film

If actor David Oyelowo projects a regal air, it's one he comes by naturally. Born in England to Nigerian parents, Oyelowo's father had always told him that theirs was a royal family, a claim the actor initially discounted. "I was like, 'Yeah, whatever,' " Oyelowo tells Fresh Air's Terry Gross. But then the family moved back to Nigeria, where they lived on a street named after his family, and the actor realized that his father had not been joking.

The coming-of-age drama "Blackbird" may raise eyebrows with its intimate same-sex encounters and Christian themes. But Mo'Nique, who headlines the film as the mentally ill mother of a teenager struggling with his sexuality, says it will also spark dialogue. "It’s gonna save a lot of lives," said the Oscar-winning actress. "I’ve hung around in the gay community since I was 16 years old, so I got a chance to really hear their stories and most of their stories were the same — 'my family can't accept me, or my mom's really religious.'"

"Timbuktu", a new film from acclaimed Mauritanian director Abderrahmane Sissako who has won a string of international awards, is nominated for a foreign-language Oscar, and is a firm favorite to take the best film award at FESPACO.

Okayafrica: "Though our Top African Films of 2014 list is by no means comprehensive, we’re confident that each of the titles we’ve picked represent some of the finest cinema pertaining to this site’s interests that the last 12 months had to offer. Some have courted controversy from their home governments for addressing “incendiary” subject matter while others have been heralded as highly imaginative celebrations of Afrofuturist landscapes from the past to the present.

To say that 2014 hasn’t been dynamic year would be incorrect. As a community, we’ve been pushed to and through the limits, ushered in the rebirth of a modern Civil Rights movement for change, and made substantial strides in visibility across many sectors in not only pop culture, but public life. Black gay men were leading many charges, and that’s something we should all reflect and acknowledge. Here are top 6 standout moments for our community in 2014, and they include Michael Sam, gay marriage, the #BlackLivesMatter movement and more!

Ashley Clark curated the Inside Afrofuturism long weekend – 28th November to 1st December. He quotes author Ytasha Womack to offer up a description, "Afrofuturism combines elements of science fiction, historical fiction, speculative fiction, fantasy, Afrocentricity and magic realism with non-western beliefs." The term was further discussed within the panel discussions which followed some of the screenings – some people subscribe to it, some people don’t.

I found this BuzzFeed piece quite reckless, to be frank! As someone who's been running a black cinema blog for almost 6 years, with a stated mission to unify artists (specifically filmmakers) of the African diaspora, an article like this that ultimately divides - whether that's the author's intention or not - is maddening! I initially planned to ignore it, seeing it as ultimately a marketing gambit for "Selma", manufactured for a specific purpose - to stimulate further discussion about the film, as it expands nationwide this weekend.