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https://blackgirlnerds.com/abff-announces-its-2022-official-film-selections/

The 2022 American Black Film Festival (ABFF) today announced its lineup of narrative and documentary features, and web series. This year’s festival format returns as a hybrid with live events June 15-19 in Miami, Fl., followed by virtual panels and screenings June 20-30 on the festival’s custom-built online platform ABFF PLAY (https://abffplay.com/). 

The Features program includes Narrative competitions (U.S. and international), World Premieres and first-time directors representing a diverse group of independent filmmakers from around the globe. The lineup offers a mixture of thought-provoking, entertaining and authentic stories that uplift and highlight Black culture.  

The festival opens with the documentary CIVIL, an intimate vérité look at the life of maverick civil rights attorney Ben Crump. Considered a trailblazer of his field, “CIVIL” gives viewers an inside look at Crump’s mission to raise the value of Black life.  As the civil lawyer for the families of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Black farmers and banking while Black victims, Crump challenges America to come to terms with what it owes his clients. The film is directed and produced by award-winning filmmaker Nadia Hallgren (Becoming, After Maria, The Show). Produced by Kenya Barris, Roger Ross Williams and Lauren Cioffi. The Netflix release of CIVIL will premiere on Juneteenth (June 19) this year.  

“We are thrilled to open the festival with CIVIL, a timely documentary bringing light to issues of social justice and equity in America,” said Nicole Friday, festival producer and president of ABFF Ventures LLC. “We’ve curated an entertaining and thought-provoking lineup of features, documentaries and web series and I am so excited to share our content with a live audience again.” 

Universally considered the premiere festival for Black storytellers and storytelling, ABFF presents a wide range of independent films, studio and network previews, a series of talk events, master classes, live entertainment and more. The festival continues to spotlight talent both in front of and behind the camera and provide a platform for emerging artists to tell their stories. 

The full feature, documentary and web series lineup is listed below and here https://www.abff.com/miami/2022-screenings/narrative-features/. Finalists for the HBO Short Film Award presented by Warner Bros. Discovery and HBO will be announced at a later date. For more updates on the complete list of programming of the 2022 American Black Film Festival, in the coming week, follow us. #ABFF2022 @ABFF on Twitter, @AmericanBlackFilmFestival on Instagram, Facebook and at https://www.abff.com/miami/ 

NARRATIVE FEATURES(U.S. & International) 

A competitive section for U.S. and international feature-length films directed by or written and produced by persons of African descent. Films in this category are eligible to be nominated to compete for the following Jury Awards – Best Director (presented by Cadillac, $5,000 cash prize), Best Narrative Feature (presented by Sony, $2,500 cash prize), and Best Screenplay (presented by TV One, $2,500 cash prize). In addition, if a person of African descent has directed a film in this section and it is their first feature, they will be 

eligible to compete for the John Singleton Award for Best First Feature (presented by Netflix, $5,000 cash prize). The following films represent the 2022 official selections in the Narrative Features category: 

Between Sins *World Premiere

Faced with the responsibilities of an ill mother and estranged daughter, Coy searches for redemption for past sins while trying to avoid the pitfalls that could lead to repeating them. 

USA | 83 min 

Director: Carlos Miller  

Writer: Carlos Miller 

Producers: Tyler Cheatham, Carlos Gonzalez, Carlos Miller 

Cast: George Taylor, Rigoberto Duval, Carolyn Johnson, Skyla Rain Rowe, Angela Kohn  

Bite of a Mango *World Premiere 

2020 comes with enough challenges of its own, but as four best friends each attempt to overcome their own trying situations, they are left unsure if the group can survive.  

CANADA | 98 min                                                                                                               

Director: Ron Dias                                                                                                     

Writers: Joanne Jansen, Ron Dias                                                                                                

Producers: Joanne Jansen, Ron Dias                                                                                                                      

Cast: Jayne Kamara, Ryan Rosery, Orville Cummings, Nathan Taylor                                    

Escaping Paradise *World Premiere

A young couples’ anniversary trip turns deadly in a foreign land. 

PHILIPPINES | 91 min 

Director: Paul Tanter 

Writer: Deji LaRay 

Producers: Thomas Q. Jones, Deji LaRay, DeNorvious Pickett 

Cast: Deji LaRay, Simon Phillips, Shayla Hale 

Feel Like Ghosts *World Premiere

Two recent exes with an undeniable connection confront what could have been if their  

cultural differences hadn’t pushed them to new lives on opposite coasts. 

USA | 100 min 

Director: Kali Baker-Johnson 

Writer: Kali Baker-Johnson 

Producer: Lola Ridgell 

Cast: Nican Robinson, Misha Molani 

God of Dreams *U.S. Festival Premiere

Welcome to the future, where dreaming is Illegal. 

USA | 104 min 

Director: Jurian Isabelle 

Writer: Jurian Isabelle 

Producers: Jurian Isabelle, Joe Langford 

Cast: Ann Nesby, Julia Reilly, Jessie Reeder, Keshawn Pettigrew, Omar Cook 

Our Father, the Devil 

An African immigrant’s quiet life in a small French town is upended by the arrival of a charismatic Catholic priest, whom she recognizes as the warlord who slaughtered her  

family. 

USA | FRANCE | 108 min 

Director: Ellie Foumbi  

Writer: Ellie Foumbi 

Producers: Ellie Foumbi, Joseph Mastantuono 

Cast: Babetida Sadjo, Souleymane Sy Savané, Jennifer Tchiakpe 

Scheme Queens *World Premiere

Four friends who are down on their luck decide to rob a ruthless Rastafarian jewel thief by conning his second in command.  

USA | 94 min 

Director: Cas Sigers Beedles 

Writer: Cas Sigers Beedles 

Producers: Cas Sigers Beedles, Ernestine Johnson 

Cast:  B. Simone, Ernestine Johnson, Brii Reneé, Jacky Oh 

Survival 

A car-jacked mother and entrepreneur is forced to bond with her violent assailant in order  

to escape. 

USA | 90 min 

Director: Damon Jamal 

Writers: Damon Jamal, Dave Eisenstark 

Producers: Leah Daniels Butler, Henry Black Butler, Damone Smith, Damon Jamal 

Cast: Elise Neal, Demetrius Grosse, Dylan McNamara, Miguel A. Nuñez Jr. 

The Threesome *World Premiere

A sex comedy told in three ways. 

USA | 92 min 

Director: Jamal Dedeaux 

Writer: Jamal Dedeaux 

Producers: Jaleel Ghafur, Rebecca Haze, Jamal Dedeaux 

Cast: Andrea Lewis, Brittany S. Hall, Jerrel O’Neal 

You Married Dat 

Two happy brides, one dead guy! 

USA | 114 min 

Director: Dame Pierre 

Writers: Byron Manuel, Curtis L. Ellison Jr., Tarek Abdelkhalig 

Producers: Timothy Christian, Sherah Rider, Elijah Kelley 

Cast: Juhahn Jones, Apryl Jones, LisaRaye, Audra Kinkead, Michael Colyar 

DOCUMENTARY FEATURES 

A competitive section for nonfiction feature films directed by persons of African descent or centered on the culture and experiences of persons of African descent. Films in this  

category are eligible to be nominated to compete for the Jury Award for Best Documentary (presented by Amazon, $2,500 cash prize). The following films represent the 2022 official selections in the Documentary Features category: 

A Woman on the Outside 

Kristal is a young, ambitious Philadelphian driven to keep families connected to their incarcerated loved ones. But when her father and brother return from prison, she confronts the ultimate question: can she reunite her own family?  

USA | 85 min 

Directors: Zara Katz, Lisa Riordan Seville 

Writer: Kiara C. Jones 

Producers: Kiara C. Jones, Zara Katz, Lisa Riordan Seville 

Cast: Kristal Bush, Nyvae Scott, Kristal Speaks 

American Immigrants *World Premiere 

Being homeless is an experience not a person. 

USA | 60 min 

Director: Ken Miles 

Writer: Ken Miles
Producer: Ken Miles 

Cast: Jorge Colina, Nathan White 

Black As U R: a micheal rice film 

Micheal Rice’s kaleidoscopic journey through the fault lines of race, gender and 

sexuality in America. 

USA | 87 min 

Director: Micheal Rice 

Writer: Micheal Rice 

Producer: Edward Radford 

Executive Producers: Micheal Rice, Gerald Oxford 

Cast: Micheal Rice, Dr. Charlene Sinclair, Michael Roberson  

Blind Eye Artist  *World Premiere 

The origin story of painter Justin Wadlington, blind in his left eye.  

USA | 76 min 

Director: Ashwin Chaudhary 

Producers: Ashwin Chaudhary, Jonathan Korn, Justin Wadlington 

Cast: Justin Wadlington, Glenn Fuhrman 

Drowning in Silence 

A mother goes on a healing journey to investigate the silent epidemic of childhood  

drowning after losing her son. 

USA | 81 min 

Director: Chezik Tsunoda 

Writers: Chezik Tsunoda, Claire Ave’Lallemant 

Producers: Hill Harper, Joe Beshenkovsky, Chezik Tsunod 

Let The Church Say *World Premiere 

In a time of racial upheaval and a multitude of woes affecting marginalized communities, a young African American filmmaker journeys to the heart of the Black experience to find the answer to a daunting question: Is the Black church dead? 

USA | 70 min 

Director: Rafiq J Nabali 

Writer: Rafiq J Nabali 

Producers: Joe Howell, Nancy Howard, Danielle Nebeliuk 

Cast: Jekalyn Carr, Dr. Teresa Fry Brown, Dr. Walter Fluker, Darlene McCoy 

Lovely Jackson *World Premiere 

America’s longest wrongfully held exonerated prisoner, Rickey Jackson, returns to the prison where his 39-year journey of survival began and guides his younger self from death row to freedom. 

USA | 104 min 

Director: Matt Waldeck 

Writers: Rickey Jackson, Matt Waldeck 

Producers: Rickey Jackson, Matt Waldeck, Jillian Wolstein, Ben Hecht, Travis Killian 

Cast: Rickey Jackson, Edward Vernon, Pr. Anthony Singleton, Mario Beverly, Devito Parker Jr. 

The Young Vote *World Premiere 

Filmmaker Diane Robinson follows a diverse group of students and activists during the 2020 election to understand young peoples’ perceptions of voting and civic engagement. 

USA | 67 min 

Director: Diane Robinson 

Writer: Diane Robinson 

Producer: Diane Robinson 

Cast: Ariana Tulay, Dariel Cruz Rodriguez, Elena Ashburn, Liz Magallanes, Sophia DeLoretto-Chudy, John King, Bradley Tusk, Jeremy Gruber 

WEB SERIES 

A competitive section for short-form episodic television directed by or produced and written by persons of African descent. Each series in this section will compete for the Jury Award for Best Web Series (presented by Comcast NBCUniversal, $2,500 cash prize). The following are the 2022 official selections in the Web Series category: 

Bourn Kind: The Tiny Kindness Project 

A Black/Jewish artist creates a project of kindness to celebrate connection in his community. 

USA | 12 min 

Director: Rachel Myers 

Writer: Rachel Myers 

Producer: Tamika Lamison, Connie Jo Sechrist, Rachel Myers 

Cast: Bourn Rich

Dreamers 

The zany misadventures of two sisters navigating the ups and downs of life, as artists, in the wild and unpredictable streets of La La Land.  

USA | 7:30 min 

Director: Kimberly Dooley   

Writer: Kimberly Dooley  

Producer: Kimberly Dooley 

Cast: Kimberly Dooley, Dayna Dooley 

I am Mara *World Premiere

Striving to break free from a life of espionage, murder and destructive family ties, Mara sets out to fabricate a new life for herself, but soon realizes the truth will always reveal itself and all sins must be atoned for. 

USA | 14:33 min 

Directors: Cody Duncum, Demetrius Feaster 

Writers: Candace West, Clarinda D’Cruze 

Producer: Candace West, Demetrius Feaster, Clarinda D’Cruze 

Cast: Candace Kirstin West, Keith Elgin Douglas, Alek President, Jose Navarro, Virginia Elliot, David Chin 

Jonathan’s World *U.S. Festival Premiere

Boy genius sips magical potion causing him to obtain enhanced capabilities. 

USA | 14 min 

Director: Tyler D. Lambert  

Writer: Tyler D. Lambert   

Producer: Tyler D. Lambert  

Cast: Tyler D. Lambert 

Last Name Unknown *World Premiere

Beyond Hope Youth Shelter’s homeless youth beat the odds, and find their place in society.  

USA | 15 min 

Director: Dui Jarrod  

Writer: Dui Jarrod 

Producers: Kevin “Coach K” Lee, Pierre “Pee” Thomas, Dui Jarrod, Chris Hicks, 

David Blackman 

Cast: Chakeefe Gordon, Erika Norrell, Braxton Jordan, Lindsey G. Smith 

Layered, “Stalker” *World Premiere

A series following three black women from Philadelphia, two of them Muslim, trying to break into the media industry while being met with challenges in mental health, faith, and loss due to gun violence. 

USA | 12:57 min 

Director: Zareefa Abdul-Adl 

Writers: Arraiyan DuBose, Aiko Brown, Zareefa Abdul-Adl 

Producers: Aiko Brown, Arraiyan DuBose, Zareefa Abdul-Adl  

Cast: Merceedes White, LaPorscha Rodgers, Aisha Saran 

Little Lawyer *U.S. Festival Premiere

A six-year-old girl with aspirations of being an attorney puts her little brother on trial after she discovers her toy is inoperative. 

USA | 12 min 

Director: Sam Buckner III 

Writer: Sam Buckner III 

Producers: Sam Buckner, Samantha O. Buckner 

Cast: Sophia Dejesus, London Sinead, Wyatt Hinz, Ayani Tamar, Brandon. L Ward,           

Alex Jackson 

Mine 

When the sudden disappearance of water — their main life source — threatens to 

upend a vibrant utopia, an intrepid teen named Blaze must save their community 

before it’s too late. 

USA | 12:30 min 

Directors: Randall Dottin, Luisa Dantas   

Writers: Randall Dottin, Angela Tucker, Paige Wood, Luisa Dantas, Rise-Home Stories  

Project 

Producers: Randall Dottin, Angela Tucker, Paige Wood, Luisa Dantas, 

Rise-Home Stories Project, Anna Lee, Russell Hornsby 

Cast: Russell Hornsby, Denny Dillon, Imani Russell, Kaya Fraites, Sunni Patterson 

The Green Couch (Ep. 2) *World Premiere

Psychologist Dr. Rhemington Lee engages patients in an unwitting experiment of truth as each convene on The Green Couch. 

USA | 14:08 min 

Director: Mirlande Amazan 

Writer: Mirlande Amazan 

Producer: Mirlande Amazan 

Cast: Mirlande Amazan, Antuone Torbert; narrated by Gordon Greene 

The Whippersnappers *World Premiere 

OG, Big Mama and Foegy, aka “The Oldheads,” growing tired of the same routine, decide to use technology to become younger. 

USA | 4:56 min 

Director: Ryan Cole 

Writer: Ryan Cole 

Producer: Ryan Cole 

Cast: Ryan Cole 

ABFF 2022 sponsors and partners to date include Warner Bros. Discovery & HBO® (Founding); Cadillac, City of Miami Beach, Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau (GMCVB), Sony Pictures Entertainment, Prime Video (Presenting); American Airlines, Comcast NBCUniversal, Meta, IMDb (Premier); ALLBLK, Prudential Financial, Variety, TV One, Netflix, Starz, Disney+ (Official); Accenture, Motion Pictures Association (MPA), A&E Indie Films, Springhill Company, The Boston Globe, Color of Change, Confluential Films (Supporting).   

For festival information and to obtain an ABFF pass, visit www.abff.com. Pre-registration closes May 13. Press interested in media credentials to cover ABFF go to https://www.abff.com/miami/press-room/media-credentials/.  

https://blackgirlnerds.com/interview-with-patrina-dixon-financial-expert-and-author-of-it-my-money/

Your business and book are titled It’$ My Money. Why did you decide on that name and what do you want people to think about when they hear it?

It’$ My Money is just that. I want people to think about it — it’s their money. They should want to be the best stewardesses of their money. They should want to know how to treat their money well. How to make their money grow. How to make their money work for them. And how to earn more money passively. The mission is to provide them with the tips, tools, and strategies to do just that.

Being that it’s Financial Literacy Month, what does financial literacy mean to you and why is it important?

It means being educated, being very literate in financial topics so that you can be the best stewardess of your money. I was not financially literate when I was young. If I had been given financial literacy at home or at school, I would have started on my financial journey much sooner. What I understood about money was to go to work, make it, and pay the bills. I didn’t know there were other things to do with your money, to make the same money that you earn. I thought it was the people who grew up with money and inherited things who made the home purchases and did the investing.

You’ve mentioned being a single mother before you were a financial coach and how money was not a part of regular conversations with your daughter.

I kept the money conversation to myself. I didn’t want to burden my daughter with money topics. I was the adult, the one who needed to take care of the finances.

She understood to go to the machine and get the money, but she never understood how to get the money out of the machine. I never went inside the bank with her. She didn’t know that my company directly deposited the money into the account.

Do you feel there is a particular age when people should start receiving financial education?

When we are repetitive about anything in our homes, I think young people pick that up. I know people as little as two and three can repeat words to songs. The way they can do this is because they’re hearing the song over and over again. That’s when we start picking things up. I feel like financial literacy can begin at whatever age that a child is beginning to recite songs. So constantly saying that money is a good thing, saving money is good. The age really depends on the child, when they are able to retain and recite the information. [Dixon also has coloring books on her website to support early financial literacy.]

What are the barriers preventing people from becoming financially independent?

The information is not readily available to people who need it. A lot of people do not know what they don’t know. Some people aren’t great with money because they haven’t been taught how to do so. I think the barrier is being in underserved areas and in environments that don’t provide the information to young people. Young people learn that they must go on to higher education to get a profession that makes a certain amount of money. But they must understand what to do with the money. They have to understand what not to do with the money. You must teach them how to manage the money before they start earning larger sums of money.

You hear a lot on social media about influencers earning six figures. But revenue and how much you made from it are two different numbers. You didn’t see the expenses it took to make it and how much money they have leftover to pay their bills. My mission is to teach people the fundamentals: how to budget, how to track your income versus your expenses, and how to earn more money by doing things you like. You can’t start building a house with a roof.

What would you say to a person that is hesitant to work on their finances?

“Just do it. I’m doing what I’m doing today because my finances were jacked up. If I let that hinder me from trying to learn, I wouldn’t be where I am today. There are a bunch of people in the world who don’t have it all together. There are people who have gotten it right and messed up again. If you’re reading this, know that you’re not alone.”

Dixon further encourages you, the use free sources like her podcast called The Money Exchange or her blog, to help you on your financial journey. Although working with someone like an advisor or coach will help you get where you want faster, there is no excuse for getting started.

How can someone stay on track with their finances?

“Houses are built brick by brick, don’t try to put all the bricks on at the same time on a rainy day. Often people are trying to climb out of debt. If it took you some time to get into debt, it’ll take you some time to get out. Go step by step and stay committed to the process. And once you get it down packed, trust me you’re not going to want the house to fall. So, if you take it brick by brick and understand how your placing each brick and monitoring it before you know it you’ll have a finished product. Don’t compare yourself to others, stay at your own pace. “

What do you hope people gain from reading and using your book?

“I hope you would gain a deeper understanding of the various financial fundamentals. Budgeting, when and how to do so. Where to save and why. I also give information on how to best choose a side hustle. It’s a guide, it’s written in journal format so you can write your answers for what’s best for you. It has a robust glossary so it can help you with some of the terms. You want to fully understand what you’re reading. My goal is for you to pass on what you’ve learned to others or pass the actual book on. Revisit the book regularly to remind yourself of the areas you might not be great at, so you can get the tips again and remind yourself of why you started. “

Any other financial advice you have for our readers?

“Pay yourself first. Automate your savings and forget about it. And that’s the definition of paying yourself first. If you’re reading this and you haven’t started yet, don’t start with $500 every paycheck. Start with $20 and do that across 2 months or 4 months and if that’s not blowing your paycheck, then increase it. Start small, stay consistent, and increase while you go along.”

“The only situation that can place a limitation on your elevation to your destination is procrastination. All you can do is be intentional about the future.”

https://blackgirlnerds.com/cult-classics-con-air-is-straight-boy-camp/

Here’s the thing about reviewing Con Air: it’s impossible to define it in terms of “good” or “bad” filmmaking. 

Take, for instance, its Rotten Tomatoes critics’ score. 55% is about what I’d expect from this film. It so divided critics that there’s apparently an equal amount of goodwill and disgust for this film. Look at the legacy of its soundtrack’s centerpiece, Trisha Yearwood’s version of LeAnn Rimes’s “How Do I Live.” Like the film for which it was penned, the song has a divisive legacy. In 1997 it was nominated for both an Academy Award and a Golden Raspberry for Best Original Song and Worst Original Song respectively. Sadly (?), the song lost in both categories. 

So, no, a typical review will not do for this particular film. What will be more interesting, at least for me, is to figure out why and how this film can seemingly be two things at once: namely, the best action film ever or a prime example of Hollywood’s contempt for basic intelligence. 

Looking at the evidence, I will determine whether or not this film is bad on purpose, or if there’s a reason John Malkovich and John Cusack have all but disowned it. In short, I believe this film is bad to the point of being camp. Not “campy.” Pure, unadulterated “camp.” But unlike the queer-centric camp of old, Con Air is something new, something preposterously fantastic. Con Air, my friends, is straight-boy camp. 

To prove this, however, I’ll first have to define what “camp” is.

In general, as previously stated, camp is generally associated with queer culture — drag, Cher, and the films of John Waters. It is ostentatious and bombastic. It’s so bad that it’s good. In a New York Times interview, “Notes on ‘Camp’” author Susan Sontag describes a campy mood as one that is “serious about the frivolous [and] frivolous about the serious.” 

So, the question now becomes, does Con Air fit these criteria? Well, it’s honestly hard to say.

On the one hand, it is certainly serious about its ludacris content. Take its inciting incident. The film asks us to wholeheartedly believe that former U.S. Army Ranger Cameron Poe (Nicolas Cage) would spend even half a minute in a holding cell after such a clear-cut case of self-defense. 

It expects us to believe that a staunchly red state like Alabama — where the law allows the use of deadly physical force in the case of usually non-violent crimes like burglary — would convict a VETERAN of murder after a man pulled a knife on him and his PREGNANT wife. If you believe that setup, I have a lovely beach house in Idaho to sell you.

No, Con Air doesn’t treat Poe’s conviction with winks and nods at the silliness of it all. It asks us to sympathize with a man caught in a bad situation that’s about to get worse. Allegedly, producer Jerry Bruckheimer loved the script but wanted to add “more heart.” 

What he got were scenes so saccharine that I actually identified more with Cyrus the Virus (Malkovich) as he’s mocking the letters Poe’s daughter sent. The heart-on-its-sleeve approach the film opts to take is perhaps why it is so cheesily campy, or, at least, why it can be perceived as being so. 

Unlike other action flicks of the 80s and 90s, this film seems to want to be more. It wants one-liners, boom-bang shootouts, and even a “hilarious” dose of transphobia like those other films might have. It also wants teary eyes in the crowd as Poe finally reunites with his daughter. 

How can you square these impulses? You can’t. Not unless you’re willing to say that it is straight-boy camp — camp made for the “drinking Mountain Dew and eating Doritos in front of 7/11 at 10pm” crowd. 

Con Air is straight-boy camp because it never laughs at its audience for wanting to see things as hokey as a stuffed suit’s prized Corvette being dropped from an airplane and crushed. It provides viewers with the, um, fun(?) of being on a plane full of freshly escaped convicts rocking out to “Sweet Home Alabama” thinking they’ve finally gotten away. 

It ends not with one, but with two separate climaxes. One where a plane lands on the Las Vegas strip, and another where the leads get into a motorcycle/firetruck chase wherein the good guys get into a shootout/water-hosing with the main bad guy. 

If the movie fails at certain camp criteria, it’s because it refuses to pick apart its “serious” scenes.

We aren’t meant to laugh at Poe and his family reuniting. We aren’t meant to laugh at Cage’s dramatic line readings, and especially not at his actually hilarious “I’m gonna show you God does exist” scene. It’s all really supposed to be oh-so-serious. 

In a movie where Pinball’s body hitting an elderly couple’s car is played for laughs, and Malkovich seems to be having the time of his life, what are we to do with these disparate and seemingly incongruent parts?  

The only thing I can say is its camp, or at least something akin to it. 

Con Air exists as a divisive film because it puts as much attention into being cheesy as it does to being sincere without ever letting on which tone it actually aims to achieve. Witness: the heavy metal score and its juxtaposition with an admittedly fine vocal performance by Yearwood; the tonal whiplash of asking us to watch a man’s head get crushed by a hydraulic press and then weep tears of joy at Poe’s meeting his daughter for the first time; the requiring us in general not to think Cage’s Snoop from The Wire accent is peak comedy. Combine that with its heteronormativity, its explosions, and its essential Boys Club mentality, and you have a prime example of what I would call straight-boy camp.

Then again, there’s always the chance that this movie just sucks. At this point, I hardly even know myself.

Con Air is available on Amazon Prime Video.

https://blackgirlnerds.com/pharrell-williams-announces-his-something-in-the-water-lineup-for-juneteenth/

Today Pharrell announced on his Instagram and via press release the date and lineup of the Something In The Water music festival. The festival will take place in Washington, DC on Juneteenth weekend, June 17th – 19th. Building on the success of 2019’s inaugural event, Something In The Water returns in 2022 with expanded programming across three stages, situated in the heart of our nation’s capital, directly on Independence Avenue and its adjacent streets. 

Three-day passes will go on sale to the general public beginning Saturday, April 30th at 10am local time at SOMETHINGINTHEWATER.COM.  

Later today, past purchasers of Something In The Water passes will receive an exclusive “Loyalty Presale” code for the 2022 festival. The “Loyalty Presale” will take place on Wednesday, April 27 from 10am ET until Thursday, April 28 at 10pm ET at SOMETHINGINTHEWATER.COM.
* Limited tiered pricing. Only available while supplies last.

In addition, Virginia residents will have special access to a “Virginia Locals Only” presale taking place on Friday, April 29 from 10:00am ET through 5:00pm ET. Residents can purchase festival passes in-person at the Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater at Virginia Beach box office, (restricted to VA zip codes). Fees are waived for the in-person purchase.

2020’s Something In The Water festival was postponed due to the COVID pandemic. And this past year, the controversial police coverup of the homicide of Donovon Lynch, the cousin of Pharrell Williams, led the music festival founder to leave Virginia Beach, Virginia and move to Washington D.C.

In a public statement to the city, Williams said: “I love my city, but for far too long it has been run by — and with toxic energy. The toxic energy that changed the narrative several times around the homicide of my cousin, Donovon Lynch, a citizen of Virginia, is the same toxic energy that changed the narrative around the mass murder and senseless loss of life at Building Number 2.”

Many local residents of Virginia Beach, especially Black residents and people of color have supported Williams’ decision to move the festival and empathize with his anger over the police’s senseless regard and lack of transparency over the fatal shooting of Mr. Lynch.

The Something In The Water festival will start June 17-19 2022 on Independence Ave in Washington D.C. For more information go to SOMETHINGINTHEWATER.COM.