MACRO Lodge At Sundance Film Festival Concludes Four Days Of Programming To Champion Diversity, Inclusion And People Of Color

The 2nd Annual MACRO Lodge at Sundance Film Festival Presented by SheaMoisture Concludes Dynamic Four Days of Programming to Champion Diversity, Inclusion and People of Color

Lodge Hosted Hundreds of Guests from January 25-28, 2019 on Main Street in Park City, UT

The MACRO Lodge at Sundance (www.StayMACRO.com), presented by SheaMoisture and hosted by MACRO Founder & CEO Charles D. King (Sorry To Bother You, Mudbound, Fences) and his wife Stacey Walker King, returned to the Sundance Film Festival for its second annual showcase of inclusive panels, screenings and parties at the iconic film festival to champion diversity, inclusion and people of color at its prime location on Main Street in Park City, UT.

Featured events from January 25-28, 2019 included conversations and panels with Lena Waithe, Jada Pinkett Smith, Tessa Thompson, Angela Rye, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Mara Brock Akil, dream hampton, Angie Martinez and NALIP's Ben Lopez.

Tarell Alvin McCraney, Michael B. Jordan, Ava DuVernay, Kenya Barris, Jesse Williams, Tarana Burke, Amanda Seales, Susan Kelechi Watson, Baron Davis, Bevy Smith, Julie Dash, DJ D-Nice, Boris Kodjoe, Bozoma Saint John, Colman Domingo, Danielle Brooks, Jemele Hill, Kendrick Sampson, Lil Rel Howery, Omar Dorsey, Phoebe Robinson, Richelieu Dennis, SINQUA WALLS, Sujata Day, Woody McClain, Pepa, Vanessa Simmons, The Cast of Boomerang and many, many more were among the hundreds of people that stopped by during the many activities at The 2nd Annual MACRO Lodge at Sundance.

The winners of The MACRO Episodic Lab Powered by The Black List were also announced. Sahar Jahani and K.C. Scott will receive development support and a pilot presentation or sizzle at a budget of up to $30,000 each. The Lab was launched by Lena Waithe, Eva Longoria, MACRO and The Black List in 2018 with a mission to discover episodic storytellers of color, empower them with creative tools and resources to help launch their careers and provide industry support to writers from a wide range of backgrounds who typically do not have access to the traditional Hollywood system. Applicants were invited to submit their ideas to be reviewed by MACRO and The Black List team.

SheaMoisture is the presenting sponsor of this year's MACRO Lodge at Sundance. Color Of Change is a premium sponsor. Essence is an activation partner.

Below is a full listing of The 2nd Annual MACRO Lodge at Sundance Presented by SheaMoisture itinerary.

Friday, January 25, 2019

MACRO Open House

Guests were invited to eat - drink - vibe with MACRO's Charles and Stacey King.

Producing the Latinx Pipeline. Presented by NALIP.

A spotlight on NALIP's initiatives to help diverse filmmakers partake in creating and developing content was led by NALIP Executive Director Ben Lopez.

The Black Creators Midnight Brunch Honoring ColorCreative. Sponsored by Color Of Change, The Open Society Foundations and Firelight.

Color Of Change, The Open Society Foundations and Firelight hosted a midnight brunch to honor ColorCreative, and to celebrate Black content creators and storytellers attending Sundance. ColorCreative, founded by Issa Rae and Deniese Davis, is a company that focuses exclusively on diverse, emerging writers and exceptional storytelling for film, television and digital. Brunch food was served and music provided by DJ D-Nice.

Saturday, January 26, 2019

MACRO Open House

Guests were invited to connect - chill - flow with MACRO executives. Also, Charles D. King, Franklin Leonard and Lena Waithe announced the winners of The MACRO Episodic Lab Powered by The Black List, a joint endeavor between MACRO, The Black List, Lena Waithe and Eva Longoria. The Lab was created to discover and empower episodic storytellers of color with creative tools and resources to help launch their career.

BET Networks presents A Screening of Boomerang & Panel Discussion Featuring Lena Waithe, Ben Cory Jones and Dime Davis

The highly anticipated television reboot of a movie classic debuted. BET hosted a first look at the pilot episode, followed by a conversation led by executive producer Lena Waithe with writer Ben Cory Jones and director Dime Davis.

Midnight MACRO Party

MACRO's signature party event.

Sunday, January 27, 2019

Now That's Real Talk: An Intimate Conversation with Jada Pinkett Smith. Moderated by Kibi Anderson, President, Red Table Talk, Inc.

An intimate conversation with Jada Pinkett Smith as she shared gems about her journey and finding the courage to put it #AllOnTheTable.

In Conversation with Chiwetel Ejiofor. Moderated by Producer Adetoro Makinde.

A riveting talk with award-winning actor/director Chiwetel Ejiofor as he discussed his directorial debut, The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind, and the deliberate choices he made to maintain the authenticity of the story, as well as, redefining African narratives, how POC stories connect with a global audience and breaking the filmmaking myths surrounding Africa.

Unflinching. Unfiltered: How Muslims are Owning Their Stories. Sponsored by Pillars Fund and Pop Culture Collaborative.

Writer/Producer/Showrunner Mara Brock Akil and prominent and rising American Muslim storytellers, activists and changemakers discussed how they are creating audacious and authentic stories, overcoming barriers and building their own pipelines and partnerships to ensure long-term creative control.

Essence MAKERS & Creators Cocktail Party

Where makers, creators and investors gathered with ESSENCE magazine for creative exchange and deal-making.

Knock Down The House Documentary After Party with Amy Vilela, Cori Bush, Paula Jean Swearengin

and filmmaker Rachel Lears

The official soiree after the documentary's Sundance premiere.

Monday, January 28, 2019

Planned PARENTHOOD Presents Our Bodies, Ourselves: A Celebration of Unstoppable Black Women

In October 2016, Planned PARENTHOOD turned 100 years strong and was founded on the revolutionary idea that women should have the information and care they need to live strong, healthy lives and fulfill their dreams - no ceilings, no limits. Alencia Johnson, Planned PARENTHOOD Director of Public Engagement, Communications and Culture Division, celebrated unstoppable Black women in TV and film, including Clemency film director Chinonye Chukwu, for their contributions of real, authentic, disruptive stories who are changing the perception of Black women and girls.

On1 with Angela Rye Presents: Politics, Culture and Storytelling - Podcast. Sponsored by Color Of Change, The Open Society Foundations and Firelight.

Live from Sundance, Angela Rye discussed the current political climate and the impact TV, film and media plays in shaping and shifting the narratives around politics, the Black community and justice.

Time's Up

Tessa Thompson hosted a work session for this activist organization that insists on safe, fair and dignified work for women of all kinds.

#TellBlackStories: A Conversation with dream hampton. Moderated by Angie Martinez. Sponsored by Color Of Change, The Open Society Foundations and Firelight.

Radio host Angie Martinez and writer, filmmaker and organizer, dream hampton and President of Firelight Media, Marcia Smith discussed the TV and film industry's responsibility to create, support and protect Black women and girls through narratives.

ABOUT MACRO

Launched in January 2015 by former William Morris Endeavor (WME) partner Charles D. King, MACRO is a multi-platform media company focused on the new majority multicultural market and develops, produces and finances film, television, digital content, tech companies and brands driven by people of color that encompass universal themes to which all people can connect and relate. To date, the company's film projects have received nine Oscar nominations. The company's first major studio film Fences received four nominations, including Best Picture and Best Actor for director/star Denzel Washington and one win for Best Supporting Actress for Viola Davis. MACRO's Mudbound, was the highest sale at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival and was nominated in four Academy Awards categories in 2018, including Best Supporting Actress and history-making nominations in the Best Adapted Screenplay category for director/writer Dee Rees and Best Cinematography category for Rachel Morrison. Roman J. Israel, Esq., starring Washington, also received an Oscar nomination. Its most recent film, Boots Riley's Sorry to Bother You starring Lakeith Stanfield and Tessa Thompson, debuted in theaters nationwide and is Annapurna's highest grossing film to date. MACRO is a co-financier on all of its films. On the television side, the company's first series is Raising Dion, a 10 episode hour-long, sci-fi, family drama based on commercial and music video director Dennis Liu's short film about an African American single mother who discovers her young son has multiple, constantly changing abilities. The series is in post-production and is set to air later this year with MACRO, Liu and Jordan, who will also have a supporting role, producing for Netflix. With an emphasis on nuanced storytelling, The MACRO Digital Studio creates premium cinematic experiences and utilizes emerging platforms to engage millennial audiences. It has produced four series, including Gente-Fied, which premiered in Sundance's 2017 Short-Form Episodic Showcase and sold after a six-network bidding war.

ABOUT SHEAMOISTURE

Since 1912, SheaMoisture has made its award-winning, Shea butter-based skin and haircare products using family recipes handed down from founder, chairman and CEO Richelieu Dennis' grandmother Sofi Tucker, who as a young mother, sold her Shea butter creations to support her family in Sierra Leone. At SheaMoisture, products are made with natural and certified organic ingredients. Shea butter is ethically-sourced from 15 co-ops in Northern Ghana as part of the brand's purpose-driven Community Commerce efforts. SheaMoisture is manufactured by Sundial Brands, a leading skincare and haircare manufacturer renowned for its innovative use of high-quality and culturally authentic natural ingredients. A certified B Corp company with a Fair for Life social and fair trade certification, Sundial engages in ethical and cruelty-free business practices and manufactures its products at its state-of-the-art facilities in Long Island, NY. Through its Community Commerce purpose-driven business model, the company creates opportunities for sustainable social and economic empowerment throughout its supply chain and communities in the United States and Africa, focusing on entrepreneurship, women's empowerment, education and wellness. Sundial has received the WWD/Beauty Inc. award for "Corporate Social Responsibility Company of the Year." Widely credited with introducing the "New General Market" inclusion concept to the beauty and retail industries, Dennis began the company in 1991 with his college roommate, Nyema Tubman, and mother, Mary Dennis.

ABOUT COLOR OF CHANGE

Color Of Change is the nation's largest online racial justice organization. They help people respond effectively to injustice in the world around us. As a national online force driven by more than 1.4 million members, they move decision-makers in corporations and government to create a more human and less hostile world for Black people in America. Their campaigns and initiatives win changes that matter. By designing strategies powerful enough to fight racism and injustice-in politics and culture, in the work place and the economy, in criminal justice and community life, and wherever they exist-they are changing both the written and unwritten rules of society. They mobilize their members to end practices and systems that unfairly hold Black people back, and champion solutions that move us all forward. Until justice is real.