EXCLUSIVE: LA’s Micheaux Film Festival (July 10-16) is to honor director Steven Caple Jr. (Creed II) and actress Yvette Nicole Brown (Community).
Caple Jr., also known for directing Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts and The Land, is to receive the festival’s Oscar Micheaux Trailblazer of Excellence Award while Community and Dear White People star Brown will be the recipient of the Michael Ajakwe Pioneer of Influence Award. The duo will be honored on Sunday July 16th.
Additions to the festival lineup include a screening of The Next Black Millionaires, a docuseries about the journey of three ambitious entrepreneurs growing their passions into million-dollar businesses, and a panel with Roku’s Head of Content David Eilenberg, Macro’s Chief Brand Officer Stacey Walker King and Roku Originals showrunner Erika Bryant.
Related Stories
Panel Lights, Camera, Activism will feature Chris Lane, Participant VP, Distribution and Michael Kelly, Participant VP, Impact, who will provide a sneak peek of their anticipated upcoming release, White Bird, starring Gillian Anderson and Helen Mirren.
Watch on Deadline
As we previously revealed, the event will include a screening of Sony’s video game adaptation Gran Turismo.
The Neill Blomkamp-directed movie, which is based on the hit video game and stars Archie Madekwe, David Harbour, Orlando Bloom and Djimon Hounsou. In the sports drama a gamer’s skills wins him the chance to become a professional race car driver. The movie will play on the festival’s closing night before rolling out globally from August 9th.
The festival, which honors filmmaker Oscar Micheaux and celebrates diverse cinema, will once again be held at The Culver Theater and Regal Cinemas L.A. Live.
The event will open with the world premiere of My Home Unknown, written and directed by Yaz Canli, and also include the LA premiere of Scrap, written and directed by Vivian Kerr who also stars with Anthony Rapp, and the world premiere of doc Bad Things Happen in Philadelphia, about the effects of gun violence in Philadelphia.
The program will include a spotlight session on Vida creator Tanya Saracho.