Post by Diamond Girl on May 19, 2005 7:17:00 GMT -5
Group wants to make Detroit a new center for black films
Company will start by filming 'Blackjack,' a story about Detroit casinos, here.
By Kimberly Hayes Taylor / The Detroit News
Some Detroit businessmen and a Hollywood actor have a plan to transform the city from "Motown to Movietown."
Before Berry Gordy founded Motown Records in 1960, black singers were shut out of the industry. Jerome Barney, an attorney and founder of in the black ... productions & film, llc, says today's black actors face similar challenges.
He says Movietown will change that when he and his partners make low-budget independent films, targeting African-American audiences in seven markets. "Detroit is fertile for movie production," Barney says. "We have everything we need to make Detroit a center for film."
Backing the group is award-winning actor Clifton Powell, who co-starred in "Ray." Powell will star in and be executive producer of in the black's $6 million film "Blackjack" -- about an attorney who strives to get a casino license in the city of Detroit.
Ava DuVernay, president of the DuVernay Agency in Hollywood, calls the project promising. "Any progressive idea regarding black film is exciting. While financially and logistically, I would have questions, the concept is something that could get people excited," says DuVernay, who creates publicity campaigns for film and television projects.
Modeling Motown will be the group's challenge, she says. "Motown cultivated talent. They were trendsetters, produced the best talent, influenced artists on other labels and self-distributed," she says.
T. Harold "Mr. Beans" Bowles Jr., in the black ... productions' executive director, says those elements are part of their plan. "Some people in Hollywood say, 'You can't do that,' and others say, 'It's a revolutionary approach.'
"In Detroit, we do things that people say we can't do."
You can reach Kimberly Hayes Taylor at (313) 222-2058 or ktaylor@detnews.com.
Company will start by filming 'Blackjack,' a story about Detroit casinos, here.
By Kimberly Hayes Taylor / The Detroit News
Some Detroit businessmen and a Hollywood actor have a plan to transform the city from "Motown to Movietown."
Before Berry Gordy founded Motown Records in 1960, black singers were shut out of the industry. Jerome Barney, an attorney and founder of in the black ... productions & film, llc, says today's black actors face similar challenges.
He says Movietown will change that when he and his partners make low-budget independent films, targeting African-American audiences in seven markets. "Detroit is fertile for movie production," Barney says. "We have everything we need to make Detroit a center for film."
Backing the group is award-winning actor Clifton Powell, who co-starred in "Ray." Powell will star in and be executive producer of in the black's $6 million film "Blackjack" -- about an attorney who strives to get a casino license in the city of Detroit.
Ava DuVernay, president of the DuVernay Agency in Hollywood, calls the project promising. "Any progressive idea regarding black film is exciting. While financially and logistically, I would have questions, the concept is something that could get people excited," says DuVernay, who creates publicity campaigns for film and television projects.
Modeling Motown will be the group's challenge, she says. "Motown cultivated talent. They were trendsetters, produced the best talent, influenced artists on other labels and self-distributed," she says.
T. Harold "Mr. Beans" Bowles Jr., in the black ... productions' executive director, says those elements are part of their plan. "Some people in Hollywood say, 'You can't do that,' and others say, 'It's a revolutionary approach.'
"In Detroit, we do things that people say we can't do."
You can reach Kimberly Hayes Taylor at (313) 222-2058 or ktaylor@detnews.com.
