Ryan Coogler might have another hit on his hands. His new X-Files series has been greenlit for Hulu and will star Danielle Deadwyler. Danielle also starred in Till playing Emmet Till's mother, Mamie Till, and more recently in the comedy series Rooster.
Rhyon Brown, a former child actress on shows like That's So Raven and Lincoln Heights, launched a YouTube series called The Open Door which explores the ins and outs of starting her own media company. Hollywood is crumbling but filmmakers are finding alternative paths to success using new production methods, a stronger focus on community building, smarter dealmaking, and more. So, I think there's a case for a black studio on par with Neon and there's no better time than now to try. Rhyon's announcement doesn't give us any details about Rhūme (her new media company). My hope is that Rhume is able to get some legs and establish a foundation that includes ambitious storytelling.
In stop-motion animation news,
Netflix has acquired Mexico’s first stop-motion feature I Am Frankelda (Soy Frankelda), from brother filmmakers Arturo and Roy Ambriz, slating the film for release worldwide later this year. - Deadline
Two Black Boys in Paradise won a BAFTA.
Model and actress Lauren Tsai teamed up with Studio Linguini to produce a short series appropriately titled The Dying World.
Germane Barnes is an architect I'm watching right now. His studio, Studio Barnes, is working with a historically black community in Delray Beach, Florida on an adaptive reuse project. This project will bring in a new community center with a pavilion and mobile kiosks for events. Other black architects to keep an eye on right now are Yinka Ilori and Sean Canty (founder of Studio SC).
Speaking of black architects, Francis Kéré (founder of Kéré Architects) recently revealed the new design for the Las Vegas Museum of Art. This will be the first standalone art museum in Vegas.
“How can I use what is surrounding Las Vegas to create something open and welcoming?” he said. “We started to think about the subtle beauty of the nature, and to bring it into the core of the museum.” - Francis Kéré
Thebe Magugu has a new hotel in Cape Town, South Africa. It's very balanced and warm. I wish the colors were a bit brighter but I don't think that's Thebe's style. This might be my favorite room simply because of the atypical wall. More textured walls.
Neon films has just acquired the rights to new Nigerian film, Clarrisa. The film stars Sophie Okonedo, David Oyelowo and Ayo Edebiri and is inspired by Virginia Woolf’s novel “Mrs. Dalloway.”
Art Basel to unveil major commission by Ibrahim Mahama this summer. You might remember Mahama's previous work such as the Purple Hibiscus inspired by the Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie novel of the same name.
Metalabel is pushing forward with its vision for artist corporations officially dubbed 'A-corps'. I'm going to have to do more research into A-corps vs other business and legal formations currently used by artists. If anything, I'm more compelled by the idea of worker-owned cooperatives where each worker is also a shareholder, can vote on who their board of directors are among, help shape the company through direct feedback and collective agreements, etc. I'm not sold that an A-corp will provide any benefits over worker-owned coops.
The Scottish parliament passed the Community Wealth Building bill. This bill requires that the national and local governments to prioritize reducing wealth inequality. Need to read on this more. What state in US could you see realistically implementing a bill like this? My money would be on New Mexico which is quietly becoming the most progressive state in the nation.
A non-profit organization looking to shape development in Charleston, South Carolina did something a little more creative with their outreach. Instead of asking residents to attend more council board meetings, the group held a block party. On the street were giant posters with surveys and residents could place stickers where their interests and values most aligned. For example, on questions like what types of businesses should we have more of? residents could choose to answer by placing a sticker on options like farmers markets or small corner grocer. Such a neat way to get people more invested in local planning efforts. I can see more cities incorporating fun, collaborative activities like this in the future.
Barry McGee held a gallery show inside a 99¢ store in LA. The show hosted artwork by McGee and several other artists many of whom come from the graffiti art scene. And true to form, the event also included skateboarders and live music by a couple bands. Someone bumped into a canvas painting of Dr. Umar in there as well.