Luther Ronzoni Vandross Jr. was an American soul and R&B singer, songwriter, and record producer. Throughout his career, he achieved eleven consecutive RIAA-certified platinum albums and sold over 40 million records worldwide. Known as the "Velvet Voice", Vandross has been recognized as one of the 200 greatest singers of all time (2023) by Rolling Stone, as well as one of the greatest R&B artists by Billboard. In addition, NPR named him one of the 50 Great Voices. He was the recipient of eight Grammy Awards, including Song of the Year in 2004 for a track recorded shortly before his death, "Dance with My Father". In 2021, he was posthumously inducted into the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame.
"Never Too Much" is the debut song written, composed, produced, and performed by Luther Vandross. The R&B song was released in 1981, as the lead single from Vandross's debut album of the same name. The title track hit number one on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and number four on the US Billboard Dance Club Songs chart. It peaked at #27 in Cash Box and #33 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
Never Too Much is the debut solo studio album by American singer Luther Vandross, released on August 12, 1981, by Epic Records. Mostly composed by Vandross himself, the album reached number 19 on the US Billboard 200 and number one on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, and has been certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Never Too Much earned Vandross two Grammy Award nominations in 1982, including Best New Artist and Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male.
Dawn Porter is an American documentary filmmaker and founder of production company Trilogy Films. Her documentaries have screened at The Sundance Film Festival and other festivals as well as on HBO, CNN, Netflix, Hulu, PBS and elsewhere. She has made biographical documentaries about a number of historical figures including Bobby Kennedy, Vernon Jordan, and John Lewis and has collaborated with Oprah and Prince Harry.
Miss Juneteenth is a 2020 American drama film written and directed by Channing Godfrey Peoples and starring Nicole Beharie, Kendrick Sampson, and Alexis Chikaeze. The plot follows a single mom and former teen beauty queen who enters her daughter into the local Miss Juneteenth pageant. The film premiered at Sundance in January 2020, and was released via video on demand on June 19, 2020, coinciding with the 155th anniversary of the historically Black holiday which originated in the south eastern United States.
Us Kids is a 2020 American documentary film directed by Kim A. Snyder, following members of the March for Our Lives movement after the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on February 14, 2018.
Them is an American epic horror series, created by Little Marvin and executive produced by Lena Waithe. The series stars an ensemble cast, which consists of Deborah Ayorinde, Ashley Thomas, Alison Pill, and Ryan Kwanten in the first season, and Pam Grier, Luke James, Joshua J. Williams and Jeremy Bobb in the second season, with Ayorinde returning in a new lead role.
The Featherweight is a 2023 American biographical sports drama film directed by Robert Kolodny, written by Steve Loff, and starring James Madio as professional boxer Willie Pep. It premiered at the 80th Venice International Film Festival on September 3, 2023.
Bruiser is a 2022 American drama film that written by Ben Medina and Miles Warren, directed by Warren and starring Trevante Rhodes, Shamier Anderson, Jalyn Hall and Shinelle Azoroh.
Rob Peace is a 2024 American biographical drama film written and directed by Chiwetel Ejiofor and starring Ejiofor, Camila Cabello, Jay Will, and Mary J. Blige. It is based on the 2014 biography The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace by Jeff Hobbs.
Sometimes I Think About Dying is a 2023 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Rachel Lambert, written by Kevin Armento, Stefanie Abel Horowitz, and Katy Wright-Mead. It is based on the 2014 play Killers by Armento, and a short film that was released in 2019, directed and co-written by Horowitz. The film stars Daisy Ridley, Dave Merheje, Parvesh Cheena, Marcia DeBonis, Meg Stalter, Brittany O'Grady, and Bree Elrod.
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 released theatrically in the United States on July 7, 2023, by A24 and in the United Kingdom on December 8, 2023, by We Are Parable. It won the Outstanding British Debut award at the 2024 BAFTAs and was named one of the top 10 independent films of 2023 by the National Board of Review.
Kokomo City is a 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.
Rasheeda Williams, also known as Koko Da Doll and Hollywood Koko, was an American performance artist. She is known for starring in the documentary Kokomo City, a film that premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival and featured her and three other Black trans women discussing their lives and experiences as sex workers. After her death, the film was dedicated to her.
Babes is a 2024 American comedy film directed by Pamela Adlon, written by Ilana Glazer and Josh Rabinowitz, and starring Glazer and Michelle Buteau. It is Adlon's feature directorial debut.
The 2024 Sundance Film Festival took place from January 18 to 28, 2024. The first lineup of competition films was announced on December 6, 2023.
Ponyboi is a 2024 American thriller directed by Esteban Arango, from a screenplay by River Gallo. It is based upon the 2019 short film of the same name by Gallo. It stars Gallo, Dylan O'Brien, Victoria Pedretti, Murray Bartlett and Indya Moore.
Skywalkers: A Love Story is a 2024 American documentary film directed by Jeff Zimbalist and co-directed by Maria Bukhonina, and produced by Zimbalist, Bukhonina, Tamir Ardon, and Chris Smith. It is about rooftopping as it follows Russian couple Angela Nikolau and Vanya Beerkus.
Will & Harper is a 2024 American documentary film following Will Ferrell and Harper Steele as the duo made a 17-day road trip across the United States.
In the Summers is a 2024 American-Mexican semi-autobiographical drama film written and directed by Alessandra Lacorazza Samudio in her feature directorial debut. The film won the Grand Jury Prize U.S. Dramatic at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.
