Carol Denise Betts, known professionally as Niecy Nash, is an American actress, comedian and television host. Her acting career began in the late 1990s, with appearances in films Boys on the Side (1995) and Cookie's Fortune (1999). She garnered further recognition for her portrayal of Deputy Raineesha Williams in the comedy series Reno 911!, along with hosting the Style Network show Clean House (2003—2010), for which she won a Daytime Emmy Award.
Giancarlo Giuseppe Alessandro Esposito is an American actor. He is best known for portraying Gus Fring in the AMC crime drama series Breaking Bad, from 2009 to 2011, as well as in its prequel series Better Call Saul, from 2017 to 2022. For this role, he won the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series (2012) and earned three nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.
Ash Tuesday is a 2003 comedy drama film directed by Jim Hershleder, written by Tony Spiridakis, and starring Janeane Garofalo, Giancarlo Esposito, and Tony Goldwyn. The film is an ensemble piece about several New Yorkers coping with the effects of the September 11 attacks, and was one of the first films to incorporate the events of 9/11 into its story.
Lena Waithe is an American actress, producer, and screenwriter. She is the creator of the Showtime drama series The Chi (2018–present) and the BET comedy series Boomerang (2019–20) and Twenties (2020–2021). She also wrote and produced the crime film Queen & Slim (2019) and is the executive producer of the horror anthology series Them (2021–present).
Susanna Fogel is an American director, screenwriter and author, best known for co-writing the 2019 film Booksmart and for co-writing and directing the 2018 action/comedy The Spy Who Dumped Me. Her many accolades include a DGA Award and nominations at the BAFTA Film Awards, the Primetime Emmy Awards and the WGA Awards.
Dear White People is an American comedy-drama television series on Netflix that follows several black college students at an Ivy League institution, touching on issues surrounding modern American race relations through a progressive lens. It is based on and a continuation of the 2014 film of the same name. The film's writer and director, Justin Simien, returned to write and direct episodes of the series. This series stars Logan Browning, Brandon P. Bell, DeRon Horton, and Antoinette Robertson. With a few exceptions, generally season finales, each episode focuses on one particular character. The series premiered on April 28, 2017. On October 2, 2019, the series was renewed for its fourth and final season, which was released on September 22, 2021.
Them is an American horror anthology series, created by Little Marvin and executive produced by Lena Waithe. The series stars Deborah Ayorinde, Ashley Thomas, Alison Pill, and Ryan Kwanten and premiered on Amazon Prime Video on April 9, 2021.
Enola Holmes 2 is a 2022 mystery film and the sequel to the 2020 film Enola Holmes, both of which star Millie Bobby Brown as the title character, the teenage sister of the already-famous Victorian-era detective Sherlock Holmes. The film is directed by Harry Bradbeer from a screenplay by Jack Thorne that adapts the book series The Enola Holmes Mysteries by Nancy Springer. Unlike the film's predecessor, it does not adapt one of Springer's novels and instead takes real-life inspiration from the 1888 matchgirls' strike. In addition to Brown, Henry Cavill, Louis Partridge, Susie Wokoma, Adeel Akhtar, and Helena Bonham Carter reprise their supporting roles, while David Thewlis and Sharon Duncan-Brewster join the cast.
The One and Only Dick Gregory is a 2021 American documentary film, directed, written, and produced by Andre Gaines, under his Cinemation Studios banner. It follows the life and career of comedian Dick Gregory. Kevin Hart and Lena Waithe serve as executive producers under their Hartbeat Productions and Hillman Grad Productions, banners, respectively.
The Perfect Find is a 2023 American romantic comedy film written by Leigh Davenport and directed by Numa Perrier. It is based on the book of the same name by Tia Williams. The film stars Gabrielle Union, Keith Powers, Aisha Hinds, D. B. Woodside, La La Anthony and Gina Torres.
Kaleidoscope is an American heist drama television anthology series created by Eric Garcia. The eight-part series, unique for its shuffled order, centers on master thief Leo Pap and his crew attempting an epic heist worth $7 billion, but betrayal, greed and other threats undermine their plans.
Alone Together is a 2022 American romantic drama film written and directed by Katie Holmes. The film stars Holmes, Jim Sturgess, Derek Luke, Melissa Leo, Zosia Mamet, and Becky Ann Baker. It premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on July 14, 2022 and was released in the United States on July 22, 2022, by Vertical Entertainment.
Nostalgia is a 2022 Italian-French drama film co-written and directed by Mario Martone, based on a 2016 novel by Ermanno Rea.
Wildflower is a 2022 American coming of age comedy-drama film directed by Matt Smukler and written by Jana Savage, from a story by Smukler and Savage. It stars Kiernan Shipka, Dash Mihok, Charlie Plummer, Jean Smart, Alexandra Daddario, Reid Scott, Erika Alexander, Samantha Hyde, Brad Garrett, and Jacki Weaver.
Earth Mama is a 2023 drama film directed and written by Savanah Leaf, based on the short film The Heart Still Hums by Leaf and Taylor Russell. It was theatrically released in the United States on July 7, 2023, by A24 and is scheduled for a theatrical release in the United Kingdom on December 8, 2023, by We Are Parable. It was named one of the top 10 independent films of 2023 by the National Board of Review.
Origin is a 2023 American biographical drama film written and directed by Ava DuVernay. It is based upon Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson. It stars Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor as Wilkerson, alongside Jon Bernthal, Vera Farmiga, Audra McDonald, Niecy Nash-Betts, Nick Offerman, and Blair Underwood.
Kokomo City is an 2023 American documentary film, directed, produced, and edited by D. Smith. It explores the lives of four Black trans women and their experiences as sex workers in New York and Georgia. Lena Waithe serves as an executive producer.
The Line is a 2023 American drama film written by Ethan Berger and Alex Russek, directed by Berger and starring Alex Wolff, Lewis Pullman, Halle Bailey, Austin Abrams, Scoot McNairy and John Malkovich. This was Angus Cloud's last film appearance before his sudden death on July 31, 2023.
Every Body is a 2023 American documentary film directed by Julie Cohen and produced by NBC News Studios. It features Sean Saifa Wall, Alicia Roth Weigel and River Gallo. The film premiered at the Tribeca Festival on June 11, 2023, and was released by Focus Features in the United States on June 30, 2023. It received positive reviews.
Transition is a 2023 documentary film directed by journalists Jordan Bryon and Monica Villamizar. The film follows Bryon, who documents the lives of Taliban members in Afghanistan after their takeover of the country, while simultaneously undergoing gender transition as a trans man. The film garnered acclaim from critics, though some critics disliked its portrayal of Afghan society.
