Countdown at Kusini | |
---|---|
Directed by | Ossie Davis |
Written by | Ossie Davis Al Freeman Jr. Ladi Ladebo John Storm Robert |
Produced by | Ladi Ladebo |
Starring | Ruby Dee Ossie Davis Greg Morris |
Cinematography | Andrew Laszlo |
Edited by | George Bowers |
Music by | Manu Dibango |
Production companies | |
Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 101 minutes |
Countries | Nigeria United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $1.2 million [1] |
Countdown at Kusini (also known as Cool Red) is a 1976 American-Nigerian action-drama film written by Howard Friedlander and Ed Spielman, and directed by Ossie Davis.
During a trip to the newly independent nation of Fahari, Africa, Red Salter, an African American jazz musician, falls in love with Leah Matanzima, but she is involved in Fahari's struggle against a puppet government run by multinational corporations. Jealous of Leah's friendship with white British journalist Charles Henderson, Red reluctantly joins her support of revolutionary leader Ernest Motapo and helps her obtain guns from weapons dealer Saidu. When Fahari officials arrest them, Charles rescues Leah and Red; then spirits them away in a motorboat, but Ben Amed, a French mercenary hired to assassinate Motapo, rams them with another boat and kills Charles. Marnie (Yola), Motapo's traitorous nephew, arranges with Amed to ambush Motapo at a railroad junction near Kusini, but Leah and Red arrive in time with revolutionary fighters. After killing Marnie and Amed, Leah welcomes Red to Africa's revolution against European imperialism. [1]
The film was conceived and entirely financed by Delta Sigma Theta, an African-American sorority that owned DST Telecommunications which produced material to counter the "inaccurate portrayal of black people in media". [1]
Filming took place in August 1974 in Lagos, Nigeria with both U.S. and Nigerian crews. [1]
Dee, Davis, and Morris deferred their salaries until the film made a profit. [1]
Raiford Chatman "Ossie" Davis was an American actor, director, writer, and activist. He was married to Ruby Dee, with whom he frequently performed, until his death. He received numerous accolades including a Grammy Award and a Writers Guild of America Award as well as nominations for five Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and Tony Award. Davis was inducted into the American Theater Hall of Fame in 1994 and received the National Medal of Arts in 1995, Kennedy Center Honors in 2004
Ruby Dee was an American actress, poet, playwright, screenwriter, journalist, and civil rights activist. Dee was married to Ossie Davis, with whom she frequently performed until his death in 2005. She received numerous accolades, including two Emmy Awards, a Grammy Award, a Obie Award and a Drama Desk Award as well as nominations for an Academy Award. She was honored with the National Medal of Arts in 1995, the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 2000, and the Kennedy Center Honors in 2004.
No Way Out is a 1950 American crime drama film noir directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz and starring Sidney Poitier in his film debut, alongside Richard Widmark, Linda Darnell and Stephen McNally. The film centers on an African American doctor who confronts the racism of a poor slum after he treats a racist white criminal.
A Raisin in the Sun is a 1961 American drama film directed by Daniel Petrie, and starring Sidney Poitier, Ruby Dee, Claudia McNeil, Diana Sands, Roy Glenn, and Louis Gossett Jr., and based on the 1959 play of the same name by Lorraine Hansberry. It follows a black family that wants a better life away from the city. A Raisin in the Sun was released by Columbia Pictures on May 29, 1961.
The Hill is a 1965 British prison drama war film directed by Sidney Lumet, set in an army prison in North Africa during the Second World War. It stars Sean Connery, Harry Andrews, Ian Bannen, Ossie Davis, Ian Hendry, Alfred Lynch, Roy Kinnear and Michael Redgrave. The screenplay was by Ray Rigby based on the 1965 play of the same name by Rigby and R.S Allen.
Beah: A Black Woman Speaks is a 2003 documentary about the life of Academy Award nominated actress Beah Richards. Directed by LisaGay Hamilton, it won the Documentary Award at the AFI Los Angeles International Film Festival in 2003, and a Peabody Award in 2004.
Thomas Ernest Aldredge was an American television, film and stage actor.
The AFI Docs documentary film festival was an American international film festival. Created by the American Film Institute and the Discovery Channel, it was held annually in Silver Spring, Maryland and Washington, D.C., from 2003 to 2022, when it was merged into AFI Fest, a Los Angeles-based film festival.
The Ernest Green Story is a 1993 American made-for-television biographical film which follows the true story of Ernest Green and eight other African-American high-school students as they embark on their historic journey to integrate Little Rock Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1957. The film was developed and executive produced by Carol Ann Abrams. Much of the movie was filmed on location at Central High School.
Let's Do It Again is a 1975 American action crime comedy film, starring Sidney Poitier and co-starring Bill Cosby and Jimmie Walker among an all-star black cast. The film, directed by Poitier, is about blue-collar workers who decide to rig a boxing match to raise money for their fraternal lodge. The song of the same name by The Staple Singers was featured as the opening and ending theme of the film, and as a result, the two have become commonly associated with each other. The production companies include Verdon Productions and The First Artists Production Company, Ltd., and distributed by Warner Bros. The movie was filmed in two cities, Atlanta, Georgia and New Orleans, Louisiana, where most of the plot takes place. This was the second film pairing of Poitier and Cosby following Uptown Saturday Night, and followed by A Piece of the Action (1977). Of the three, Let's Do It Again has been the most successful both critically and commercially. Calvin Lockhart and Lee Chamberlin also appeared in Uptown Saturday Night. According to the American Film Institute, Let's Do It Again is not a sequel to Uptown Saturday Night.
Love Is a Racket is a 1932 American pre-Code romantic comedy-drama film, starring Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. and Ann Dvorak. The movie was written by Courtney Terrett from the novel by Rian James, and directed by William A. Wellman.
Slaves is a 1969 American drama film co-written and directed by Herbert Biberman. The film stars Dionne Warwick, Ossie Davis, and Stephen Boyd.
Scott Joplin is a 1977 biographical film directed by Jeremy Kagan and based on the life of African-American composer and pianist Scott Joplin. It stars Billy Dee Williams and Clifton Davis. Its script won an award from the Writers Guild of America in 1979. Eubie Blake makes an appearance in the movie.
Me and the Kid is a 1993 American comedy-drama film directed by Dan Curtis. It stars Danny Aiello, Alex Zuckerman, Joe Pantoliano, Cathy Moriarty, David Dukes, Anita Morris, Ben Stein, Demond Wilson and Abe Vigoda.
Caprice is a 1913 silent film produced by Daniel Frohman and Adolph Zukor released by Famous Players Film Company and starring Mary Pickford. J. Searle Dawley directed. Though Zukor helped finance the film it was distributed on a 'State's Rights' arrangement primarily since Paramount Pictures did not yet exist. The story of this film had been acted on the stage by a young Minnie Maddern Fiske in the 1880s, one of her earliest successes as an adult actress. The same story gives Pickford the chance to arise to the height of a fine actress instead of just merely a popular performer. This film is lost.
A Man Called Adam is a 1966 American drama musical film directed by Leo Penn and starring Sammy Davis Jr. It tells the story of a self-destructive jazz musician, played by Davis, and his tumultuous relationships with the people in his life.
The Lion Hunters is a 1951 American low-budget adventure film directed by Ford Beebe and starring Johnny Sheffield, Morris Ankrum, Ann Todd, Douglas Kennedy and Woody Strode, billed as "Woodrow Strode" in his first credited role. It was the fifth in the 12-film Bomba, the Jungle Boy series from poverty row Monogram Pictures, based on the Bomba series of juvenile adventure books. The film's sets were designed by the art directors Dave Milton and Vin Taylor.
Along the Sundown Trail is a 1942 American Western film directed by Sam Newfield and written by Arthur St. Claire. The film stars Bill Boyd, Art Davis, Lee Powell, Julie Duncan, Charles King and Jack Ingram. The film was released on October 10, 1942, by Producers Releasing Corporation.
The Texas Marshal is a 1941 American western film directed by Sam Newfield and written by William Lively. The film stars Tim McCoy, Art Davis, Kay Leslie, Karl Hackett, Edward Peil Sr. and Charles King. The film was released on July 13, 1941, by Producers Releasing Corporation.
Raymond Oladipupo Ladebo also simply known by his stage name Ladi Ladebo was a Nigerian filmmaker. He was one of the pioneers of Golden Age of yesteryear Nigerian cinema, especially during the celluloid-era optimism of the 1970s. He previously worked as a media analyst and accountant before entering the film industry. He was also popularly called by his nickname as Uncle Ladi.