaa Boafo (Paulina)

Things are actually going Paulina’s way until a new girl named Ericka (Joanna A. Jones) who is light-skinned, has “good hair,” is popular and is incredibly talented – comes to the school.  Ericka, who hails from Ohio, is there to finish her last year in high school.

Paulina, who rules over the other girls she loosely calls her friends, is having none of it. She decides to get down and dirty in an attempt to eliminate Ericka from the competition. She blackmails Nana, an overweight student that Paulina torments about her weight.  She tells Nana (Abena Mensah-Bonsu) to steal Ericka’s files so that she can be privy to the 411.

Zenzi Williams (Eloise) and Myra Lucretia Taylor (Headmistress Francis)

Things get ugly when Eloise (Zenzi Williams), a recruiter from the Miss Ghana pageant, shows up at the school to check out the girls. Eloise, who is poised and well put together, is quick to let you know  she was Miss Ghana 1968. Eloise is determined to get a promotion and make a lot more money by selecting someone for the Miss Ghana pageant who could possibly win it all at the Miss Universe pageant. She thinks Ericka has the “more universal and commercial look,” which, she says, is what the judges are looking for.

Ericka is the daughter of a Ghanaian cocoa factory owner and a white mother. She’s easy going, quietly savvy and popular after she announces she has some western lotions, makeup and, the ultimate prize, a poster of Bobby Brown.

When Eloise shows up, Paulina decides to reveal some nasty business about Ericka - causing the girls at the school to turn against her.

Francis (Myra Lucretia Taylor), the headmistress of the school who went to school with Eloise, would actually like to see Paulina chosen to represent Ghana because she showcases the real beauty of the dark-skinned women in Ghana.

When the girls perform for the recruiter, most of them crucify the song, “The Greatest Love of All.”  The rendition is worth the price of admission. It’s actually hilarious and not in a good way.

Maameyaa Boafo (Paulina)

Bioh, a New York playwright and actor whose parents emigrated from Ghana in 1966, has written a rich story about something that is still very sensitive in the black community. There has always been a debate about the true measure of beauty.  It’s light skin vs. dark skin. For some, the lighter the skin, the more beautiful the person.  The darker the skin, the uglier someone is perceived to be. The myth is that someone with “good hair” is better than someone with naturally kinky hair. Wide noses and thick lips aren’t seen as a sign of beauty, while thin lips and noses win the day.

Of course, when you think of mean girls in schools, your mind immediately thinks of the Lindsay Lohan film called, what else, Mean Girls.  But this is a different take. While the storyline isn’t new, Bioh gives the story a different perspective that is thought-provoking.

Director Rebecca Taichman has assembled an impressive array of actors. There is no weak link. In fact, each thespian enhances the next. The show works because the camaraderie amongst the cast works.

A delightful night of theater, the show clocks in at 75 minutes.

School Girls, Or, the African Mean Girls Play, written by Jocelyn Bioh and directed by Rebecca Taichman, stars, in alphabetical order, MaameYaa Boafo, Latoya Edwards, Paige Gilbert, Joanna A. Jones, Abena Mensah-Bonsu, Mirirai Sithole, Myra Lucretia Taylor, and Zenzi Williams.

School Girls, Or, the African Mean Girls Play, Kirk Douglas Theatre, 9820 Washington Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232; Free three hour covered parking at City Hall, with validation (available in the Kirk Douglas Theatre lobby); Tues-Fri at 8 p.m.; Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m.; Sunday at 1 and 6:30 p.m., through September 30; No Monday performances; Exceptions: No public performances on Tuesday, September 18 and Thursday, September 20. No 2 p.m. performance on Saturday, September 22; Tickets: $25 – $72; CenterTheatreGroup.org, by calling Audience Services at (213) 628-2772.

Running time: 1 hour, 15 minutes.

On the DONLOE SCALE: D (don’t bother), O (oh, no), N (needs work), L (likeable), O (oh, yeah) and E (excellent), School Girls Or, the African Mean Girls Play gets an E (excellent).

Soweto Gospel Choir Set To Sing For Mandela

Soweto Gospel Choir, South Africa’s quintessential musical ensemble, brings a centenary celebration of the great freedom fighter and icon of reconciliation, Nelson Mandela, to The Soraya for Songs of the Free, a one-night-only event on Sunday, Oct 7 at 7 p.m.  
 
The Soweto Gospel Choir is a Grammy Award-winning group that has collaborated with some of the biggest names in music — including U2, John Legend, Peter Gabriel, and Diana Ross — and scored an Academy Award nomination for its work on the soundtrack to Pixar’s WALL-E. The 43-member choir, drawn from churches in and around Soweto, inspires audiences, sharing the joy of faith.
 
“The Soraya continues to bring some of the most celebrated artists from around the world, which includes the Soweto Gospel Choir and their tribute to Nelson Mandela, Songs of the Free,” said Thor Steingraber, The Soraya’s Executive Director.  “Soweto Gospel Choir has millions of fans all around the world because their music is truly universal.  Not only is there musicianship impeccable, they bring with them a message of love, unity, and hope that adds a beautiful layer to their energetic performances.”
 
About Songs of the Free
Songs of the Free will be an evening of extraordinary music that mixes African gospel with traditional hymns, Jamaican reggae, American pop, and spiritually themed secular songs creating a “joyous, explosive performance.” Billboard describes the Grammy Award-winning ensemble as “absolutely thrilling” and The New York Times calls the quintessential South African group, “meticulous and unstoppable…spirited and spectacular.”
 
Soweto Gospel Choir Music Director Diniloxolo Ndlakuse said, “The significance of Nelson Mandela’s 100th commemoration to South Africans is, firstly and foremost a reminder of the role played by Nelson Mandela in moving South Africa from a position of being an undemocratic, oppressive society to one of a peaceful co-existence for all racial groups. Mandela represents love, peace, forgiveness and strength to the choir. He is a symbol of inspiration to the Choir.”
 
Nelson Mandela, the legendary, anti-apartheid, revolutionary South African leader, had a history with the Soweto Gospel Choir. He was a big fan of the group, who performed for Mandela on several occasions, the last of which being his memorial service in 2013.
  
About the Soweto Gospel Choir
The Soweto Gospel Choir sings in six of South Africa’s eleven official languages on their new album, Freedom, (release date: Sep 14) but mostly in Zulu or Sotho, as well as English. The Choir’s first single is “Umbombela,” which means “train song,” is a composition that speaks of the travails experienced by black South Africans during the apartheid era, when migrant workers were forced to travel long distances away from their families in order to meet the harsh economic and political demands made by the government.
 
Formed in Soweto in 2002 by choir directors David Mulovhedzi and Beverly Bryer, the group includes 30-some members and the show it produces is a powerful expression of hope and joy full of gorgeous South African vocal harmonies. The choir's debut album, Voices from Heaven, appeared in 2005 from Shanachie Records, followed that same year by Blessed, also on Shanachie. African Spirit was released two years later in 2007 on the same imprint. In December of 2009, the choir lost co-founder and musical director David Mulovhedzi to cancer. In January of 2010, they released Grace, their fifth album on the Shanachie imprint. 2018 will mark the release of their sixth album, Freedom, marking Nelson Mandela’s 100^th birthday.

Single tickets for Songs of the Free beginning at $30 are now available. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.TheSoraya.org or call 818-677-3000. Younes and Soraya Nazarian Center for the Performing Arts is located at 18111 Nordhoff Street, Northridge, CA 91330.  Ticket prices subject to change.
 

"If Beale Street Could Talk" Premieres At TIFF

Barry Jenkins’ latest film, IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK, made its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sunday, September 9, 2018.

The cast includes KiKi Layne, Stephan James, Regina King, Colman Domingo, Teyonah Parris, Brian Tyree Henry, Michael Beach, Ed Skrein, Diego Luna, Dave Franco, and Pedro Pascal.

Photos by Arthur Mora.

Codrington Offers 'Cherry Sweet' To His Mom

When Reggie Codrington was afflicted with Ataxic Cerebral Palsy that required nine major surgeries before he hit his teens, his mother, Joyce Codrington, used to exercise him four times a day. Now she is the one in pain. When her son learned that the antioxidants in cherries could help reduce pain and inflammation, he brought her some. It worked. She began to feel better and her discomfort eased. That’s the inspiration behind “Cherry Sweet,” the joyous first single from the urban-jazz saxophonist’s “Against The Odds” album from M.A.N.D.A.T.E. Records.    

“My mother has done so much for me to help me become the person I am today. She always encouraged me and believed that I could live a full and productive life, achieving my dreams. My prayer is that this song will inspire people, that they can overcome setbacks and disabilities, and go onto achieve their goals in life when nurtured by love and encouragement,” said Codrington, about the single being shipped to radio stations and going for adds on October 8.

Known for commingling contemporary jazz, old-school soul and dancefloor funk, Codrington wrote: “Cherry Sweet” for his eleventh album, which was produced by Robert “Bullet” Harris. The candied melody bungees off the springy electronic beats. Flittering like a butterfly, Codrington’s free-form soprano sax improvs zip around gleefully, exploring the inner and outer edges of the rhythmic loop spiced up with a soulful vocal refrain from Harris and singer Pauline Harris.  

The least common type of the disorder, Ataxic Cerebral Palsy is a chronic condition that affects movement and muscle coordination with common symptoms that include tremors and difficulty walking. The son of trumpeter Ray Codrington, who accompanied Little Richard, Gladys Knight and Jackie Wilson, Reggie Codrington learned to read music when he was five, but ACP initially prevented him from playing sax. The surgeries involved muscles being cut and transferred from his elbow, wrist, and triceps to improve the dexterity of his fingers. Muscles were sliced from his leg to enhance mobility, making it easier to walk. The gift of a curved soprano sax when he was 18 proved life-altering, giving him a comfortable way to play his beloved horn. Codrington sought refuge from his disability in music, finding solace as well as a sense of belonging.

“Something magical happened and I knew that I had found my niche. I fell in love,” he recalled. 

Codrington studied music at Howard University and later debuted as a solo artist in 1990 with “Never Let You Go.” He’s opened for Ramsey Lewis, Charlie Wilson, Frankie Beverly & Maze, Peabo Bryson, Kenny Latimore, Kim Waters, and Kevin Toney, and has recorded with renowned musicians Jeff Lorber, Nils, Paul Jackson Jr., the late Ricky Lawson and Toney. A highlight came when he was invited to perform at President Barak Obama’s second inaugural ball and the Black Caucus Ball. Another was when he dueted with his father on the saxman’s “Always in Motion” album (2015). The Fayetteville, North Carolina native is a regular on the concert and jazz festival circuits. Titling his latest offering “Against The Odds” is a nod to the unlikely career that’s been made possible by overcoming his disability. 

For more information, please visit https://www.ReggieCodrington.com.