Alma's Rainbow

Last updated
Alma's Rainbow
Directed by Ayoka Chenzira
Written byAyoka Chenzira
Produced byAyoka Chenzira
Howard Brickner
Charles Lane
StarringKim Weston-Moran
Victoria Gabrielle Platt
Mizan Kirby
CinematographyRonald K. Gray
Edited by Lillian Benson
Music by Jean-Paul Bourelly
Release date
  • June 23, 1994 (1994-06-23)
Running time
85 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Alma's Rainbow is American coming-of-age film directed by Ayoka Chenzira originally released in 1994. [1] A restoration of the film, presented by Julie Dash, was released to theaters and streaming in 2022. [2] The film received positive reviews from critics and was included in Slate's 2023 list of the 75 greatest movies by Black directors. [3] [4]

Contents

Plot

A Brooklyn teenager experiences the pangs and joys of coming of age with her slightly aloof mother and visiting show business aunt.

Cast

Release and restoration

The 35 mm feature film was self-funded by Chenzira and originally debuted in 1994, but did not receive widespread distribution. [5] [4] In 2022, the film was restored in 4K resolution by the Academy Film Archive, Film Foundation, and Milestone Films and had a theatrical run. [6]

Critical reception

On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 79% with an average rating of 6 out of 10, based on 14 reviews. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rotten Tomatoes</span> American review aggregator for film and television

Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang. Although the name "Rotten Tomatoes" connects to the practice of audiences throwing rotten tomatoes in disapproval of a poor stage performance, the direct inspiration for the name from Duong, Lee, and Wang came from an equivalent scene in the 1992 Canadian film Léolo.

<i>Jesus Son</i> (film) 1999 Canadian film

Jesus' Son is a 1999 drama film that was adapted from the novel of the same name by Denis Johnson. The film stars Billy Crudup, Samantha Morton, Holly Hunter, and Dennis Hopper, with Denis Leary, Will Patton, John Ventimiglia, Michael Shannon, and Jack Black in supporting roles. The film was directed by Alison Maclean and written by Elizabeth Cuthrell, David Urrutia, and Oren Moverman.

<i>The Secret Lives of Dentists</i> 2002 American film

The Secret Lives of Dentists is a 2002 drama film directed by Alan Rudolph. The screenplay was written by Craig Lucas, based on the novella The Age of Grief by Jane Smiley. It had its world premiere at the 2002 Toronto International Film Festival and was subsequently screened at several other festivals, including Sundance and Cannes. It had a limited theatrical release in the United States on August 1, 2003.

<i>Brooklyn Lobster</i> 2005 American film

Brooklyn Lobster is a 2005 American drama film presented by Martin Scorsese and written, produced, and directed by Kevin Jordan. The screenplay is based on Jordan's family's efforts to salvage their Brooklyn-based wholesale and retail seafood operation when the bank defaulted on a loan they had secured to finance a restaurant extension to the business.

<i>The Interrupters</i> (film) 2011 film by Steve James

The Interrupters is a 2011 documentary film, produced by Kartemquin Films, that tells the story of three violence interrupters who try to protect their Chicago communities from the violence they once employed. It examines a year in which Chicago drew national headlines for violence and murder that plagued the city.

<i>Cane River</i> (film) 1982 American film by Horace B. Jenkins

Cane River is a 1982 American romantic drama film that was lost until its rediscovery in 2013 and its subsequent re-release in 2018 and beyond. It was written, produced, and directed by Horace B. Jenkins. The film features the lives of African Americans in the US state of Louisiana. While the film premiered in New Orleans, Louisiana, in 1982, Horace Jenkins died before the film could be released in New York City and beyond. The film was considered lost until a negative was recovered in 2013.

<i>3 1/2 Minutes, 10 Bullets</i> 2015 American film

3 1/2 Minutes, 10 Bullets, also known as 3 1/2 Minutes, is a 2015 American documentary film written and directed by Marc Silver. The film is based on the events surrounding the 2012 murder of Jordan Russell Davis and examines the shooting itself, as well as the subsequent trial, media coverage and protests that resulted from the shooting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ayoka Chenzira</span> American producer, director, animator, writer, filmmaker and transmedia storyteller

Ayoka "Ayo" Chenzira is an independent African-American producer, film director, television director, animator, writer, experimental filmmaker, and transmedia storyteller. She is the first African American woman animator and one of a handful of Black experimental filmmakers working since the late 1970s. She has earned international acclaim for her experimental, documentary, animation, and cross-genre filmmaking productions. Her work, as well as her efforts as one of the first African American woman film educators, have led some in the press to describe her as a media activist for social justice and challenging stereotype representations of African Americans in the mainstream media.

<i>Phantom Thread</i> 2017 film by Paul Thomas Anderson

Phantom Thread is a 2017 American romantic period drama film written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. It stars Daniel Day-Lewis, Vicky Krieps, and Lesley Manville, and follows an haute couture dressmaker in 1950s London who takes a young waitress as his muse. It is Day-Lewis's most recent film to date. The film is the first Anderson film shot outside the United States, with principal photography beginning in January 2017 in Lythe, England. It is Anderson's second collaboration with Day-Lewis, after There Will Be Blood (2007), and his fourth collaboration with composer Jonny Greenwood.

<i>The Big Ask</i> (film) 2013 American film

The Big Ask is a 2013 American independent black comedy-drama film. Directed by Thomas Beatty and Rebecca Fishman, it stars Gillian Jacobs, Zachary Knighton, David Krumholtz, Melanie Lynskey, Ahna O'Reilly, and Jason Ritter. The film was released theatrically in the United States on May 20, 2014.

<i>Roxanne Roxanne</i> 2017 film

Roxanne Roxanne is a 2017 American musical drama film written and directed by Michael Larnell. It stars Chanté Adams, Mahershala Ali, Nia Long, Elvis Nolasco, Kevin Phillips, and Shenell Edmonds. The film revolves around the life of rapper Roxanne Shante. It was screened in the U.S. Dramatic Competition section of the 2017 Sundance Film Festival. Adams won the Breakthrough Performance Award at the Sundance Film Festival.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Werner Herzog filmography</span> Films by German filmmaker Werner Herzog

Werner Herzog is a German filmmaker whose films often feature ambitious or deranged protagonists with impossible dreams. Herzog's works span myriad genres and mediums, but he is particularly well known for his documentary films, which he typically narrates.

<i>Clover</i> (2020 film) 2020 American film

Clover is a 2020 American crime comedy thriller film directed by Jon Abrahams and starring Mark Webber, Nicole Elizabeth Berger, Ron Perlman, Chazz Palminteri and Abrahams.

<i>Topside</i> (film) 2020 American film by Celine Held and Logan George

Topside is a 2020 American drama film written and directed by Celine Held and Logan George. It stars Zhaila Farmer, Celine Held, Jared Abrahamson, and Fatlip. The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival in September 2020. It was released in the United States on March 25, 2022, by Vertical Entertainment.

<i>Sophie Jones</i> (film) 2020 American drama film by Jessie Barr

Sophie Jones is a 2020 American drama film directed, co-written, and produced by Jessie Barr. The film is executive produced by Nicole Holofcener and stars Jessica Barr as a 16-year-old navigating grief, girlhood, and growing up in Portland, Oregon. It also stars Skyler Verity, Claire Manning, Charlie Jackson, and Dave Roberts. The film premiered at the 2020 Deauville Film Festival and had a limited release on March 2, 2021, by Oscilloscope Laboratories. It won Best Feature Film at the Americana Film Festival 2022 in Barcelona, Spain. The original motion picture soundtrack was released on April 1, 2022, by Gardener Recordings, featuring an original score by Grammy-nominated composer Nate Heller.

<i>"Sr."</i> 2022 American film

"Sr." is a 2022 American documentary film that examines the careers and relationship between Robert Downey Jr. and his father, Robert Downey Sr. The film, directed by Chris Smith, was released theatrically on November 18, 2022, and was released on Netflix on December 2.

<i>Hippo</i> (film) 2023 film by Mark H. Rapaport

Hippo is a 2023 American black comedy-drama film co-written and directed by Mark H. Rapaport in his feature directorial debut. It premiered at the Fantasia International Film Festival on July 26, 2023, and received a limited theatrical release in the United States on November 8, 2024. David Gordon Green, Danny McBride, and Jody Hill serve as executive producers through their company, Rough House Pictures.

References

  1. "Alma's Rainbow Film Review: Three Decades Later, Ayoka Chenzira's Debut Retains Its Power". 2022-07-28. Retrieved 2023-03-03.
  2. Lattanzio, Ryan (2022-07-13). "'Alma's Rainbow' Trailer: Rediscover an Unsung '90s Gem About Black Womanhood in Brooklyn". IndieWire. Retrieved 2023-03-03.
  3. 1 2 "Alma's Rainbow". Rotten Tomatoes .
  4. 1 2 Harris, Aisha; Kois, Dan (2023-02-27). "The New Black Film Canon". Slate. ISSN   1091-2339 . Retrieved 2023-03-03.
  5. Tinubu, Aramide A. (2023-02-20). "18 Wonderful Films About Black Girlhood and the Coming-of-Age Experience". IndieWire. Retrieved 2023-03-03.
  6. Gates, Marya E. "Feel the Love: Ayoka Chenzira on Alma's Rainbow | Interviews | Roger Ebert". RogerEbert.com . Retrieved 2023-03-03.