H4 | |
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![]() Film poster | |
Directed by | Paul Quinn |
Written by | William Shakespeare (play) Ayanna Thompson (adaption for screen) |
Produced by | Harry Lennix Giovanni Zelko |
Starring | Harry Lennix Angus Macfadyen Nick Gillie Victoria Tilford Geno Monteiro Keith David Jeryl Sayles Terrell Tilford Keir Thirus Heavy D |
Cinematography | John Pedone Tony Rudenko |
Edited by | Bob Allen Art Olmos (additional editing) |
Music by | Mark Nichols |
Release date |
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Country | United States |
Language | English |
H4 is a 2012 independent American film directed by Paul Quinn; actor Harry Lennix produced the film and stars in the title role. [1] The film premiered at the 2012 Conference of the Shakespeare Association of America, [2] and later showed premiere in competition at the 49th Chicago International Film Festival in 2013. [3] [4] In November 2014, the film was shown at the Indie Memphis Film Festival. [5]
The film is an adaptation that combines William Shakespeare's plays Henry IV, Part 1 and Henry IV, Part 2 and sets them in contemporary Los Angeles. The screenplay was adapted by Dr. Ayanna Thompson, Professor of English at Arizona State University, retaining Shakespeare's original language. [4] [5] According to Lennix, the film is told "from the perspective of black people, acted primarily by black people, and it’s from the black point of view"; [4] he nevertheless describes Shakespeare's themes, and the film's, as "universal". [6] Thompson describes the script as being "about the politics and political manoeuvring within the African-American community". [7]
Post-production of the film was partly funded by a $25,000 Kickstarter campaign. [8]
In August 2012, a rough cut of the film was previewed at the International Shakespeare Conference in Stratford-upon-Avon to international Shakespeare scholars. [7] [9]
The film was scheduled for release in US cinemas in 2015. [1]
This was Heavy D's final film role filmed before his death in 2011, but the movie was released posthumously.