Over the past couple of years, the Academy Awards ceremonies have been criticized for a lack of diversity. That may be about to change.
Black actors, directors and writers are suddenly highly visible this year. Following Warner Bros.’ glossy biopic “42,” about the baseball legend Jackie Robinson, and The Weinstein Company’s independent hit “Fruitvale Station,” about the 2009 shooting of an unarmed black man, at least six major films about the black experience, including “The Butler,” which opened Aug. 16, are being released before the end of the year. And several have Oscar potential.
Here are the upcoming releases that could make 2013, and possibly next year’s Oscars, a landmark moment in black cinema. Release dates are subject to change.
“Lee Daniels’ The Butler” (now showing)
The deal: Forest Whitaker plays a fictionalized version of real White House butler Eugene Allen, who served during eight presidential terms from 1952 to 1986. Oprah Winfrey plays his wife.Co-written and directed by Daniels (2009's Oscar-winning "Precious").
The buzz: This movie features Winfrey's first major role since 1998's "Beloved." Already, comparisons are being made to another eyewitness-to-history drama, the six-time Oscar-winner "Forrest Gump."
“Winnie Mandela” (Sept. 6)
The deal: Jennifer Hudson stars as the wife of anti-apartheid revolutionary Nelson Mandela, played by Terrence Howard.
The buzz: Following harsh reviews at 2011's Toronto International Film Festival, the film dropped off the map. But Image Entertainment, perhaps sensing something in the air, has set an aggressive release date far ahead of November's obvious Oscar contender "Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom."
“Baggage Claim” (Sept. 27)
The deal: A romantic comedy starring Paula Patton as Montana Moore, a single airline stewardess looking for a man.
The buzz: Along with last year's "Think Like a Man," this film marks a mini-trend of black-oriented movies with slick production and potential cross-racial appeal (Adam Brody plays Montana's matchmaking friend). The autumn release date is also significant, says Gil Robertson, president of the African American Film Critics Association. "Typically, black movies come out between January 15 and March 1," he says. "That's the Black History Month window. But in the last few years we've seen that change."
“12 Years a Slave” (Oct. 18)
The deal: Based on the memoir of Solomon Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor), a free black man who in 1841 was kidnapped and sold into slavery.
The buzz: Fox Searchlight reportedly bumped this movie up from Dec. 27 after positive test-screenings. "Of all the movies coming this fall, this is the one I'm interested in," says Peter Debruge, film critic at Variety. "I really respect Steve McQueen as a director, and this is a big step up for him in ambition and the scale of the project."
“Black Nativity” (Nov. 27)
The deal: A young boy, Langston (Jacob Latimore), is sent to live with his grandfather (Forest Whitaker), who is staging a production of the Langston Hughes musical "Black Nativity."
The buzz: This musical drama may help familiarize viewers with Hughes' 1961 play. It's still produced annually by theaters around the country, most famously in Boston, which is where an 8-year-old Lemmons first saw it. "It's very open to interpretation," says Lemmons, "so every group that puts it on does it a little differently."
“Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom” (Nov. 29)
The deal: Idris Elba ("Pacific Rim") plays the former South African president Nelson Mandela, whose autobiography, "Long Walk to Freedom," is the basis for the movie.
The buzz: Directed by Justin Chadwick and written by William Nicholson (both British), "Mandela" looks like epic Oscar bait, with a heroic narrative, a period backdrop and large crowd scenes.
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