For the last ten days, we at The Power Player Lifestyle Magazine have been fully immersed in all of the happenings of the 20th Annual Los Angeles Film Festival at the LA Live Complex, in downtown LA. The films were diverse, intriguing, and plentiful. The seminars and conversations were groundbreaking and cutting edge and the parties, of course, were most festive, chocked full of industry players, executives, filmmakers, deal-makers and game changers. A few of our favorite things were the premiere of Echo Park, The Battered Bastards of Baseball, the diversity conversation with acclaimed director John Singleton and also the Women Directors Panel.
The Editor’s favorote film pick was Echo Park. This film was a good mix to feature at the Los Angeles Film Festival’s “LA Muse” section. Echo Park is an understated indie romance starring Mamie Gummer and Tony Okungbowa as Sophie and Alex, a pair whose shifting lives and relationships mirror the gentrification shifts in their Los Angeles neighborhood. They find themselves drawn to each other as Sophie contemplates the end of a previous relationship and Alex considers a move back to his native London. To view the trailer, link in here:
Another favorite is The Battered Bastards of Baseball, co-directed by brothers Maclain Way and Chapman Way, was a delightful, feature length documentary about Bing Russell, father of actor Kurt Russell, who owned the now defunct Portland Mavericks baseball team. Its witty style chronicled not only baseball, but more importantly the life of the man who loved it. Interestingly enough, Mr. Russell also had a long on camera run as Deputy Clem on the popular television show Bonanza. The film was peppered with a unique sense of humor, truth and never before seen archived family footage, which became even more relevant to the story that was brought to life by Mr. Russell’s grandsons, who wrote and produced the film as well. This story of a man, Bing Russell, who went after his dreams, experienced failure, trials, tribulations and ups and downs, while sharing his humility and his love of baseball, is what the American dream is all about.
We also had the opportunity to enjoy the diversity presentation hosted by the LA Film Festival in conjunction with The Black House Foundation, an organization dedicated to promoting, uplifting and fostering the growth of Black Cinema. Acclaimed film director John Singleton was the speaker extraordinaire, and he did not mince his words when curator Elvis Mitchell moderated a very frank and personal conversation regarding Johns experience as a trailblazing, African American director in Hollywood. As an award winning director with a substantial body of work that includes Boyz in the Hood, Baby Boy, Rosewood and The Fast and Furious, Singleton was truly incensed by the inequalities that he has personally experienced while making movies in Hollywood. He talked specifically about how Rosewood was blatantly removed from the theatres because of its reverse racial portrayal of Black people and their empowerment in the heart-wrenching, powerful, controversial and racially charged film
Singleton is very conscious about being Black in America and about creating the stories that his audience can relate to. Doors were closed in his face, and he has worked less because his movies were “too Black”, or because they were not the way “Hollywood” thought the story should be told, because the Black people are the heroes. Executives did not like the fact that he spoke his mind and stood his ground about his principles and how Black movies should be told. As a lifelong student of the cinema, John studied the classics, form, style, silent movies, Westerns and people.
His life experiences, code of ethics, and upbringing influence and inform his work. He emphasized how important it is, as a Black filmmaker, to put soul in your movies without losing your soul. We must be the ones who tell our stories. Don’t be afraid to be Black. John has truly been, in his words, “ a General” in how he takes command of his career and his destiny. He continues to pave the way and knock down doors for future filmmakers of color.
He is now in preproduction for the eagerly awaited Tupac biopic and prepping an exciting, new series for television. In closing, we celebrate the work of legendary filmmaker John Singleton, and look forward to his future work as he continues to make leaps and strides, and overcome obstacles in American Cinema his way – from his own, unique perspective, one film at a time. In closing, John simply and confidently stated “I can tell different types of stories because I am a citizen of the world.” – Report by Angela Gordon.
