Walter Mosley News

American Masters joins PBS' summer-long celebration of female trailblazers in honor of the women's vote centennial with three new documentaries exploring the lives of remarkable changemakers, both past and present.

Issa Rae announces today's AFI Movie Club selection: DEVIL IN A BLUE DRESS.

Fifteen screenwriters will convene to advance their independent projects at Sundance Institute's January Screenwriters Lab, taking place at the Sundance Mountain Resort in Utah, from January 17-22, 2020. At the Lab, the screenwriters will immerse themselves in a rigorous and holistic creative process, working to further develop their scripts with the mentorship of accomplished Creative Advisors.

Crossroads Theatre Company continues their exciting season with a holiday show for all. A Christmas Carol will be performed at New Brunswick Performing Arts Center (NBPAC) in the Elizabeth Ross Johnson Theater from December 5 to December 15. Directed by the Company's Artistic Director, Marshall Jones III, the production promises to put audience members in the holiday spirit.

Tom Needham pays tribute to Peter Fonda and Toni Morrison this Thursday at 6 pm on WUSB's THE SOUNDS OF FILM. The show will feature previously recorded interviews with Hollywood legend, Peter Fonda, and Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, the director of the recent Toni Morrison documentary,TONI MORRISON: THE PIECES I AM.

Unbound: A Book Launch Series with BAM and Greenlight Bookstore returns this fall with three engaging events.

From Friday, September 13 through Friday, September 20, BAM presents Purpose and Passion: The Cinema of John Singleton, a career retrospective dedicated to the trailblazing late director. 'The sudden, shocking death of John Singleton at the age of just 51 in April 2019 robbed the world of a trailblazing, influential and, arguably, somewhat underrated chronicler of Black life on film,' says series programmer Ashley Clark. 'This is both a full retrospective of the late director's characteristically muscular, thought-provoking cinematic output, and a chance to pay tribute to a singular talent.'   

Snowfall has been renewed for a fourth season on FX, it was announced today by Nick Grad and Gina Balian, Presidents, Original Programming, FX Entertainment. The acclaimed drama series created by John Singleton & Eric Amadio and Dave Andron will return to FX in 2020.

Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, the director of TONI MORRISON: THE PIECES I AM and Sam Green, the co-director of A THOUSAND THOUGHTS are Tom Needham's exclusive guests this Thursday at 6 pm on WUSB's THE SOUNDS OF FILM.

Filmmakers from the U.S., Lebanon, Palestine, and the United Kingdom have been selected for the 2019 Sundance Institute Directors and Screenwriters Labs, taking place at the Sundance Mountain Resort in Utah. At the Directors Lab (May 27-June 18), filmmakers will rehearse, shoot, and edit key scenes from their scripts, working in an immersive, hands-on environment with support from accomplished advisors to build their craft as directors and make key discoveries in collaboration with their actors and key crew. Immediately following, the Screenwriters Lab (June 20-24) provides the opportunity to process the insight gained from the Directors Lab through one-on-one story sessions with screenwriter advisors, and find inspiration and guidance for continued development of their screenplays.

From Friday, May 3 through Wednesday, May 22, BAM presents Black 90s: A Turning Point in American Cinema, a nearly three week-long program of films, both low-budget art films and classic blockbusters, from an era of explosive creativity and newfound studio support for black filmmakers.

Fifteen screenwriters from countries including the U.S., Lebanon, South Africa, Turkey, and the United Kingdom will bring twelve projects to the Sundance Institute Screenwriters Lab, taking place January 18-23, 2019 at the Sundance Mountain Resort in Utah. The Lab provides an immersive environment that encourages all participants to embrace a spirit of creative risk-taking and collaboration, and imparts vital lessons in the art and craft of screenwriting while building a robust creative community. Through one-on-one story sessions with Creative Advisors, Fellows take part in an artistically rigorous process that facilitates the deep exploration needed to fully realize their material. The Lab is the first step in a year-round continuum of customized creative and tactical support for each project and team.

FX has ordered a third season of Snowfall, the drama series created by John Singleton, Eric Amadio and Dave Andron, it was announced today by Eric Schrier and Nick Grad, Presidents of Original Programming for FX Networks and FX Productions. The third season will premiere on FX in 2019.

Lisa B. Thompson burst onto the Austin theatre scene in a big way last season with her play UNDERGROUND, which was not only nominated for most of the awards given in Austin, but also managed to walk away with a few. She capped off the season by winning the New Play award from Austin Playhouse's annual playwrighting contest. The contest winning play, MONROE, is opening at Austin Playhouse on September 7th in a World Premiere production. Thompson, besides these two plays, is also the author of the book Beyond The Black Lady: Sexuality And The New African American Middle Class (University of Illinois Press, 2009) which received Honorable Mention in competition for the Gloria E. Anzaldua Book Prize from the National Women's Studies Association. Her work has appeared in Theatre Journal, Theatre Survey, Finding A Way Home: A Critical Assessment Of Walter Mosley's Fiction (University Press of Mississippi, 2008), and From Bourgeois to Boojie: Black Middle-Class Performances (Wayne State University Press, 2011). Her plays include Single Black Female (Samuel French, Inc., 2012) which has been produced throughout the U.S. and Canada. BroadwayWorld recently had the opportunity to sit down with Thompson to talk, in depth, about her new play MONROE, right before it makes its World Premiere at Austin Playhouse to open their season.

New Jersey Theatre Alliance ("The Alliance") announced that Linda Kinsey, former Partner at Michael Graves Design Group, and Marshall Jones III, Producing Artistic Director of Crossroads Theatre Company in New Brunswick, have joined its board of trustees. The Alliance is a service organization for the 33 non-profit, professional theatres in New Jersey, supporting them and the theatre-going public with a wide array of services and programs.

Thirteen new independent feature projects from the U.S., Cuba, Kenya, Mexico, Morocco, and Palestine have been selected for the 2018 Sundance Institute Directors and Screenwriters Labs. At the Directors Lab (May 28-June 21), filmmakers will rehearse, shoot and edit key scenes from their scripts, working closely with industry advisors, actors, and production crews to help drive creative growth via an immersive and hands-on experience at the Sundance Resort in Utah. The Screenwriters Lab from June 23-28  fosters a similar environment of dynamic inspiration as participants focus on the art and craft of screenplay writing with one-on-one support from Institute advisors . Overseen by Feature Film Program Founding Director Michelle Satter and Labs Director Ilyse McKimmie, the Labs begin a year-round continuum of customized support for Fellows, which can include creative mentorship, granting, and guidance from industry professionals. 

The African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) and the American Cinematheque have joined forces to create a special program to screen and celebrate African American film.  Through its partnership with American Cinematheque, AAFCA will curate an ongoing film series showcasing a wide range of Black films, some of which have not been on screen in decades, and conversations with a prolific list of Black filmmakers exploring the cultural significance and important themes of the work. 

The African American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) and the American Cinematheque have joined forces to create a special program to screen and celebrate African American film.  Through its partnership with American Cinematheque, AAFCA will curate an ongoing film series showcasing a wide range of Black films, some of which have not been on screen in decades, and conversations with a prolific list of Black filmmakers exploring the cultural significance and important themes of the work. 

The Music Hall's Writers in the Loft presents beloved, legendary author Walter Mosley and his first thriller for the "Black Lives Matter" age, DOWN THE RIVER UNTO THE SEA.