For Freedom Day 2023, we’re showcasing Black television shows and films for your viewing pleasure.
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Considering that Juneteenth is now a federal holiday, it’s a well-deserved day of leisure where you can watch a myriad of programming ranging from fact-telling documentaries to drama series and comedies.
With that in mind, we’ve composed a list of things to watch for your Juneteeth viewing pleasure.
A standout is Xernona Clayton: A Life in Black and White.
Airing on Bounce, the exclusive new documentary celebrates the life of a civil rights icon and Black pioneer who doesn’t get her just due.
Described as an “elegant march” through Xernona Clayton’s life, the doc will detail her work with Martin Luther King and Coretta Scott King via her pioneering broadcasting career with Ted Turner. It will also tell the story of her founding of The Trumpet Awards which were acquired by Bounce in 2016 and continue to this day.
From becoming the first Black woman in the South to have her own TV show, to helping write the blueprint to desegregate hospitals in the South, to even convincing a KKK Grand Dragon to renounce his position, the trailblazer’s life is explored and the doc features special guests including Ambassador Andrew Young, Martin Luther King III, Pamela Poitier, Tom Johnson, Pat Mitchell. Senator Raphael Warnock, Emmitt Smith, and Tip “T.I.” Harris.
Xernona Clayton: A Life in Black and White is the centerpiece of Bounce TV’s Juneteenth programming, it premieres on Bounce on Monday, June 19, at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT.
Hit the flip for more.
“Expressions of Black Freedom”
The TRIBECA FESTIVAL is sharing highlights of the Black programming this year, titled “Expressions of Black Freedom.
Sponsored by Indeed, it’s an evolution of the Festival’s Juneteenth programming that gives a curated look at stories that embody what it means to be free. A press release notes that this year’s theme is Black Music, which ties into the festival-wide celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Hip-Hop.
The full “Expressions of Black Freedom” program combines films, immersive experiences, panels, and events that you can watch via Tribeca at Home that’s available exclusively online as well as on Apple TV (@appletv), Amazon (@primevideo), and Roku (@rokuplayer).
THE BLACKENING
Seven Black friends reunite at a cabin in the woods to celebrate Juneteenth. They ignite in friendly banter as they arrive, referencing old jokes like they just saw each other yesterday. But as night falls, things begin to go awry in the picturesque cabin. Lights go out and a masked archer stalks them from outside. Once they’re trapped in a room, the group must play the ultimate game: figure out who among them is the Blackest — or else they all die. So, who exactly is the Blackest of them all? And who will make it through the night?
GLORIA GAYNOR: I WILL SURVIVE
Gloria Gaynor forever cemented her place in popular culture with the disco classic “I Will Survive”. In the four decades since, her career has been stalled by health issues, as well as abuse and mismanagement from her now ex-husband. Yet in keeping with the title of her most famous song, Gaynor struggles onward as she works to release a new gospel album in her seventies.
HOW STELLA GOT HER GROOVE BACK
Through good times and bad, Stella (Angela Bassett) and Delilah (Whoopi Goldberg) have always had each other. Now, Stella’s so busy building a life that she’s forgotten to really live. But Delilah is about to change all that. What starts as a quick trip to Jamaica, ends as an exhilarating voyage of self discovery as Stella learns to open her heart and find love – even if it’s with a man 20 years her junior. Directed by Kevin Rodney Sullivan. Written by Terry McMillan, Ron Bass. Produced by Deborah Schindler. With Angela Bassett, Taye Diggs, Whoopi Goldberg, Regina King. A 20th Century Fox release.
INVISIBLE BEAUTY
Frédéric Tcheng, the director of 2019’s Halston, returns to Tribeca with another documentary about a fashion world titan: co-director Bethann Hardison. Featuring in-depth interviews with Hardison herself, Invisible Beauty is an elegant account of the model-turned-fashion industry insider’s life and career, culminating in her tireless advocacy for more diversity both on the runway and off.
FOR KHADIJA: FRENCH MONTANA
French Montana is many things, including an entrepreneur and Grammy-nominated rapper. But what did it take for a hungry talent from Africa to reach those lofty heights? The Moroccan-born and New York-bred multi-platinum artist behind hits such as Pop That, Unforgettable, and No Stylist is giving us a deeper look through his lens. This globe-spanning showcase provides views of French we haven’t seen, including the unbreakable bond he shares with his single mother, Khadija.
LOST SOULZ
Sol (Sauve Sidle) is an aspiring young rapper living with his best friend Wesley (Siyanda Stillwell), whose family has embraced him as a brother. After a raucous night causes Wesley to overdose, Sol abandons him at a house party, and eventually chooses to leave home for good and join a touring group of hip-hop artists. As they travel across Texas creating and performing, he discovers who he is as an artist and person.
MELODY OF LOVE
Clad in slim jeans and a leather jacket, with his electric guitar strapped to his back, jazz musician Michael (Elijah Reid) cuts an effortlessly cool figure as he moves through the streets of Addis Ababa. Playing the nightclubs of his beloved city and excited by the promise of an upcoming tour, Michael is every bit the working musician. When his mother asks him to join her in Brussels, the guitarist falls into deep existential dread at the thought of leaving and becoming part of the diaspora in a continent defined by its history of white entitlement and mistreatment. Michael sets out to bid loved ones goodbye, enjoying the simple pleasures of the city one last time. He comes to find a deeper purpose and a revolutionary reason for being in this jazzy, intimate look at the emotional toll of colonialism and the forced displacement at its cruel center.
NEW JACK CITY
New Jack City, (United States). Wesley Snipes stars in this hard-edged film based on a frightening true world as Nino Brown, an American success story – with a twist. He’s young, handsome, smart, rich, successful, and prominent in his community. But Nino Brown is a big-time drug baron. Determined to end the remorseless evil of Nino’s drug empire, two street-smart policemen will stop at nothing to destroy his organization. Directed by Mario Van Peebles. Written by Thomas Lee Wright, Barry Michael Cooper. Produced by George Jackson, Doug McHenry. With Wesley Snipes, Ice-T, Mario Van Peebles, Judd Nelson. A Warner Brothers release.
We’re live at New Jack City! The panel is starting now pic.twitter.com/2C0njzOU9q
— Tribeca (@Tribeca) June 18, 2023
PLANET B-BOY
A powerful documentary about the vibrant global resurgence of break-dancing, Planet B-Boy goes inside the underground hip-hop dance scenes around the world.
Post source: Bossip
