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In 2021, Juneteenth, the celebration of the emancipation of enslaved African-Americans, was established as a federal holiday, and with new holidays to celebrate, there are new opportunities for holiday movies, of course. From director Dawn Wilkinson (“A Nashville Christmas Carol”) and writers Matt Allen (“Mighty Oak”), Lisa Mathis and Krista Suh, comes “Block Party,” a summer family comedy that’s ostensibly themed around Juneteenth.

The connection to Juneteenth feels tenuous at best, as characters continually name-check the holiday but never stop to explain or discuss the meaning of the celebration. The script assumes that the audience is familiar with the holiday and its importance, which is perhaps a heartening sign that Juneteenth doesn’t need to be explained anymore, but most great holiday films at least touch on the significant themes of the holiday (e.g. “the true meaning of Christmas”).

“Block Party” feels strangely divorced from what Juneteenth actually signifies,...

Exclusive: The Juneteenth comedy Block Party is set for a wide theatrical release via Iconic Events Releasing on June 8, also having been picked up for linear and streaming by BET and BET+ starting June 16.

The film from director Dawn Wilkinson centers on Keke McQueen (Antoinette Robertson), a recent Harvard grad who is eager to ditch her hometown of Grand Rapids, Mi, for her dream job in Atlanta. But when Keke discovers that her once-super-sharp Grandma Janice (Academy Award nominee Margaret Avery) is showing early signs of dementia, she puts her career at stake in order to save Grandma’s renowned Juneteenth block party. In the process, Keke falls back in love with her hometown.

Block Party also stars Faizon Love, Luenell, Golden Brooks, Charlyne Yi, John Amos, Gary Anthony Williams, Brad William Henke, Birgundi Baker, Bill Cobbs, Terayle and Merle Dandridge. Branch Out Productions’ Lisa Mathis wrote the script and...

Dear White People star Antoinette Robertson and Oscar-nominated Margaret Avery are set to star in Block Party, the Juneteenth family holiday comedy for Branch Out Productions and BuzzFeed Studios.

Robertson will play Harvard grad Keke McQueen, who returns from a lucrative career in Atlanta to her hometown of Grand Rapids when she discovers her once sharp Grandma Janice (Avery) is showing early signs of dementia.

As Keke tries to save her grandma’s annual Juneteenth block party, she falls back in love with her hometown and its people. Dawn Wilkinson is directing Block Party based on a script written by Krista Suh,...

Dear White People star Antoinette Robertson and Oscar-nominated Margaret Avery are set to star in Block Party, the Juneteenth family holiday comedy for Branch Out Productions and BuzzFeed Studios.

Robertson will play Harvard grad Keke McQueen, who returns from a lucrative career in Atlanta to her hometown of Grand Rapids when she discovers her once sharp Grandma Janice (Avery) is showing early signs of dementia.

As Keke tries to save her grandma’s annual Juneteenth block party, she falls back in love with her hometown and its people. Dawn Wilkinson is directing Block Party based on a script written by Krista Suh,...

Mark Dacascos (John Wick: Chapter 3), Janel Parrish (To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before franchise), and Celestino Cornielle (Bosch) have been cast in The Ray, an indie action thriller directed by Christopher Borrelli. They are joining previously announced stars Ben Milliken, Richard Kind, Brad William Henke, Alison Thorton, and Hudson Yang. The film, which is filming in New Mexico, is set in the ruins of the Salton Sea and follows Ray (Milliken), a former criminal evading a series of ruthless killers. When Ray takes refuge with a mysterious good Samaritan (Henke), he believes he is safe, but soon it becomes apparent that Ray has walked into the nest of someone even more dangerous than the killers pursuing him.

Dacascos will play Brand, a sophisticated mobster who is tired of living in the shadow of his older eccentric half-brother (Kind). Parrish is Faith, a single mom...

Edy Ganem (Devious Maids), Seth Michaels (Doom Patrol), and Patricia Velasquez (The Mummy) have been tapped to star in Free Dead or Alive, an indie action thriller written, produced, and directed by Erik Bernard.

The pic follows Eva (Ganem), a beautiful strong-willed young woman who enters a journey to escape her mother’s (Velasquez) arranged marriage to the region’s most dangerous cartel. Her defiance sets off a chain of events that threatens her life. Surviving will require the skills of Dragon (Michaels), a coyote that can protect her during her quest throughout the dangerous world of cross-border cartels who are the law of the lands.

Robert Lasardo, Robert Avellanet, Jonathan Joss, and Al Coronel will co-star. Courtney LeMarco will serve as executive producer.

Ganem is repped by McKeon/Myones Entertainment, APA and Morris Yorn Barnes; Michaels repped by People Store; Velasquez by Insurge-Ent. and Untitled Entertainment.

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Ben Milliken, Richard Kind, Brad William Henke, and Hudson Yang (Fresh Off The Boat) will topline The Ray, an eclectic action-thriller from director Christopher Borrelli. Slated to begin production next month in New Mexico, the film is set in the ruins of the Salton Sea and follows Ray (Milliken), a former criminal evading a series of ruthless killers led by eccentric mob boss, Grayson (Kind). Ray finds refuge with a mysterious good Samaritan (Henke), but it soon becomes apparent, however, he has walked into the nest of someone even more dangerous than the killers pursuing him.

Lisa Mathis and Matt R. Allen of Branch Out Productions are producing the film in conjunction with Krista Suh and Gabriel Roth. Milliken and Lamar Billups serve as executive producers through their production shingle, Glass Horse Films.

Borrelli, who recently set up his sci-fi thriller, Void, with Charles King’s Macro and Netflix, is repped by Verve and Chris Cowles. Milliken is repped by Rkm; Henke by APA; Kind by Innovative Artists; Yang by Gersh.

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Gravitas Ventures has reigned in the North American rights to Mustang Saviors, the David Glossberg-directed documentary that be will be available to rent and own on digital HD internet, cable, and satellite platforms on February 16. The doc, which was written by Kirk Demorest, focuses on the high rate of American veterans as well as a powerful and remarkable treatment that pairs Wild mustangs taken straight off the range with veterans. Producers are Glossberg, Demorest, Trudy Schwartz, Alicia Zaragosa, Irene Cazares, and Lisa Diersen. The deal was negotiated by David Glossberg on behalf of the filmmakers and by Nick Royak on behalf of Gravitas.

Preparing for the newly configured Los Angeles Film Festival September 20-28, the Laff scooped up recently departed AFI Fest director Jacqueline Lyanga as guest director for Vr and Immersive Storytelling. This is the festival’s first foray into that emerging arena, which is part of a new partnership with Loyola Marymount University’s School of Film and Television.

This will be the 24th installment of the Laff. This fall, its second under the leadership of Festival Director Jennifer Cochis and the first in its new time slot. The date moves Laff into direct competition with AFI Fest (November 8-15), the last of the fall festivals.

Other Laff projects include partnering with the International Documentary Association’s biannual conference, Getting Real ’18; expanding its inclusion summit We the People at the Writers Guild this September, and is mounting a benefit dinner celebrating 25 years of Project Involve, honoring alumni Effie T. Brown, Jon M. Chu,...

Pussyhat Project co-founder Jayna Zweiman and COO Paula Zagrecki sat down with TheWrap to talk about what’s next for the movement, including scholarships and policy summits that focus on women’s issues. “We were really inspired by this idea of people who support women’s rights to come together, discuss issues and connect with each other,” Zweiman said. “This was a way to reclaim the word ‘pussy’ … as something that was feminine but very strong.” Founded by Zweiman and screenwriter Krista Suh ahead of the 2017 Women’s March, the Pussyhat Project calls on supporters of women to knit pink hats as a way to...

Italian knitwear brand Missoni made a bold statement at Milan Fashion Week on Saturday, sending over 40 models — including Gigi Hadid — down the runway at the end of its fall 2017 show in the iconic pink “pussy hats” made famous in January’s Women’s March on Washington.

The hats, with their topped corners that resemble cat ears, became a symbol of solidarity for women’s rights activists during the march. They were started by the Pussyhat Project, an initiative formed by two friends — Jayna Zweiman and Krista Suh — who fused their fondness for knitting and crocheting with their political passions when...

You may have heard by now that Milck can't keep quiet. In fact, if you were in Washington, D.C. last Saturday or have been voraciously consuming every photo and video you can from Women's Marches around the world, then you've definitely heard her previously-unknown song, "Quiet."

The tune became the unofficial anthem of the Women's March on Washington, and it's easy to see why. The stirring song was composed by Milck, and the songwriter and her choir of 25 women performed it seven times in D.C. "Quiet" is not simply catchy -- it's beautiful and hopeful, to the point where it's hard to believe it wasn't written specifically for the march.

Watch: Natalie Portman Calls Out Trump During Moving Speech at L.A. Women's March

"It was a snapshot of what I was feeling as the political climate and world was heating up for a while, and then the election felt like the boil, and we're starting...

[[tmz:video id="0_6dlq3pga"]] The pussyhats behind that sea of pink at the Women's March on Washington D.C. -- and others around the world -- will be enshrined in a museum commemorating the day. Pussyhat Project co-founder Krista Suh says there were more than 20,000 of the iconic pink hats in D.C. alone, and the movement got the attention of Michigan State University Museum. We've learned the museum plans to include pussyhats in a feminism exhibit. Suh's proud celebs like Madonna,...

An estimated 200,000 women from all across America are preparing to descend on the nation’s capital for the Women’s March on Washington Saturday — and many will be slyly protesting Donald Trump the day after he is sworn into office simply by the hat on their head.

Women attending the march and those who support them are intensely knitting pink cat-eared “pussy” hats for participants to wear this Saturday.

The knit pink hats, topped with corners that resemble cat ears, are part of the Pussyhat Project, an initiative formed by two friends, Jayna Zweiman and Krista Suh, who bonded in...