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Khari Wyatt’s Audio Play “Speakeasy”
Here is an interview with writer Khari Wyatt before the election for his audio play, SPEAKEASY, produced by Antaeus Theatre Company as part of their Zip Code Plays series. Wyatt is a member of the Urban Mediamakers.
And The Winners Are…
Congratulations to the winners of the 19th Urban Mediamakers Film Festival! We are so proud of you and excited to have you as a member of our family.
Over 100 Content Creators In Competition at UMFF 2020
Congratulations again to the exceptional projects of the 19th Urban Mediamakers Film Festival, running October 12-25, 2020 online. Thanks to COVID-19, we have changed the delivery of our festival to reach the masses around the world!
Writing for Reel Workshop with Sharon D. Johnson, PhD, WGAW
Sharon D. Johnson returns to UMFF Oct. 19, 2020. She taught “Writing for Reel,” an original two-day intensive screenwriting workshop in 2002 & 2003. Sharon is back with a virtual reboot of UMFF Writing for Reel Workshop.
Learning outcome: Attendees will have the tools to develop a 3-page outline for a feature film script. Register now for this live, interactive session as part of the 19th Urban Mediamakers Film Festival 2020. Registration only $19 – reserve your spot today – https://www.eventbrite.com/e/122498031911
19th Urban Mediamakers Film Festival Official Selections Announced
We are so proud to announce the official selections of the 19th Urban Mediamakers Film Festival 2020. Our talented creatives are from the United States, Canada, France, Australia, United Kingdom, India, Mozambique, Brazil, Taiwan, Côte d’Ivoire Africa, and Russian Federation.
UMFF takes place virtually October 12-25, 2020 and we welcom our new family members in competition to the Urban Mediamakers.
Congratulations to all content creators in the Urban Mediamakers Film Festival Class of 2020. See the full list.
Call for Entries – Films, Scripts, Podcast and More!
19th Urban Mediamakers Film Festival takes place virtually October 12-25, 2020. The submission deadline is today, Friday, September 4, 2020 at midnight. Get your script, film, live streamers, podcast, web series, music video, animation, PSA and youth film (middle and high school competition) in today! This year we are virtual and reaching the world!
Submit today – https://filmfreeway.com/UMFF.
Ryan Coogler Pens Powerful Tribute To Chadwick Boseman: ‘Chad Is An Ancestor Now’
As tributes from Chadwick Boseman’s Hollywood colleagues continue to pour in, Ryan Coogler has issued a lengthy, powerful statement about his death. Coogler’s statement indicates that he was unaware of Boseman’s diagnosis when Black Panther was filmed, but learned later on.
Coogler’s statement reads in part, “I haven’t grieved a loss this acute before. I spent the last year preparing, imagining and writing words for him to say, that we weren’t destined to see. It leaves me broken knowing that I won’t be able to watch another close-up of him in the monitor again or walk up to him and ask for another take. It hurts more to know that we can’t have another conversation, or facetime, or text message exchange. He would send vegetarian recipes and eating regimens for my family and me to follow during the pandemic. He would check in on me and my loved ones, even as he dealt with the scourge of cancer. I had no doubt that he would live on and continue to bless us with more. But it is with a heavy heart and a sense of deep gratitude to have ever been in his presence, that I have to reckon with the fact that Chad is an ancestor now. And I know that he will watch over us, until we meet again.”
Chadwick Boseman, Black Panther, Has Died
Actor Chadwick Boseman, who played Black icons Jackie Robinson and James Brown before finding fame as the regal Black Panther in the Marvel cinematic universe, died of cancer on August 29. He was 43.
Boseman died at his home in the Los Angeles area with his wife and family by his side. The Black Panther actor was diagnosed with colon cancer four years ago. “A true fighter, Chadwick persevered through it all, and brought you many of the films you have come to love so much,” his family said in the statement.The news comes as a shock for Boseman’s friends and fans.
Coronavirus Is Hitting Black Business Owners Hardest, But We Are Resilient
“More than 40 percent of black business owners reported they weren’t working in April, when businesses were feeling the worst of the pandemic’s economic consequences. Only 17 percent of white small business owners said the same, according to an analysis of government data by Robert Fairlie of the University of California, Santa Cruz.
Many small businesses are struggling during the pandemic because they lack easy access to loans and cannot easily move their businesses online. “Most lack the capacity, scale and technical assistance needed to survive a pandemic,” said Ken Harris, president of the National Business League,
Additionally, only a small number of Black-owned businesses have received funding from the CARES Act, Payroll Protection Program or the EIDL Loans as provided through the Small Business Administration. According to the New York Times, “Only 12 percent of Black and Hispanic business owners polled between April 30 and May 12 received the funding they had requested. About one quarter received some funding. By contrast, half of all small businesses reported receiving from a single part of the stimulus packages — the Paycheck Protection Program — according to a census survey.”
The disproportionate struggles facing black small business owners come as their communities are already bearing the brunt of public health crises: Black people are more than twice as likely as other Americans to die of the coronavirus and much more likely to be victims of police violence.