Like so many indie filmmakers of the late 20th century, Ayoka Chenzira is not as well-known as she should be, nor has she made as many films as her talent warrants. But the ones she’s made remain impactful.
Her short “Hair Piece: A Film for Nappyheaded People” is celebrated as a first from a Black woman animator, and its focus on Black hair remains as timely as ever. And now “Alma’s Rainbow,” her 1994 feature-film debut centered on Black womanhood, returns to US theaters in a new 4K restoration.
Written, directed and produced by Chenzira — who has gone on to guide a new generation of filmmakers and new-media creators at Spelman for more than 20 years — “Alma’s Rainbow” captures the dynamic between mother and daughter during a pivotal turning point in the younger woman’s life. Like Leslie Harris’s debut feature, 1992’ “Just Another Girl on the I.R.T.,” “Alma’s Rainbow” is...
Her short “Hair Piece: A Film for Nappyheaded People” is celebrated as a first from a Black woman animator, and its focus on Black hair remains as timely as ever. And now “Alma’s Rainbow,” her 1994 feature-film debut centered on Black womanhood, returns to US theaters in a new 4K restoration.
Written, directed and produced by Chenzira — who has gone on to guide a new generation of filmmakers and new-media creators at Spelman for more than 20 years — “Alma’s Rainbow” captures the dynamic between mother and daughter during a pivotal turning point in the younger woman’s life. Like Leslie Harris’s debut feature, 1992’ “Just Another Girl on the I.R.T.,” “Alma’s Rainbow” is...
- 7/28/2022
- by Ronda Racha Penrice
- The Wrap
“Alma’s Rainbow” made history in 1993 as one of the first 35mm American features to be directed, written, and produced by a Black woman. Director Ayoka Chenzira’s unsung gem about three women living in Brooklyn is now primed for rediscovery thanks to a 4K restoration from Kino Lorber and Milestone Films. IndieWire has the exclusive trailer for the re-release below.
The coming-of-age comedy explores the life of teenager Rainbow Gold (Victoria Gabrielle Platt), who is entering womanhood and navigating conversations and experiences around standards of beauty, self-image, and the rights Black women have over their bodies. Rainbow attends a strict parochial school, where she studies dance, and is just starting to become aware of boys. Meanwhile, she lives with her strait-laced mother Alma (Kim Weston-Moran), who runs a hair salon in the parlor of their home.
But when Alma’s free-spirited sister Ruby (Mizan Kirby) shows up from Paris after 10 years away,...
The coming-of-age comedy explores the life of teenager Rainbow Gold (Victoria Gabrielle Platt), who is entering womanhood and navigating conversations and experiences around standards of beauty, self-image, and the rights Black women have over their bodies. Rainbow attends a strict parochial school, where she studies dance, and is just starting to become aware of boys. Meanwhile, she lives with her strait-laced mother Alma (Kim Weston-Moran), who runs a hair salon in the parlor of their home.
But when Alma’s free-spirited sister Ruby (Mizan Kirby) shows up from Paris after 10 years away,...
- 7/13/2022
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
With readers turning to their home viewing options more than ever, this daily feature provides one new movie each day worth checking out on a major streaming platform.
Barely released in 1982 and all but unseen for over three decades, Kathleen Collins’ “Losing Ground” was a rare instance where the matter of a middle-aged black woman intellectual’s interior life is generously examined — and illustrated in rich symbolistic terms. It brings to life the dreams and disappointments of talented, educated black women who in the shadow of patriarchy. It’s a challenging and unpredictable movie that deserves the enthusiastic reception that met its rediscovery five years ago.
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Philosophy professor Sara Rogers (Seret Scott) and her bohemian artist husband Victor (Bill Gunn) rent a summer...
Barely released in 1982 and all but unseen for over three decades, Kathleen Collins’ “Losing Ground” was a rare instance where the matter of a middle-aged black woman intellectual’s interior life is generously examined — and illustrated in rich symbolistic terms. It brings to life the dreams and disappointments of talented, educated black women who in the shadow of patriarchy. It’s a challenging and unpredictable movie that deserves the enthusiastic reception that met its rediscovery five years ago.
More from IndieWireMarvel's Future: How the Cinematic Universe Could Pivot to TV Storytelling in Today's Uncertain WorldHulu Shuts Down Twitter Trolls Complaining About 'Parasite' Subtitles
Philosophy professor Sara Rogers (Seret Scott) and her bohemian artist husband Victor (Bill Gunn) rent a summer...
- 4/9/2020
- by Tambay Obenson
- Indiewire
Kathleen Collins' name made a big cultural rebound with a single review in The New Yorker -- of an independent movie she wrote and directed in 1982. It's a confluence of important black theater and filmmaking talent -- Collins, Bill Gunn, Duane Jones, Billie Allen and, in the background, William Greaves and the history of film generated by African-Americans. Losing Ground Blu-ray The Milestone Cinematheque 1982 / Color / 1:37 Academy / 86 min. / Available at Milestone Films / Street Date April 5, 2016 / 39.99 Starring Seret Scott, Bill Gunn, Duane Jones, Billie Allen, Maritza Rivera, Noberto Kerner, Gary Bolling, Michelle Mais. Cinematography Ronald K. Gray Film Editor Ronald K. Gray, Kathleen Collins Original Music Michael Minard Produced by Kathleen Collins, Ronald K. Gray Written and Directed by Kathleen Collins
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Quick, name five film directors that are black women. Well, after seeing the glowing review for Losing Ground late last year in The New Yorker,...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
Quick, name five film directors that are black women. Well, after seeing the glowing review for Losing Ground late last year in The New Yorker,...
- 3/19/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
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