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The American Film Institute has opened applications for its celebrated AFI Dww+ program for participants interested in joining the class of 2025-2026. The year-long directing workshop educates underrepresented narrative filmmakers, taking them through the complete production cycle of a short film — and with hands-on guidance from leading industry experts. Notable past participants include Best Picture-winning “Coda” filmmaker Sian Heder, DGA president Lesli Linka Glatter, and “A Black Lady Sketch Show” director and executive producer Dime Davis.

Applications open today, August 12, and will close September 13. More info on deadlines and requirements to apply is available via the American Film Institute’s website. See the Dww+ Class of 2024-2025 here.

The program, first launched in 1974 as the Directing Workshop for Women, will also celebrate its 50th anniversary this fall. With early participants including Maya Angelou, Anne Bancroft, Ellen Burstyn, Lee Grant, Jessie Maple, and Cicely Tyson, the workshop has trained more than 350 filmmakers.

Exclusive: ScreenCraft has finalized the lineup for its annual Virtual Writers Summit.

The summit, which is expected to span the entire month of June this year, will feature creatives including Richard Linklater, Issa Lopez, Lulu Wang, Quinta Brunson, Nkechi Okoro Carroll, and Sean Wang.

Typically, the summit has occurred over one weekend. However, this year boasts the largest lineup ever, thus resulting in panels over the course of the month on June 8, 15, 22, and 29.

“This marks the fifth year we have organized our annual writers summit virtually and, undeniably, the strongest lineup we have ever put together,” Thomas Dever, VP of Business Development for Industry Arts, ScreenCraft’s parent company, said in a statement. “We are thrilled to hear from these incredible speakers and bring them together with our audience to educate and inspire.”

See the full schedule below.

June 8

Headline Speaker – Quinta Brunson (Abbott Elementary) Letting Authenticity Guide Your Story,...

Gilmore Girls launched Adam Shapiro’s acting career. While in college, Shapiro did a walk-on role on The Andy Dick Show, but Gilmore Girls started his process of auditioning and landing roles. He’d have much more dialogue in subsequent roles, but Shapiro remembers his one line on Gilmore Girls being especially challenging.

Adam Shapiro | Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images for Flc

Shapiro was a guest on Scott Patterson’s I Am All In podcast on Nov. 16 to reminisce about his first scene on Gilmore Girls. He’s part of Marty (Wayne Wilcox)’s breakfast crew sitting at a table in the dining hall at Yale.

Adam Shapiro’s one line on ‘Gilmore Girls’

At Yale, Rory (Alexis Bledel) wears her bunny slippers to breakfast, which any college student past or present can acknowledge as a valid choice. Sugarman (Shapiro) comments on them.

“It’s so funny, now it’s 20 years ago,...

The American Film Institute (AFI) has unveiled the participants list for the Dww+ Class of 2024.

IndieWire exclusively reveals that the latest cast comprises Vanessa Beletic, Chloë de Carvalho, Desdemona Chiang, Naomi Iwamoto, Huriyyah Muhammad, Joanne Mony Park, Kerry O’Neill and Roxy Toporowych. Learn more about the new class and read their bios here.

The AFI Dww+ is a year-long directing workshop that supports women and traditionally underrepresented narrative filmmakers through the production cycle of a short film, providing hands-on instruction led by industry experts. The short films completed in the workshop will premiere at the annual Dww+ Showcase in Spring 2024.

“AFI Dww+ is integral to creating a pipeline of highly trained, diverse voices who have the power to drive culture forward and shape the future of the entertainment industry. We are thrilled to welcome this new class of accomplished artists to the AFI Dww+ program and guide them on their journey as directors and storytellers,...

Oprah Winfrey Network announced that courtroom drama series All Rise, starring Simone Missick, returns for a third season on Tuesday, June 7 at 8 p.m. Et/Pt on OWN.

The All Rise season three all-star cast includes Simone Missick as ‘Judge Lola Carmichael,’ Wilson Bethel as Judge Carmichael’s best friend, Deputy District Attorney ‘Mark Callan,’ Jessica Camacho as public defender ‘Emily Lopez,’ J. Alex Brinson as bailiff-turned-public defender ‘Luke Watkins,’ Ruthie Ann Miles as Lola’s J.A. ‘Sherri Kansky,’ Lindsay Mendez as court reporter ‘Sara Castillo,’ Lindsey Gort as defense attorney ‘Amy Quinn’ and Marg Helgenberger as ‘Judge Lisa Benner.’ Recurring cast also includes Samantha Marie Ware as law clerk Vanessa “Ness” Johnson, Emmy winner Paul McCrane as Judge Jonas Laski, and Suzanne Cryer as Deputy District Attorney Maggie Palmer.

Spring Premiere Dates For New & Returning Series On Broadcast, Cable & Streaming

All Rise is a courthouse drama that follows the chaotic,...

The 53rd NAACP Image Awards crowned more winners Saturday (in addition to the awards announced earlier this week), in a ceremony once again hosted by black-ish star Anthony Anderson. The awards, of course, celebrate the accomplishments of people of color in the fields of television, music, literature and film.

Insecure received early awards for supporting actress Natasha Rothwell, in addition to Issa Rae’s win for Outstanding Writing in a Comedy Series. By the end of the night, Rae also picked up trophies for Actress in a Comedy and Outstanding Comedy Series.

More from TVLineSAG Award Winners: Squid Game, Succession...

Nominations for the 53rd NAACP Image Awards were announced on Tuesday, and HBO’s Insecure and OWN’s Queen Sugar led TV’s comedy and drama packs, respectively.

Insecure‘s farewell run amassed 11 total nods, followed in the comedy pack by black-ish‘s eight. Queen Sugar collected six total nominations, the most of any drama.

More from TVLineTVLine's Performer of the Week: Mackenzie DavisInsecure Series Finale: Tristen J. Winger Talks Thug Yoda's Closing Scene, the HBO Comedy's Lasting LegacyInsecure: The End Doc Reveals Issa and Lawrence Weren't Initially Endgame

Nat Geo’s Genius: Aretha meanwhile netted the most nods (five...

National Geographic’s anthology series “Genius” premiered in 2017 with its first installment about Albert Einstein starring Oscar winner Geoffrey Rush. It went on to receive 10 Emmy nominations including Best Limited Series and lead actor for Rush. It returned in 2018 with a focus on Pablo Picasso and earned another seven bids, once again in the limited series category and for lead actor Antonio Banderas. Now the acclaimed Nat Geo series could three-peat with its latest installment, “Genius: Aretha,” anchored by Emmy, Grammy and Tony winner Cynthia Erivo as the Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin.

“Genius: Aretha” is the most highly acclaimed and watched season in franchise history. Verne Gray (Newsday) praised its “beautiful production” and “first rate performances, notably the one that counts most – Erivo’s.” Brian Lowry (CNN) said, “Deriving its episodic subtitles from Franklin songs, ‘Genius: Aretha’ is a testament to that hard work. And like the best musical biographies,...

With almost all of Hollywood and large swaths of America and the world under stay-at-home orders because of the coronavirus pandemic, a digital conversation with some of the leading filmmakers of our time never seemed like a better idea than right now.

Which is exactly what Ava DuVernay and Array will be kicking off at 9 Am Pt today with now 60 directors participating in the its fourth filmmaker tweet-a-thon – see the full 10-hour schedule below and follow with #ARRAYNow

“We hope today’s day-long Q&a feels like a virtual group hug from filmmakers to film fans,” DuVernay told Deadline as the When They See Us helmer prepared to start the show this morning. “Everyone at Array just wanted to create a space for positivity and community during these tense times,” the Oscar nominee added. “The fact that 60 filmmakers of color and women directors answered our call is beautiful and we...

The American Film Institute revealed its list of eight women selected for this year’s Directing Workshop for Women on Tuesday. The participants will take part in a year-long, tuition-free film production course, culminating with each of them directing a short film that will premiere in Los Angeles in 2020.

The eight participants are Robin Cloud, Revati Dhomse, Ashley Eakin, Tiffany Frances, Marie Jamora, Bridget Moloney, Lara Panah-Izadi and Nicole Taylor-Roberts. Their bios can be read here.

“AFI has led the conversation about the need for more female directors since the Directing Workshop for Women opened its doors over 40 years ago,” said Lauren Ludwig, director, AFI Dww. “The rising filmmakers in this program embody the Institute’s active, enduring steps to create change, and we are excited to see the stories from this year’s class come alive on the screen.”

Also Read: AFI's Top 10 List Ranges From 'Black Panther...

If you were dream hampton, the award-winning filmmaker who happens to call Shawn “Jay-z” Carter a friend, naturally you would want make a movie with him. And if you want to raise awareness about a massive social justice issue that deeply affects your community in gorgeously simple and human terms, you make “A History of The War on Drugs, from Prohibition to Gold Rush.”

Read More: ‘Endless’ Review: Frank Ocean Takes a Running Leap Into Experimental Digital Art With New Visual Album

The animated short, which is narrated by Carter with drawings by the artist Molly Crabapple (who credits Spike Jonze as a collaborator), premiered on The New York Times website today to much viral fanfare. Crabapple’s hand appears in frame holding a watercolor brush, the frame-rate sped up to create the illusion that whipping up her gorgeous illustrations is the easiest thing in the world. Carter’s narration tells the history of U.

There’s a Catch-22 for indie film directors trying to break into television. To direct, episodic television networks and showrunners often require previous experience working in television, which is impossible to get if no one will hire you. It’s an experience barrier that is most often pointed to when Hollywood tries to explain how few minority and female directors there are working in TV.

Read More: Break Hollywood Barriers, and She’s The Perfect Person To Do It – Girl Talk

Ava DuVernay decided to blow up this roadblock when hiring her all-female directing team — many of whom are women of color and have little-to-no TV experience — to shoot her new show “Queen Sugar.” DuVernay, whose roots are in Sundance and indie film, recently explained on a conference call why she reached for festival filmmakers like So Yong Kim (“Lovesong”), Tina Marby (“Mississippi Damned”) and Kat Candler (“Hellion”).

“I chose...

Other than Sundance's "Rectify," no recent TV drama has been as comfortable in silence as "Queen Sugar," the new OWN family drama created by 'Selma' director Ava DuVernay, adapting the novel by Natalie Baszile. The series lingers over moments that other shows might feel compelled to rush through, or fill with dialogue out of fear the audience might grow bored or not understand what's running through the character's minds. DuVernay appreciates the power of those silences, and the ways they can make a moment feel sexier, or more unsettling, or more powerful than if everyone on-screen was constantly articulating his or her thoughts. So many of the series' emotions are conveyed through gestures, tight close-ups, or simply showing one of the regulars going through their daily routine

As a result, "Queen Sugar" — about a trio of adult siblings who attempt to run their family's sugarcane farm in rural Louisiana after...

“Diversity” may be a big buzzword for the film business these days, but for a lot of organizations, the challenges implied by the term are nothing new. While the Academy announced last week that it was inviting 683 new members—many from diverse backgrounds—to their vaunted club, the independent film side of the industry has long been fighting the good fight, with programs, grants and foundations focused on creating a more equitable entertainment ecosystem.

But how well are such initiatives working? “If we’re honest with ourselves, we have to realize there are a lot of well-meaning programs out there that are not having an impact,” said Film Independent’s Josh Welsh. “I’m at a point of great frustration. I am proud of what we’ve accomplished, but at the same time, these studies continue to come out every year that say the numbers in the industry are, as a whole,...

“Queen Sugar,” Ava DuVernay’s highly-anticipated one-hour drama finally has a premiere date. Executive produced by Oprah Winfrey, the series will debut as a two-night event on Tuesday, September 6 and Wednesday, September 7 at 10Pm on the Oprah Winfrey Network. From there, the series will regularly air Wednesday nights.

The show will consist of a total of 13 episodes, with the “Selma” director helming the first two. The subsequent episodes are all directed by seasoned and emerging women which include Tina Mabry, Victoria Mahoney, Tanya Hamilton, So Yong Kim, Kat Candler, Salli Richardson-Whitfield and Neema Barnette.

Read More: ‘Queen Sugar’ Trailer: A Funeral Brings Family Home in Ava DuVernay’s Oprah Winfrey Network Series

“Queen Sugar” stars Rutina Wesley and Dawn-Lyen Gardner as two estranged sisters in Saint Josephine, Louisiana. Nova (Wesley) is a world-wise journalist and activist and Charley (Gardner) is the savvy wife and manager of an NBA star. Kofi Siriboe...

Neema Barnette has boarded Own's new original drama series Queen Sugar, from Ava Duvernay and Warner Horizon Television, as a director and producer. Written, directed and executive produced by Duvernay, the contemporary series is adapted from the debut novel by Natalie Baszile. It centers on Nova Bordelon (Rutina Wesley), a formidable journalist and activist based in New Orleans. Her life, and that of her brother and their extended family, undergoes significant change…...

Director Neema Barnette was recently honored at the 6th Annual Lady Filmmakers Festival, and rightfully so. She made history as the first African American Woman to direct a major network TV sitcom, and the first African American woman to get a major studio deal. She has won countless awards (including an Emmy, the NAACP Image Award, the Women in Radio & TV Award, the Lilly Award, and the Peabody Award to name a few) and is a shining example of what is possible for women in film.

Neema shares her thoughts on the Lady Filmmakers Festival, her inspiration and the beginnings of her career, and her own advice to women who are just embarking on their own journeys in film:

What was your impression of the Lady Filmmakers Festival?

I’ve been in many festivals with my film “Civil Brand”, which was at Sundance and won five other festivals, including the American Black Film Festival and the Urbanworld Film Festival. This festival was interesting because it focused on women and the men who work with them, which I’ve never seen before. That was really interesting. It also was very intimate and supportive. What I liked the most is how people came up to me after the first seminar and shared how excited and encouraged they were.

As an experienced female filmmaker and director, I truly understand the significance of this festival. There aren’t enough women directing in our business. Even though the statistics are low, we still have to keep moving them up. It is not true that women can’t fulfill their dreams of becoming filmmakers, and share their voices cinematically.

What was it like for you to start your film career, and what was the inspiration that kept you going?

I was very young, and never the kind of person who was told I couldn’t do things. In school, one of our teachers was Vinette Carol, a black director from the West Indies who directed plays on Broadway - I had never seen a black woman director before. When I was in college, Vinette was working with what was called Urban Arts Corps and chose me to act in her plays.

After that experience, I got a job at the Harlem Ymca as a drama and dance instructor for the summer. It was through this that I recreated Vinette Carol's plays with the kids. I really enjoyed it, and felt authentically creative in this process.

I joined a theater group in Harlem called The Frank Silver Writer's Workshop. They had a play and asked, “Who wants to direct it?” I was young and daring enough to raise my hand, and I did it! I really enjoyed directing that play, and knew it was what I wanted to do.

I was a young director when I got accepted to the American Film Institute. I knew how to work with actors, how to develop characters, but I didn’t know too much about filmmaking. My only film experience prior to this was at Third World Cinema in New York, which was made to train people in developing countries about film and television.

When I got to La, I did my film "Sky Captain"' and I was encouraged. I think my motivation came from my love for directing. It was what I loved to do, and I just kept doing it.

When I graduated and started getting hired as a professional director, I was in heaven. I was getting paid for what I love to do. I was also told things like “You’re too young to be a director,” and “directors are old, and you have to have experience,” but I just ignored that and said I’m directing. That’s it!

There were several people who were very encouraging, including Jean Ferstenburg, Gloria Steinem, and Roselyn Heller. Barbara Corday, Head of Columbia Television at the time, hired me and it was her decision that helped me to make history as the first African American woman to direct in television! I also had support from people like Paul Mason at Viacom, David Putnam at Columbia Pictures, Frank Price of Sony Pictures, Tom Werner of Carsey Werner TV, Robert Greenwald, Bill Haber at CAA and Hugh Wilson. I was kind of a novelty, and very appreciative for them to take a shot and give me opportunities to work.

What is your best advice for young women filmmakers?

I’ve been an adjunct professor at USC for seven years, and this is my 18th year at UCLA. I tell my students that they need to understand that nothing is easy, but when you have a passion for something, you just have to do it.

Now is a better time than ever, because you don’t have to be in Hollywood to make a movie. You can be in Kansas and use your iPhone to make a movie. The Internet has provided such a great creative outlet for young people to tell their stories. With things like the web series, it’s a very exciting time to be a filmmaker.

My advice is to find their tribe, their group of people with positivity, like minds and spirit. You need the honesty of what’s coming ahead, but you also need the inspiration to get you through it. That’s very important. You can’t be a filmmaker because you want to party and where all black at festivals. You have to have a voice, because film is one of the most important art forms for social change we have - even if it’s just pure entertainment, it’s still influential.

I think that we as women have to really stick together, and really understand that the images put on the screen will really affect generations to come. Film is in perpetuity, and we have a responsibility to say something real.

Positivity is important. It doesn’t make sense to keep complaining. The time that you spend complaining is the time that you could spend creating something. A lot of success isn’t all based on talent. It’s based on perseverance and building connections.

What projects are you working on?

I have a couple of projects that I’m working on. I’m writing a script about Ida B. Wells Barnett, one of the first black women to ever have a newspaper. She was active in the anti-lynching movement.

I’m also doing a family film called "Soccer Monkey" with Myrl Schreibman. It's exciting because it's something different from my usual. It’s a heart-warming film (being produced by Good Deed Productions) about a kind of lonely young kid who befriends a chimp who can play soccer. After dealing with films of very serious matters, it’s nice to change it up.

I’m also very excited about a web series that my husband and I started called Black History Mini Docs. They’re docs about black history and are about 90 seconds long. We started it a year ago on Facebook and have gotten so many positive responses.

My daughter, a playwright, has a new play that I'll be directing in New York soon. I’m absolutely thrilled about it!

This year's 6th annual Lady Filmmakers Festival will happen this Friday through Sunday in Beverly Hills. Lady Filmmakers Festival Extraordinary Women Honorees include Vivica A. Fox, LisaGay Hamilton, Neema Barnette, and Natasha Foster-Owens, Risa Bramon Garcia. Learn more about its exciting celebrity and film lineup below and learn how you can attend by visiting the festival website:

The festival will honor Natasha Foster-Owens, (Director, Production-hbo West Coast Production), with the 2014 Trailblazer Award, Actresses Vivica A. Fox and LisaGay Hamilton are in the Spotlight, Director Neema Barnette with the Moving Image Award, Risa Bramon Garcia with the Illumination Award. Ms. Foster-Owens, Ms. Garcia and Ms. Barnette speak on panels during the festival along with other distinguished industry experts in Television & Film. The festival boasts 6 feature films and 42 short films with several World, Us, West Coast, and La Premieres including “Night Vet” starring James Cromwell, Joanna Cassidy, Larry Miller & Irma P Hall; Opening Night Film “Redemption Trail” Starring LisaGay Hamilton, Lily Rabe, Jake Weber, and Hamish Linklater; “Today’s The Day” starring Danny Devito. Harvey Weinstein produced Operation Barn Owl. Special industry speakers confirmed so far are Joyce Cox (Avatar, Dark Knight, Great Gatsby, Men In Black III), Gary Sommerstein (Entertainment Lawyer), Elizabeth Bell, Andrew Sugerman (Premonition, Conviction), Louise Levison (The Blair Witch Project), Hammad Zaidi (Lonely Seal Releasing), Gil Cates Jr (Life After Tomorrow, Lucky, Job), Pam Dixon, Csa (Zorro, City Slickers, Gosford Park), Lance Still (The Golden Compass), Neema Barnette (Women Thou Art Loosed On The 7th Day, My Super Sweet 16 The Movie), Y. Shireen Razack (Rizzoli & Isles, Undercovers), Kerry Barden, Csa (Boys Don’t Cry, American Psycho), Natasha Foster-Owens (Director, Production-hbo West Coast Production), Sandra Avila (President of Avila Entertainment), Risa Bramon Garcia (Masters Of Sex, Twister, Speed). This year the festival will screen films from all over the world including the Czech Republic, India, Syria, UK, New Zealand, Sweden and Germany. 2009 - 2013 selected films were made by or showcased up-and-coming as well as celebrity filmmakers and actors including Courteney Cox, Laura Dern, Rita Wilson, Anna Paquin, Sharon Stone, Maria Bello, Olivia Wilde, Chris Evans, Bryce Dallas Howard, Danny Glover, Glenn Close, James Brolin, John Mahoney, Lilli Taylor, Barrie Osborne, David Lynch, Clancy Brown, Mel Rodriguez and Stephen Gyllenhaal, just to name a few.... Regardless of the films selected, one thing is certain -- this festival will highlight a variety of cultures and worldviews. "Lady Filmmakers is a festival where people of diverse backgrounds converge with common interests and goals. It’s a Film Festival that recognizes and celebrates the tremendous contribution of women to film and the importance in the collaborative spirit amongst men and women,” says Disalvo Viayra. One goal of the festival is to screen entertaining independent Us and international films to show people that they can enjoy Indie films just as much as the big blockbusters. The fest promotes artists and musicians, recognizes and empowers lady filmmakers, artists, and musicians from all ethnic, religious, and Lgbt communities. To qualify for the festival, films must have at least one woman in the role of writer, director, cinematographer, producer, editor, or production designer. . For more information on the Lady Filmmakers Film Festival, bios on the festival organizers, instructions for submitting films or to become a sponsor of the festival, please visit our website.

For those is the New York City area, here's an event, taking place today, Saturday, February 1. A timely symposium, for what should be obvious reasons, taking place at the Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI) in Queens, and put together by Warrington Hudlin. Titled "Massa's Gaze: Screenings and Critical Discussions of the Depictions of Slavery in Film and Television," the event's panelists include: ​​Sheril Antonio, Neema Barnette, Jelani Cobb, Stanley Crouch, Nelson George, Warrington Hudlin, Felicia Lee, Malcolm Lee, Shola Lynch, and Khalil Muhammad. The event is part of MoMI's Changing the Picture (2014) program, sponsored by Time Warner Inc. Again,...

The American Film Institute (AFI) has announced that producer Patty West ("Some Girl(s)," AFI Class of 2006) will be Director for the AFI Directing Workshop For Women. The announcement coincides with the November 1 start of open enrollment for 2014, and the announcement of the Open House event for prospective applicants.The AFI Dww is an intensive one-year training program where artists study with master filmmakers, make a short film and develop a path for a career in screen directing. It is designed to advance women filmmakers who have a minimum of three years of professional experience working in the arts. Only eight are selected for this tuition-free program. Since the program's inception, more than 275 women have been trained and among their credits are "Mad Men" and "Homeland." Distinguished alumnae include Maya Angelou, Anne Bancroft, Neema Barnette, Tricia Brock, Ellen Burstyn, Rebecca Cammisa, Dyan Cannon, Hanelle Culpepper, Jan Eliasberg, Naomi Foner, Jennifer.

Directed by Neema Barnette, the second film in Pastor Td Jakes' Woman Thou Art Loosed! series, sub-titled On The Seventh Day, stars Blair Underwood, Sharon Leal, Nicole Beharie, and Pam Grier. On the Seventh Day, which premiered at the Pan African Film Festival early this year, is now available on DVD, Blu-ray and VOD, as of yesterday, September 4. The film had a limited theatrical release in April, via CodeBlack Entertainment and its partnership with AMC theaters, grossing around $1.2 million domestically. To recap, the film centers on a husband and wife who find themselves in the midst of a crisis, when their young daughter is kidnapped. The kidnapper is...

Directed by Neema Barnette, the second film in Pastor Td Jakes' Woman Thou Art Loosed! series sub-titled On The Seventh Day, stars Blair Underwood, Sharon Leal, Nicole Beharie, and Pam Grier. On the 7th, which premiered at the Pan African Film Festival early this year, will released on DVD/VOD September 4. The film had a limited theatrical release - a first through CodeBlack and its partnership with AMC theaters back in April, and grossed around $1,213,128 domestically. To recap, the film centers on a husband and wife who find themselves in the midst of a crisis, when their young daughter is kidnapped. The kidnapper is supposedly a serial killer who murders his victims...

Each Tuesday, Indiewire publishes a box office chart that sorts the final weekend numbers of all specialty releases by per-theater average.  Check out the full chart here, but here's some highlights: Top Per-Theater Average: "Here" (Strand Releasing) Braden King's Sundance 2011 alum "Here" also made a debut on a single New York screen, and managed the best per-theater-average of any film in release: $7,927. While not a spectacular number for a one screen debut, it beat out "Hit So Hard" and "How To Grow a Band," which also had exclusive beginnings. Best Debut: "Woman Thou Art Loosed! On The 7th Day" (CodeBlack) Following the massive success of last year's stand-up comedy doc "Kevin Hart: Laugh at My Pain," CodeBlack Entertainment has another hit on its hands with Neema Barnette's "Woman Thou Art Loosed!: On the 7th Day." Starring Blair Underwood and Sharon Leal as a couple...

This weekend marked the release of Bishop T.D. Jakes' latest motion picture, "Woman Thou Art Loosed!: On the 7th Day," starring Blair Underwood, Sharon Leal, Nicole Beharie and Emmy Award nominee Pam Grier. Shot in New Orleans in less than a month, the film depicts a happy couple whose lives are turned upside down when they have only a week to rescue their 6-year-old daughter from abductors.

The making of the Neema Barnette-directed suspense thriller was an artistic process that began in Los Angeles, according to Leal.

"We kind of went scene by scene and broke everything down, got all the ideas of what we needed to tweak and elevate," Leal recently explained to The Huffington Post. "And that process continued throughout the film. I think one of the great liberties that you have when you're doing an independent film is really to approach it in a artistic,...

The overwhelming winner amidst a slew of specialty debuts this weekend was Neema Barnette's "Woman Thou Art Loosed!: On the 7th Day." According to estimates provided by Rentrak earlier today, "Loosed" managed to find the best per-theater-average of any film in release, including studio chart topper "The Hunger Games." Also of note this weekend was a respectable debut from Oscar-nominated foreign language film "Monsieur Lazhar" and impressive expansions care of "The Raid: Redemption" and "Bully" -- which headed to 158 screens across the country this weekend with a new PG-13 rating. Check out the full rundown below: The Debuts: "Woman Thou Art Loosed!: On The 7th Day" (CodeBlack Entertainment) Following the massive success of last year's stand-up comedy doc "Kevin Hart: Laugh at My Pain," CodeBlack Entertainment has another hit on its hands with Neema Barnette's "Woman...

After changing its director and its title, Gotti: In the Shadow of My Father is getting ready to roll cameras this coming January, and it may do so with a rising star in a major role. As ShowBiz411 (via ThePlaylist) has heard, Captain America and The Devil’s Double actor Dominic Cooper is now rumored to be playing the son of John Travolta‘s John Gotti, in the role of John Gotti Jr.

People are already pointing out that he has no real resemblance to the actual man, who also happens to be a producer on the movie, but the guy is talented enough where I wouldn’t consider it to be a real problem — not only that, but he knows this kind of part. This Friday, in fact, he’ll be seen as Uday “Son of Saddam” Hussein in The Devil’s Double; there would definitely be an interesting...

Check out the movie trailer and poster for Heaven Aint' Hard to Find, directed by Neema Barnette (All You've Got, Super Sweet 16: The Movie). The film stars Clifton Powell (Army Wives, Ray, Friday After Next), Kym Whitley (The Parkers, The Boondocks, Transformers 3), Andre Pitre (Love In The Nick Of Tyme) and Tasha Taylor (One World, Strip Mall). Heaven Ain't Hard to Find Synopsis: When a troubled young man on the run from the law (Pitre) who stumbles upon a beautiful young woman (Whitley) and three eccentric sanctified spirits trying to save the First Greater Saint New Mount Pilgrim Baptist Church from a land developer, anything can and does happen in a soulful new urban drama. Together, using prayer to turn a house into a home, they restore the church to its former glory and place in the heart of the black community...

Check out the movie trailer and poster for Heaven Aint' Hard to Find, directed by Neema Barnette (All You've Got, Super Sweet 16: The Movie). The film stars Clifton Powell (Army Wives, Ray, Friday After Next), Kym Whitley (The Parkers, The Boondocks, Transformers 3), Andre Pitre (Love In The Nick Of Tyme) and Tasha Taylor (One World, Strip Mall). Heaven Ain't Hard to Find Synopsis: When a troubled young man on the run from the law (Pitre) who stumbles upon a beautiful young woman (Whitley) and three eccentric sanctified spirits trying to save the First Greater Saint New Mount Pilgrim Baptist Church from a land developer, anything can and does happen in a soulful new urban drama. Together, using prayer to turn a house into a home, they restore the church to its former glory and place in the heart of the black community...

HollywoodNews.com: The Cast of David Fincher’s “The Social Network,” which include Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake, Armie Hammer, Max Minghella, Josh Pence, Brenda Song, Rashida Jones, Douglas Urbanski and Rooney Mara, were recognized at the Hollywood Awards Gala Ceremony with the “Hollywood Ensemble Acting Award.”

About Jesse Eisenberg

Trained in theater and film, Jesse Eisenberg (Mark Zuckerberg) made his feature film debut in the 2002 independent film “Rodger Dodger,” in which he starred opposite Campbell Scott and for which he was nominated for a Gotham Award.

For his performance in “The Squid and the Whale” opposite Laura Linney and Jeff Daniels, Eisenberg received nominations for an Independent Spirit Award and a Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor.

In 2009, he starred in “Adventureland” for director Greg Mottola and in “Zombieland” for director Ruben Fleischer. For these films, he was nominated for a BAFTA Award. Eisenberg has...

HollywoodNews.com: The 14th Annual Hollywood Film Festival and Hollywood Awards, presented by Starz, are pleased to announce that the Cast of David Fincher’s “The Social Network,” Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield, Justin Timberlake, Armie Hammer, Max Minghella, Josh Pence, Brenda Song, Rashida Jones, Douglas Urbanski and Rooney Mara, will be recognized at the Hollywood Awards Gala Ceremony with the “Hollywood Ensemble Acting Award.”

Previously announced honorees for this year’s Hollywood Awards Gala include: Sean Penn for the “Humanitarian Award”; Sylvester Stallone for the “Career Achievement Award”; Annette Bening for the “Actress Award”; Robert Duvall for the “Actor Award”; Helena Bonham Carter for the “Supporting Actress Award”; Sam Rockwell for the “Supporting Actor Award”; Zach Galifianakis for the “Comedy Actor Award”; Andrew Garfield for the “Breakthrough Actor Award”; Mia Wasikowska for the “Breakthrough Actress Award”; Jennifer Lawrence for the “New Hollywood Award”; Morgan Freeman and Lori McCreary for the...