American Black Film Festival Presents Vanessa Williams Starring in Liberty Artists, 'My Brother' and Sets New Industry Trend With Films Focused on African American Audiences
Liberty Artists, a New York-based film company has decided to take a different route and provide substantive, meaningful family oriented films using African American and other minority experiences as its central subject matter. Their first feature film, MY BROTHER, starring Vanessa L. Williams (UPN's South Beach and Ugly Betty), Nashawn Kearse (ABC's Desperate Housewives), and Tatum O'Neal (Dancing With The Stars), written and directed by the renowned award-winning Director Anthony Lover, will be released September 2006. The American Black Film Festival will premier, MY BROTHER, Saturday, July 22, 2006 at 2:00pm at The Regal Cinemas in Miami, Florida.
My Brother is a unique, compelling story about two underprivileged brothers from Brooklyn, New York, their quest to develop as young men, and retain their commitment to one another. One brother, James (played old and young by Christopher Scott and Donovan Jennings), is developmentally disabled, but functional. Their mother L'Tisha (Vanessa L. Williams) helps forge a bond between the brothers that neither time nor distance can break. Her efforts are proven as we watch the boys overcome impossible odds on their way to adulthood, illustrating the tag line, "Two Brothers, One Soul." Christopher Scott will receive the "Courage Award - They said it could not be done" honor from L.Marilyn Crawford, President and CEO, Primetime and Founder of Pre-Oscar Week Tinseltown to Gotham.
Writer-Director Anthony Lover states, "For a long time I have watched the industry spiral down, promoting misogynist lyrics, negativism, sex and violence only. I knew there existed an audience who could appreciate a film that emphasized and celebrated the positive influences in the minority and urban culture communities." Fortunately, the company's backers felt the same way. Liberty Artists has pledged to produce two films per year over the next three years and has stepped to the table with the right formula for growth, impact and inspiration.
"The bottom line is, once this is a proven business investment, everyone will jump on the wagon creating masterpieces that reflect the magnitude of the African American experience. We have set the ball in motion for a positive change in movie trends, which hopefully will spill over into music and other avenues," says Greg Segal, Vice President of Liberty Studios.
Liberty Artists is a film company on the verge of releasing a new and needed concept to the film industry: Heart-felt, family oriented films that use the African American experience as its subject matter. The film company is also focused internally on creating screenplays as well as commissioning and supervising additional screenwriters and directors to develop stories that are strategically tailor-made to appeal to the African American market and to larger cross over markets beyond. Also to its credit, Liberty Artists' lower budgeted productions will have the look and sound of well-made Hollywood films.
Source: Liberty Artists
