Described as a literal and metaphorical journey towards enlightenment, director Eva Weber's award-winning documentary Black Out, will have its West Coast Premiere at the Los Angeles Film Festival in the International Showcase in mid-June. Synopsis reads: Every day during exam season, as the sun sets over Conakry, Guinea, hundreds of school children begin a nightly pilgrimage to the airport, petrol stations and wealthier parts of the city, searching for light. This evocative documentary tells how children reconcile their lives in one of the world's poorest countries with their desire to learn, in the face of the country's own struggle for change. Only about a fifth...

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Vince Gilligan, creator of AMC's Breaking Bad, wants to do a Saul Goodman spin-off once the original series wraps for good. If that happens, it would be a plus if funnyman Lavell Crawford could reprise his role as bodyguard Huell. In the series, Bob Odenkirk superbly plays the role of shady (but resourceful), attorney Saul Goodman. After Goodman is threatened with physical violence in Season 4, Crawford's character, Huell, is brought on board as the hired muscle. I know there are some readers who aren't all-the-way caught up on the 5 1/2 seasons of Breaking Bad that have already aired, so I won't reveal too much about the plot-lines in which Crawford's character has been...

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Per the press release... Britain's first Web Fest has been created to celebrate the best independent online content from around the world in a 2-day feast of screenings, panels and special events that takes place during the 21st Annual Raindance Film Festival in the heart of London's West End. "It was only natural for Raindance to create a showcase for web series. Online content is becoming the place for filmmakers and creators to be discovered. Web series creators are the perfect example of independent filmmakers who have plugged into the social media landscape." said Raindance founder Elliot Grove. Raindance WebFest is currently open for submissions until July 15th. ...

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It should be clear by now that we're high on Frances Bodomo's upcoming Afronauts, a film on the 1964 Zambian Space Program. Her last short work - the Super 16 film, sumptuous, other-worldly Boneshaker (which stars Quvenzhané Wallis) - made its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January, and continues to travel the international film festival circuit, winning acclaim along the way. The Afronauts story, which is based on a true story, goes as follows: In 1964, immediately following Zambia's independence, grade school science teacher Edward Makuka Nkoloso set up the Zambia National Academy of Science,...

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Shadow & Act has learned that what will be an unconventional biopic based on the life of playwright, author, activist Lorraine Hansberry (A Raisin in the Sun), is in development, with long time collaborators Taye Hansberry (grand niece of Lorraine Hansberry and author of stuffshelikes.net), and Numa Perrier (The Couple) penning the script to a film that will star Taye in the title role, and will be directed by Perrier. Issa Rae is set to play Nina Simone, who was a close friend of Lorraine until her death. And Jaleel White will play James Baldwin, Hansberry's close friend and confidant. Will Stewart (Casting Director for Scandal) is casting the project, with additional...

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Here's the trailer for the New York-made feature, Full Circle, which marks the feature film directorial debut of Solvan 'Slick' Naim, an Algerian-American rapper and music video director who hails from Bushwick, Brooklyn.Playing the lead in the film as well, Naim stars as Antoni, a pizza delivery boy, who finds himself in a world of trouble and hurt, when he comes across a large stash of money from a drug deal gone bad.Needless to say after taking the money, Antoni puts himself, and everyone that he knows and loves, into jeopardy, which results in a quest for revenge against a big time drug dealer played by Rob Morgan (Pariah, The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete).The film,...

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Ashley Madekwe has exited ABC's drama series Revenge, according to Deadline. The British actress will not return to the soap opera next season, because "her option was not picked up." Apparently, in short, there's not much more of a story-line left for her character, Ashley Davenport, (who has been with the series since the pilot episode), as it heads into its 3rd season. If you're a fan of the series, your reactions?

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Here's a short film - now available for viewing in full - by NYU grad Rachel Johnson that traveled the festival circuit in 2011 and 2012. White Sugar in a Black Pot, Johnson's 18-minute thesis film, was the winner of a CINE Golden Eagle Award in 2011, an African Movie Academy Award in 2012 amongst others. Synopsis: Denise Mackey is a hard working mother and a devoted wife who wants the best for her family. When a sudden opportunity arise for Denise and her husband to become homeowners, the strength of their marriage is put to the test, and she is forced to make one of the toughest decisions of her life. Watch the short film below: WHITE SUGAR IN A BLACK POT - Short Film By Rachel I....

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Congratulations UK readers! UK distributor New Wave Films has picked up rights to Mahamat-Saleh Haroun's 2013 Cannes Competition entry Grigris. The film, which received mixed reviews after its Cannes premiere, centers on Grisgris, a 25 year old young man with dreams of becoming a dancer despite the fact that he's paralyzed from the waist down. His dreams are shattered when his uncle falls seriously ill. To save him, he decides to go work for petrol traffickers. It stars Soulémane Démé, Mariam Monory, Cyril Guei, Anaïs Monory and Marius Yelolo (who's worked with Haroun on at least 2 other past films). Grisgris is produced...

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Here's your first look at Terrence Howard and Viola Davis, alongside Jake Gyllenhaal, Paul Dano, Hugh Jackman, Maria Bello and Melissa Leo in Dennis Villeneuve's thriller Prisoners. The story (from a script penned by Aaron Guzikowski - Contraband), centers on a "small-town carpenter named Keller (Jackman) whose young daughter and her best friend are kidnapped. After the cops fail to find them, Keller takes the law into his own hands, but in the process runs up against Detective Loki (Gyllenhaal), a hot-shot cop with confidence to burn." Terrence Howard and Viola Davis play the parents of the best friend...

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