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Tribeca Film Festival: 19-Year-Old Becomes Youngest & First Black Filmmaker To Win Top Prize

Source: Slaven Vlasic / Getty Phillip Youmans Becomes Youngest & First Black Filmmaker To Win Top Prize At Tribeca Film Festival Black youth are continuing their reign this week with win after win . According to Shadow and Act , 19-year-old Phillip Youmans became the youngest director ever to win the Tribeca Film Festival’s Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature. His movie, Burning Cane , took home the award, which was shot when he was only a 17-year-old in high school! Not only is he the youngest filmmaker to win the Founders Award, but he’s also made history by becoming the first Black director to win the award. His movie, which he wrote, directed and shot, also took home an award for Best Cinematography and Best Actor for Wendell Pierce , who stars in the film. The movie takes place in rural Louisiana and it tells the story of a deeply religious mother who struggles to reconcile her convictions of faith with the love she has for her troubled son. In an interview with Shadow And Act , Youmans — a New Orleans native — said, “I feel fortunate to be in Tribeca. It’s crazy, thinking about that, I’m living it. I’m happy that  Burning Cane is going to be seen.” He continued: “I’m happy that it resonated with people, and that it’s from my voice. I didn’t have to compromise anything. I’d say that’s the most validating aspect of it. This is a film that I wanted to make. People who believed in me were willing to work well below industry rates to help me do it, and my creative voice, my creative instincts were good enough.” Filmmaker extraordinaire, Ava DuVernay , congratulated Youmans in a tweet, writing, “The brother is just 19 years old. He wrote, directed, shot and edited his film while in high school. And he just won big at Tribeca. Can’t wait to see BURNING CANE.” The brother is just 19 years old. He wrote, directed, shot and edited his film while in high school. And he just won big at Tribeca. Can’t wait to see BURNING CANE, @PhillipYoumans ! https://t.co/XLOcUyONTx — Ava DuVernay (@ava) May 3, 2019   Congrats on your history making wins Youmans! Surely, this isn’t the last we’ll hear from the New York University freshman.

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Tribeca Film Festival: 19-Year-Old Becomes Youngest & First Black Filmmaker To Win Top Prize

Team Antigua Becomes First All-Black Women’s Rowing Team To Cross Atlantic Ocean

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B lack women are displaying excellence in all fields, especially in the realm of sports. A group of women from Antigua recently hit a major milestone by becoming the first all-Black women’s rowing team to cross the Atlantic Ocean, Black Enterprise reported. Meet the first all-black women’s rowing team to cross the Atlantic Ocean. https://t.co/BHM4a2X4aN — Black Enterprise (@blackenterprise) February 1, 2019 The women—dubbed Team Antigua-The Island Girls—competed in the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge. The competition is a premier event in ocean rowing. The team—which included Kevinia Francis , Christal Clashing , Elvira Bell , and Samara Emmanuel —embarked on their journey on December 12 in the Canary Islands and returned to Antigua at the end of January. Their journey was nothing short of grueling but the women pushed through and persevered. The entire trip was a total of 3,000 miles and they dealt with sea sickness and complications with their boat. Each woman brought their vast athletic experience to the competition. Francis was known for playing a handful of sports including track-and-field, basketball and cycling, Clashing is a former Olympian who became the first woman swimmer to represent Antigua and Barbuda at the Olympics, Bell is a swim instructor, and Emmanuel’s experience as a sailor spans over a decade. Junella King —a 17-year-old who served as an alternate for the team—worked as a sailing instructor. The competition was about more than rowing, the focus was on social good as well. The team competed to raise $150,000 for a charity called Cottage of Hope which focuses on providing shelter for orphaned girls who experience abuse. The women received a warm welcome home, as the government closed schools and other institutions early so that locals could congratulate the team. “While this is the third time a team from Antigua and Barbuda has entered the Challenge, we are truly proud that the first all-black female team to row the Atlantic is comprised of four courageous Antiguan women,” Charles Fernandez , Antigua and Barbuda Minister of Tourism, told Caribbean Life News . “This is history in the making, and it will truly be a momentous occasion for Antigua and Barbuda.” SEE ALSO: Hampton University Becomes First HBCU To Have Women’s Triathlon Team Tennis Star Naomi Osaka Slated To Ink Adidas’ Biggest Deal With A Woman Athlete [ione_media_gallery src=”https://newsone.com” id=”3845042″ overlay=”true”]

Team Antigua Becomes First All-Black Women’s Rowing Team To Cross Atlantic Ocean

Black Director Chinonye Chukwu Makes History At Sundance

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B lack directors are making power moves in the entertainment industry. Many of them are racking up accolades for their work while breaking down racial barriers in an effort to ensure that the next generation of Black filmmakers have a seat at the table. One of those trailblazers is Chinonye Chukwu . Chukwu recently made history at the Sundance Film Festival by becoming the first Black woman to win the Grand Jury Prize for her movie Clemency , IndieWire reported. #Sundance2019 : “Clemency” Filmmaker Chinonye Chukwu Is First Black Woman to Win Festival's Biggest Prize https://t.co/jLS5yQ2RP4 pic.twitter.com/3w88ZlmiAc — IndieWire (@IndieWire) February 3, 2019 The prize is the highest honor that is given at the festival, the news outlet writes. Chukwu’s film —which stars Alfre Woodard , Danielle Brooks , Wendell Pierce , and Aldis Hodge —is centered on a prison warden who has to carry out death row executions. The film explores how doing the executions has a psychological impact. Chukwu, who wrote and directed the film, is humbled by the honor. “When everybody was saying ‘No’ this story does not have an audience, you, Sundance and the people who have seen this film have proven that there is an audience for this film, and I thank you,” she said in a statement, according to Deadline . “I wrote this because I wanted audiences, I wanted us, I wanted myself to connect with the ecosystem of humanity’s connected to incarceration, so we as a society can stop defining people by their worst possible acts, that we can end mass incarceration, and dismantle the mass prison industrial complex, and root our societies in true justice and mercy and freedom, which is all tied to our joy inside, that nobody can ever incarcerate or execute.” The filmmaker joins a distinguished list of pivotal directors who have won the Grand Jury Prize for their U.S. Dramatic entries, including Ryan Coogler , Damien Chazelle , and Desiree Akhavan . Black women in entertainment are starting off the year strong. In January, Marsai Martin made history as Hollywood’s youngest executive producer, Regina Hall became the first Black woman to receive a New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress, and Taraji P. Henson received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. SEE ALSO: #BlackExcellence: Taraji P. Henson To Receive Star On Hollywood Walk Of Fame #BossMoves: 14-Year-Old Marsai Martin To Become Youngest Hollywood Executive Producer In History [ione_media_gallery src=”https://newsone.com” id=”3845349″ overlay=”true”]

Black Director Chinonye Chukwu Makes History At Sundance

Russell Simmons Steps Down From His Companies After Sexual Assault Allegations

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Source: Dave Kotinsky / Getty Add Hip-Hop mogul Russell Simmons to the list of celebs who are either stepping down or being removed because of sexual assault allegations. Writer Jenny Lumet is the latest woman accusing Simmons of sexual misbehavior saying that the Def Jam co-founder of forced her to have sex in 1991. Simmons announced his decision in a statement below: NEW: Russell Simmons stepping aside from his companies following sexual misconduct allegation: “I will step aside and commit myself to continuing my personal growth, spiritual learning and above all to listening.” pic.twitter.com/SXu7Jo5onP — ABC News (@ABC) November 30, 2017 In the Hollywood Reporter article Lumet writes “One night circa 1991, when I was around 24, I was at a restaurant called Indochine. I had worked there when I was 17, as the coat check girl, and I enjoyed returning. I still knew some of the staff at this point, and felt quite comfortable there.  I remember I was wearing one of the Azzedine Alaia tops that were everywhere that year. And hoop earrings. I think it was cool enough for a jacket.  Because I remember being glad I had a jacket by the end of that night. You had a car and a driver that evening. Sometime later, you offered me a ride to my home.  I said, sure. During the making of the RUN DMC movie, I had been in vans with you and other crew members.  I don’t recall having accepted a ride home alone with you before that night. At no time that night did I say: “Russell, I will go home with you”.  Or, “Come home with me.” Or “I will have sex with you.”  Or “I have the desire to have sex with you.” In early November model Keri Claussen Khalighi accused Simmons of forcing her to have sex . She said Simmons and director Brett Ratner lured her to his apartment. Another woman, Tanya Reid, also accused Simmons of pressuring her to perform oral sex on Ratner. Sources: Variety,  Hollywood Reporter RELATED:  Details Regarding Matt Lauer’s Alleged Deviant Behavior With Multiple Women, Exposed RELATED:  Wendy Williams Accuses Comedian Of On-Air Sexual Assault [ione_media_gallery src=”https://mymajicdc.com” id=”3723617″ overlay=”true”]

Russell Simmons Steps Down From His Companies After Sexual Assault Allegations

Ellen DeGeneres Responds To Backlash Over Controversial Usain Bolt Tweet

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Racial tensions are running at an all-time high right now with everything that is going on in the country, which means that hyper-sensitivity is also more prevalent than it has been in recent memory. When you add those two together you have to be very careful what you say, post and in this case tweet, […]

Ellen DeGeneres Responds To Backlash Over Controversial Usain Bolt Tweet

Actor Wendell Pierce’s Home Lost Due To Louisiana Floods

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It’s always incredibly sad to watch the aftermath of a natural disaster and how it drastically affects the lives of those in its wake. That is exactly what is happening now, as numerous reports and images are coming out of the recent floods in Louisiana. The floods have been extremely severe and actor Wendell Pierce […]

Actor Wendell Pierce’s Home Lost Due To Louisiana Floods

ICYMI: Nas Collabs With Italia Independent For “Ghostbusters” Inspired Eyewear Line

Nas Puts His Mark On New “Ghostbusters” Inspried Sunglasses By Italia Independent #WhoYouGonnaCall? Hip Hop icon Nas and lifestyle brand Italia Independent collab in honor of the Ghostbuster’s movie franchise for a new line of eyewear. To commemorate the reboot of the 30 year old film , Nas and Italia Independent curated 8 models of sunglasses inspired by notable characters. The limited edition frames will be sold at Italia Independent boutiques, on italiaindependent.com, at the online store hypebeast.com and at select retail partners including Ron Herman in Los Angeles and Colette in Paris. To celebrate the launch, Nas, Independent Italia, and a host of celebrity friends gathered at the brand’s New York boutique in Soho. During the event, Nas stated “Ghostbusters was one of my favorite childhood movies, and it was important to me to partner with a brand like Italia Independent for this collaboration because they understand style and culture. I wanted to design a collection that speaks to the nostalgia of that era while keeping it fresh fun, sleek and wearable.” Celebrity guests and VIP’s included Omari Hardwick , Malik Yoba, Jackson Harris, Sammy Adams, Mike Hunter, Wendell Pierce and Angela Yee of Power 105.1 FM. You can keep up with all things Italia Independent with the official hashtag #italiaindependent and view pics from the event below!

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ICYMI: Nas Collabs With Italia Independent For “Ghostbusters” Inspired Eyewear Line

Snoop From “The Wire” Says She’s Innocent After Drug Raid

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One day after being arrested in a massive drug raid in Baltimore, Felicia Pearson, better known to most as Snoop from HBO’s drama series The Wire , is proclaiming her innocence. REWIND: Antonio “Huggy Bear” Fargas On Snitching & Blaxploitation 25 Reasons We Love “Boyz N The Hood” Pearson’s public relations team sent out a statement on her behalf: “Felicia Pearson has the right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty. In Felicia’s case, she feels that she is being targeted not only because of her portrayal of the memorable character “Snoop” On HBO’s critically acclaimed series THE WIRE; but also because of where she is from in Baltimore. Felicia grew up where high crime rates, drug use and violence are the norm. Felicia has overcome numerous hard ships in her lifetime. She does not expect these hardships to be used as an excuse for illegal activities. She has never stopped working on self improvement. Felicia has made strong statements against drugs and violence of any kind. She is focused on living a positive life-style encouraging youth and formerly incarcerated women to make positive choices for themselves. She is currently working on 3 films that are shooting in Philadelphia with Len Daniels and T-Town Music Group. Felicia hopes to return to the Philadelphia film set immediately, and wants her friends and fans to know that she is keeping her head up, shoulders back and that she is prepared to fight these new charges against her.” Spotted @ HipHopWired.com RELATED: Snoop From “The Wire” Arrested In Drug Raid RELATED: Wendell Pierce Cast In “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn”

Snoop From “The Wire” Says She’s Innocent After Drug Raid