#black-cinema

#black-cinema

Producer Will Packer expressed pride in presenting You, Me & Tuscany, highlighting the difficulties in selling and marketing a rom-com in an era where studio execs believe 'no one watches rom-coms anymore.'

Both are one-night-in-hell slashers about two estranged sisters forced to fight their way out of a lair of rich people who've joined a devil cult and are hellbent on sacrificing them to their dark lord. They even debut one week after another, the latter on March 20, the former on March 27.

In a straightforward metaphor for all the ways Black culture has been co-opted by whiteness, the raucous pleasures and sonic beauty of the juke joint attract the interest of a trio of demons they wish to literally leech off of the talents and energy of Black folks.

That film is The Woman King. Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, and featuring a stacked cast led by Viola Davis, it's one of the decade's best historical epics. It's also one of the most slept-on blockbusters of the 2020s, but now that it's headed to HBO Max, it's high time it gets a second look. The Woman King's subject matter alone makes it unlike anything we've seen before. It's a mainstream blockbuster in the vein of Gladiator or The Northman, but made by Black women for Black women.

Black women don't have long careers within the film industry; many beloved works by Black female directors, like Drylongso, remain singular, not followed by further films.

Coogler noted the importance of chemistry, recalling his experience as a wide receiver: "It gave me a real appreciation for how important chemistry is when you can find it."