For Freedom Day 2023, we’re featuring black TV shows and movies for your viewing pleasure.
Credit: Albina Lavrentyeva/Getty
Considering Juneteenth is now a federal holiday, it’s a well-deserved day of leisure where you can watch a myriad of programming ranging from factual documentaries to drama and comedy series.
With that in mind, we’ve put together a list of things to watch for your viewing pleasure.
A star is Xernona Clayton: A Life in Black and White.
Airing on Bounce, the exclusive new documentary celebrates the life of a civil rights icon and a black trailblazer who doesn’t deserve it.
Described as an “elegant walk” in the life of Xernona Clayton, the doc will detail her work with Martin Luther King and Coretta Scott King via her pioneering broadcasting career with Ted Turner. He will also tell the story of his founding of the Trumpet Awards which were acquired by Bounce in 2016 and continue to this day.
Whether it’s becoming the first black woman in the South to have her own TV show, helping to write the plan to desegregate Southern hospitals, or even convincing a KKK Grand Dragon to give up her job. , the life of the pioneer is explored and the doc has special features. guests including Ambassador Andrew Young, Martin Luther King III, Pamela Poitier, Tom Johnson, Pat Mitchell. Senator Raphael Warnock, Emmitt Smith and Tip “TI” Harris.
Xernona Clayton: A Life in Black and White is the centerpiece of Bounce TV’s Juneteenth lineup, premiering on Bounce on Mondays, June 19, at 9 p.m. ET / 8 p.m. CT.
Tap the flip to learn more.
“Expressions of Black Freedom”
The TRIBECA FESTIVAL shares highlights of black programming this year, titled “Expressions of Black Freedom.
Sponsored by Indeed, it’s an evolution of the Festival’s Juneteenth lineup that gives a curated look at stories that embody what it means to be free. A press release notes that this year’s theme is black music, which ties into the festival-wide celebration of the 50th anniversary of hip-hop.
The full “Expressions of Black Freedom” program combines films, immersive experiences, panels and events you can watch through Tribeca at home, available exclusively online as well as on Apple TV (@appletv), Amazon (@primevideo ) and Roku (@rokuplayer).
THE BUILDING
Seven black friends gather in a cabin in the woods to celebrate Juneteenth. They burst into friendly banter upon arrival, referencing old jokes as if they just saw each other yesterday. But as night falls, things start to go wrong at the quaint cabin. The lights go out and a masked archer stalks them from outside. Once they’re trapped in a room, the group must play the ultimate game: find out who among them is the darkest, or they’ll all die. So who exactly is the darkest of them all? And who will spend the night?
GLORIA GAYNOR: I WILL SURVIVE
Gloria Gaynor cemented her place in popular culture forever with the disco classic “I Will Survive.” In the four decades since, her career has been stalled by health issues, as well as abuse and mismanagement by her ex-husband. Yet, in keeping with the title of her most famous song, Gaynor struggles to move forward as she works to release a new gospel album in her 60s.
HOW STELLA GOT HER GROOVE BACK
Through good times and bad, Stella (Angela Bassett) and Delilah (Whoopi Goldberg) have always had each other. Now Stella is so busy building a life that she has forgotten to really live. But Delilah is about to change all that. What begins with a quick trip to Jamaica ends with an exhilarating journey of self-discovery as Stella learns to open her heart and find love, even if it’s with a man 20 years her junior. Directed by Kevin Rodney Sullivan. Written by Terry McMillan, Ron Bass. Produced by Deborah Schindler. With Angela Bassett, Taye Diggs, Whoopi Goldberg, Regina King. A 20th Century Fox release.
INVISIBLE BEAUTY
2019 Halston director Frédéric Tcheng returns to Tribeca with another documentary about a titan of the fashion world: co-director Bethann Hardison. Featuring in-depth interviews with Hardison herself, Invisible Beauty is an elegant account of the life and career of the model-turned-fashion-industry insider, culminating in her tireless advocacy for more diversity both on the track and off.
FOR KHADIJA: FRENCH MONTANA
French Montana is many things, including an entrepreneur and a Grammy-nominated rapper. But what did it take for a starving talent from Africa to reach such heights? The Moroccan-born, New York-born, multi-platinum artist behind hits like Pop That, Unforgettable and No Stylist gives us a deeper look through his lens. This global showcase offers views of French we haven’t seen, including the unbreakable bond he shares with his single mother, Khadija.
LOST SOUL
Sol (Save Sidle) is an aspiring young rapper living with his best friend Wesley (Siyanda Stillwell), whose family adopted him as a sibling. After a loud night causes Wesley to overdose, Sol abandons him at a house party and ultimately chooses to leave home for good and join a group of touring hip-hop artists. As they travel across Texas to create and perform, he discovers who he is as an artist and a person.
MELODY OF LOVE
Dressed in skinny jeans and a leather jacket, with his electric guitar strapped to his back, jazz musician Michael (Elijah Reid) cuts an effortlessly cool figure as he moves through the streets of Addis -Ababa. Playing in the nightclubs of his beloved city and excited by the promise of an upcoming tour, Michael is quite the working musician. When his mother asks him to join her in Brussels, the guitarist falls into deep existential dread at the thought of leaving and becoming part of the diaspora in a continent defined by its history of white rights and abuse. Michael sets out to say goodbye to his loved ones, enjoying the simple pleasures of the city one last time. He comes to find a deeper purpose and groundbreaking raison d’être in this jazzy, intimate look at the emotional toll of colonialism and the forced displacement at its cruel core.
JACK’S NEW TOWN
New Jack City, (USA). Wesley Snipes stars in this gritty film based on a chilling real world as Nino Brown, an American success story – with a twist. He is young, handsome, intelligent, wealthy, successful and prominent in his community. But Nino Brown is a big drug lord. Determined to put an end to the ruthless evil of Nino’s drug empire, two resourceful cops will stop at nothing to destroy his organization. Directed by Mario Van Peebles. Written by Thomas Lee Wright, Barry Michael Cooper. Produced by George Jackson, Doug McHenry. With Wesley Snipes, Ice-T, Mario Van Peebles, Judd Nelson. A Warner Brothers release.
We’re live in New Jack City! The panel starts now pic.twitter.com/2C0njzOU9q
— Tribeca (@Tribeca) June 18, 2023
PLANET B-BOY
A hard-hitting documentary about the dynamic global resurgence of break-dancing, Planet B-Boy delves into underground hip-hop dance scenes around the world.