Latest news with #LoveJones
Forbes
10 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Filmmaker Sixx King Makes History With His Independent Film, ‘JONESING: When Love Is A Habit'
Filmmaker and cast of JONESING: When Love Is a Habit' Filmmaker, director, and cultural icon Sixx King's new film 'JONESING: When Love Is a Habit' provides a fresh perspective to Black love narratives in cinema with this enchanting yet relatable sequel to Love Jones. Not only has the film already received rave reviews ahead of its June 27 release for its deeply personal and captivating storyline and sublime cast and acting, but the independent film is also making history by being entirely self-financed and nationally distributed. This becomes even more historic when considering this is a Black film directed by a Black film director. As the founder of Sixx Degrees Media, Sixx King has established himself as a visionary and pioneering force in the multi-media industry. King began his career in Philadelphia working with Grammy Award-winning musician James Mtume. He then built an empire producing music videos for multi-platinum recording artists before transforming the streaming industry in 2006. The multi-media vanguard is now channeling his creative vision into telling authentic stories of Black love through independent filmmaking. In Jonesing, King paints a beautifully interwoven story about how love becomes a habit shared between generations that shapes how we connect with ourselves and others. Cast of 'JONESING: When Love Is a Habit.' King says the impetus to recreate the 1997 cult classic Love Jones was to continue the addictive love story between Darius Lovehall (played by Larenz Tate) and Nina Mosely (played by Nia Long) and share narratives of Black love. 'It's important to tell the stories that I am telling because we have to be the author of our stories,' explains King. 'There's a reason why there are more dysfunctional shows in Black spaces than there are shows that really tell a story of beauty and love and peace and happiness. So, if we want a different narrative, we have to be the author.' Sixx King is also using Jonesing as a vehicle to preserve culture and art through independent filmmaking -- breaking the seal to barriers and making history while doing so. Out of the tens of thousands of independent films made each year, less than 1% of those films receive nationwide theatrical distribution. For Black filmmakers, that number is even smaller. More specifically, most Black films are funneled into the festival circuit or sold to streaming services before reaching a movie screen. Even more so, less than 1% of all films released in the U.S. each year are directed by Black filmmakers. Of that number, only a fraction are independently financed and still manage to secure nationwide theatrical distribution—with no studio or streaming platform behind them – until Jonesing broke this barrier. To better contextualize the historical significance of this film, we can look to other renowned Black filmmakers such as Spike Lee and Ava Duvernay. For instance, in 2012, Ava Duvernay released Middle of Nowhere, which was self-distributed but had a limited domestic release. Similarly, Spike Lee's She's Gotta Have It was indie-produced but ultimately picked up for distribution by a larger distribution company. This is due to the narrow percentage of Black filmmakers who have been given the space to make and distribute films in the theatre. Overall, most films are financed or co-financed by major studios or streamers such as Sony Pictures, Disney, Netflix, HULU, and Amazon, which gives movie and production studios and streaming platforms control over marketing, exhibition access, and theater relationships. Sixx says that the sacrifice he made for Jonseing to be completely independently financed and distributed was a labor of love that was by no means easy but necessary to continue his vision to authentically share stories of Black love, success, triumph, and joy. His mission was not economically driven but motivated by his deep desire to share authentic narratives and turn them into art, and he felt the only way he could do that was by making history—independently. Official poster for 'JONESING: When Love Is a Habit.'
Miami Herald
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
‘We're not monolithic:' Nia Long, Larenz Tate reflect on Love Jones, Black films
Still shots from the film 'Love Jones' displayed on the screens Saturday inside the New World Center in South Beach as scores of people danced to the sounds of Cameo, Strafe and a host of R&B favorites before transitioning into the romcom soundtrack. With sultry sounds of the 'The Sweetest Thing' filling the room, Nia Long and Larenz Tate sauntered into the room, almost floating, with matching white outfits and black shades before the pair essentially picked up where they left off as if we were seeing Darius Lovehall (Tate) and Nina Mosely (Long) continue their story in the iconic film. It was that magnetic chemistry between the two long-time friends that flowed into their conversation with Access Hollywood reporter Scott Evans, discussing their bond, the chemistry behind the iconic film, some of the challenges they faced and the importance of showcasing Black love on screen. 'It's very easy to kiss these lips,' Long said, complimenting co-star Tate, eliciting laughs and cheers from the crowd. The duo's history with ABFF dates back to its inception, when they were honored at the first festival. At that time, as Evans told the audience, ABFF founder Jeff Friday was at Sundance when he saw Love Jones win the Audience Award. 'I remember meeting Jeff, and what I remembered is I hadn't seen anyone so excited about Black films, Black people who wasn't a filmmaker,' Long said, as an image of her at her first ABFF showed. 'It was such a beautiful thing to see.' 'This is a place that nurtures, inspires and loves on us,' she added. RELATED: Larenz Tate comes to Miami to talk about 'Love Jones' But for as much as the film is a cult classic, it was deemed a flop by industry standards, Long underscored, having had a budget of $7 million yet only earning north of $12 million during its original release. It remains the only film from director Theodore Witcher. 'We still had to prove to studios that black love was important,' she said. 'We still had to prove that Black people could come and support us, not in killing each other or in gang violence.' Long said she doesn't knock those films – she and Tate have starred in 'Boyz N The Hood' and 'Menace to Society' respectively – but emphasized 'the core of who we are when we take care of each other is love.' Tate noted the film also didn't have the best marketing and oftentimes decision makers didn't look like them. 'We didn't have a Jeff and Nicole Friday that would understand, because they know us, they know the audience,' he said. 'We didn't have that advantage.' Still, he said, it opened doors for the breadth of Blackness to be shown in films such as 'Soul Food' and 'The Best Man.' 'We're not monolithic,' he said. 'We have a story to tell.' READ: Black Film Festival spotlights Black storytelling with a made-in-Miami film One scene that helps fuel that is when Darius, played by Tate, is speaking with his friend Savon, played by Isaiah Washington, and tells him that Nina could be 'the one.' 'It's an example of Black men being vulnerable,' Tate said. 'You got a chance to see vulnerability from us and you didn't get a chance to see that often.' Perhaps the most palpable experience from the film is the chemistry between the Long, Tate and their co-stars and the desire to stay in the moment to hold the audience's attention. Such was the case when Long got her hair wet at the end of the film against her wishes. 'I didn't want to take the audience out of the moment,' she said. But beyond their on set chemistry, Long said Tate made her feel comfortable on set even after breaking the ice with a kiss during some rehearsal time before they began filming. Long of course obliged him as he went 'whole tongue.' Still, she said Tate made her feel comfortable on set, doting on the gentlemen that he and his brothers, Larron and Lahmard, are. 'For Black women, the most important thing for us is to feel safe,' she said. 'He made me feel safe.' That respect was particularly needed when Nia had to confront a director of photography who spoke to her crudely between takes during an intimate scene with Tate. 'He said, 'Nia, can you move your ass over to the right?'' Long said. She swiftly shot back: ''This is not a…porn,'' Tate recalled. 'Always have empathy for the artist,' Long said. 'Treat the actor with respect and treat the woman with respect.' As for where their characters might be in 2025, Tate said they're soulmates: 'Whether they're together, not together…they haven't forgotten each other.' Long said Nina and Darius have a connectedness: 'You can still live and love each other exactly where you are and you're still connected,' she said. 'And you know, at some point in time you can circle the block and it's still going to be good.'
CBS News
28-02-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
Malik Yusef's passion for spoken word leads him to overcome formidable struggles
Malik Yusef overcame a mountain of challenges that for many might seem insurmountable — disabilities, poverty, violence, gangs — propelled by his love of poetry. That passion set the Chicago spoken word artist on a path to award-winning success, and now, the chance to help others have that success too. For Yusef, the art of spoken word flows with ease. This is an excerpt from his poem, "If Roses Came in Black:" "If roses came in black, that is exactly what you'd be. Reborn every spring throughout eternity "And if a single black swan could swim in a lake and watching her take flight, your heart just might break "And if the sun could shine a twilight and warm the earth at midnight, it would be in very special honor of you." Yusef uses his poetry to tell his truth of love, pain, and triumph. It is a passion he has had for decades, after leaving gangs and his internal battles behind to become a Grammy Award-winning artist. "I'm very blessed to be able to be a blessing to people," said Yusef. Yusef grew up on Chicago's South Side, in the three-digit east-west streets of Roseland. The infamous neighborhood is known as the Wild 100s. Yusef has autism and dyslexia. "I also stuttered, so that was even more exasperating," he said. Yusef said all this made it difficult to connect with his mother. "Family life was tumultuous," he said. So Yusef turned to the Blackstone Rangers gang to create his own version of community. "It's volatile — destruction and bad acting," he said. But Yusef said he saw something better for himself — and his love of poetry and music ended up being his way out. A friend pushed him to perform a poem at an open mic at the iconic Green Mill Lounge, at 4802 N. Broadway in the Uptown neighborhood. Yusef explained spoken word and where it came from. "Spoken word is ancient. It's Griotism. It's how people pass down information throughout generations — and they made it catchy," Yusef said. "It's music without singing — a form of rhythmic poetry made for the ear, not so much the eye." Yusef's performance caught the attention of other artists and the media. "It just literally catapulted everything," he said. A movie director working on the now-cult classic "Love Jones" asked Yusef to show his poetry performance style to actors Larenz Tate and Nia Long. It led to a pivotal scene in the movie in which Tate performs spoken word himself. Soon, Yusef was working with Common, Chance the Rapper, Jay-Z, John Legend, The Weeknd, Fall Out Boy, Drake, Jennifer Hudson, and Adam Levine. He even cowrote "Sandcastles" for Beyoncé. "Beyoncé singing a song that I wrote with my daughters in the backseat of my truck — it still feels like a fantasy," Yusef said. Yusef now sees every word as a chance to reach people at their highest and lowest moments. "I'm always trying to present a looking glass of people who suffer from depression, and anxiety, and substance abuse, and childhood abuse, and so on and so forth," he said. "I'm always trying to use my words — and also to entertain as well, to make people feel good and sexy and make them laugh." Out of the recording booth and off the set, Yusef created the mentoring program "Bad Kids Camp" to help other artists chase their dreams — and to embrace what makes them feel beautiful and talented. That goes for every race and ethnicity. But Yusef also knows he often has a very specific audience in mind — one that mirrors his own life as a Black child with untapped, incredible potential on Chicago's South Side. "Maybe one day, we will see Black as beautiful, and as beautiful as Black is — and not be just as Black, but as Black as you can be," Yusef delivered in pensive poetry, "maybe just be Black like me." Malik has been nominated for 44 Grammy awards, winning for collaborations eight times. He has also created solo albums, and hopes to win for one of them.
