11th Annual Baltimore International Black Film Festival
Oct 3 - 7, 2024
Luther: Never Too Much
Location: SNF Parkway Theatre
Friday, October 4, 2024, 7:30pm
Synopsis
“Luther: Never Too Much,” the documentary film, chronicles the story of a vocal virtuoso. Using a wealth of rarely seen archives, Luther tells his own story with assistance from his closest friends and musical collaborators including Mariah Carey, Dionne Warwick, Valerie Simpson and Roberta Flack.
The film relives the many stunning moments of Vandross’ Grammy award-winning musical career, while exploring his personal life, health struggles, and a lifelong battle to earn the respect his music deserves.
Director’s Bio: Dawn Porter
Dawn Porter is an American documentary filmmaker and the founder of the production company Trilogy Films. Her award-winning films include “Gideon’s Army”, about three black public defenders working in the southern United States, “Trapped”, about the impact of antiabortion laws on abortion providers in the South, and “Bobby Kennedy for President”, which debuted on Netflix.
As a two-time Sundance film festival director, Porter’s work has been featured on HBO, Netflix, CNN, PBS, MSNBC, MTV Films, and other platforms. Porter’s latest documentary, “The Lady Bird Diaries”, an all-archival documentary about Lady Bird Johnson debuted at the 2023 SXSW Film Festival where it won the Lone Star Prize. After a successful festival run, the film made its broadcast debut on Hulu.
TIME II: Unfinished Business
SNF Parkway Theatre
Sunday, October 6, 2024 5:05pm
Synopsis
TIME II: Unfinished Business witnesses the return of Sibil Fox and Robert Richardson, protagonists of the Oscar-nominated documentary, TIME (2020). Their unique and unapologetic voices drive this next chapter in their gripping, no-holds-barred tale of love and justice.
The film plunges us headfirst into the aftermath of Rob’s release from Louisiana’s Angola Prison after 21 grueling years, which only marked the beginning of their continued fight for freedom. The battle now rages on for their nephew and “fall partner,” Ontario, who remains unjustly imprisoned.
TIME II: Unfinished Business offers audiences an unflinching view of the lengths these extraordinary individuals will go to alter their family’s fate and rewrite the course of history.
Director’s Biograhy: Fox Rich
Fox Rich is an autodidactic documentarian who first captivated audiences in the incomparable Garrett Bradley-led Oscar-nominated film TIME (2020). Fox Rich is a skilled wordsmith, gifted orator, and natural-born storyteller. In 1997, her world was turned upside down when an ill-intentioned investor unexpectedly pulled out of a business venture, sending her and her husband, Robert Richardson, spiraling to regain financial solvency. In response to this heartbreaking setback, Fox and Rob did the unimaginable – they robbed a bank.
Subsequently, Fox would spend the next 21 years and 4 days fighting tooth and nail to secure Rob’s freedom. Throughout this arduous journey, her camera became her steadfast companion, ceaselessly capturing candid and vulnerable moments that laid bare the raw truth of her family’s existence.
These video diaries became a lifeline and beacon of hope as Fox documented every step of the way, yearning to share with Rob the precious moments he was unjustly forced to miss. Rich’s sacred diaries gave her meaning, but also garnered her praise for what is now hailed as one of the “top 50 films of the century” and one of the “25 most defining works of the Black renaissance,” according to The Hollywood Reporter and TIME magazine, respectively.
