CityLine: RoxFilm returns for its 26th year

THE ROXBURY INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL IS THE LARGEST NEW ENGLAND FILM FESTIVAL DEDICATED TO CELEBRATING FILM BY. FOR, AND ABOUT PEOPLE OF COLOR AROUND THE WORLD. ONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED FILMS THIS YEAR, UH PREMIERED AT SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL. IT’S CALLED LUTHER NEVER TOO MUCH. AND HERE’S A PREVIEW, BUT A CHECK IS STILL A CHAIR. BUT ALL ARE ROOM IS NOT A HIGH HOUSE, AND A HOUSE IS NOT A HOME. WHEN THE TWO OF US, WE ARE FAR APART AND ONE OF US HAS CANCER. WALK IN THE HEART. YEAH, AND I GOT TO SAY, WHEN I WAS BEING HONORED BY THE NAACP AND HE PERFORMED IT FOR ME, IT WAS IT WAS OVERWHELMING. IT REALLY WAS. WOW. WE COULD JUST WE COULD JUST HEAR HIM SING FOR THE REST OF THE SHOW. WHAT A VOICE. LISA SIMMONS IS HERE. SHE’S THE FESTIVAL’S ARTISTIC AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR. LISA, HOW FITTING IT IS THAT JUNE IS BLACK MUSIC MONTH AND YOU’VE CHOSEN LUTHER TO OPEN THE FESTIVAL. OH MY GOD, WHY THIS IS SO EXCITING. WHY? BECAUSE WE WERE ABLE TO GET IT. WE WERE SO EXCITED THAT TO TALK TO DAWN PORTER, WHO’S THE DIRECTOR, GREAT DIRECTOR, DID THE JOHN LEWIS FILM, YOU KNOW, TROUBLE AND AND JUST WE JUST FELT LIKE WE NEEDED CELEBRATION. WE NEEDED A CELEBRATORY, INCREDIBLE OPENING NIGHT FILM. AND IT ALL CAME TOGETHER AND WE’RE SO EXCITED BECAUSE WE’RE THE ONLY ONES IN THE NEW ENGLAND AREA THAT ARE SCREENING IT BEFORE IT IS RELEASED IN JULY. NOW, I’VE SEEN LUTHER VANDROSS IN CONCERT, AT LEAST FIVE TIMES, MAYBE MORE. BUT WHAT MAKES LUTHER VANDROSS SPECIAL TO YOU AND WHAT’S SOMETHING YOU LEARNED ABOUT HIM IN THE FILM THAT WE DIDN’T KNOW? I MEAN, I THINK WHAT’S SPECIAL ABOUT HIM IS THAT HE BROUGHT THIS TYPE OF MUSIC THAT WAS SO SOULFUL, THAT WAS SO, SO, UM, YOU KNOW, SORT OF LIKE WASHED OVER YOU AND ALWAYS JUST MADE ME FEEL GOOD. I ALWAYS MADE ME WANT TO SING AT THE TOP OF MY LUNGS. WHEN YOU PUT IT IN. UM, AND I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, WHAT I REALIZED ABOUT HIM IS THAT HE IS LIKE. HE IS A CONSUMMATE PROFESSIONAL. HE WAS INCREDIBLY HE, UM, YOU KNOW, AND NOT TO THE PERFECTIONIST, I MEAN, HE LOVED SINGING WITH OTHER PEOPLE, BUT I THINK THAT HIS CRAFT REALLY HELPED OTHER PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING A BLACK MALE SINGER AT THE PARTICULAR TIME THAT HE WAS COMING UP AND THAT, YOU KNOW, HE DID. HE DID. BACKGROUND. HE WAS A BACKUP SINGER FOR YEARS. THE GROUP WAS CALLED CHANGE. I REMEMBER HER, YES. YES, HE WAS KIND OF LIKE OUR FRANK SINATRA. YES. YES, EXACTLY. AND THAT’S WHY WE NEED TO CONSTANTLY REMEMBER HIM. AND THIS IS A GREAT DOCUMENTARY THAT DOES THAT. AND NOW ONE OF THE OTHER FILMS THAT YOU’RE GOING TO BE FEATURING IS CALLED SING SING, STARRING COLMAN DOMINGO. HIS CHARACTER IS SERVING TIME AT SING SING, A NOTORIOUS PRISON FOR A CRIME HE DIDN’T COMMIT. HE FINDS PURPOSE BY ACTING IN A THEATER GROUP ALONGSIDE OTHER INCARCERATED MEN. AND HERE’S ANOTHER PREVIEW. THIS IS A CLEMENCY HEARING FOR YOUR CONVICTION. 25 TO LIFE. SINCE YOU’VE BEEN IN CUSTODY, YOU’VE BEEN INVOLVED IN A THEATER PROGRAM. ALL RIGHT, GENTLEMEN, LET’S GO. IT’S BEEN A PROGRAM THAT WAS ESTABLISHED TO HELP PEOPLE GET MORE IN TOUCH WITH THEIR FEELINGS, AND IT TRULY GETS THEM REHABILITATION. I AM READY TO GOLIATH. I AM SPARTACUS, I’M PRINCE HAMLET OF DENMARK, AND IT’S TURNED INTO SOMETHING OF, I DON’T KNOW, UM. WONDERFUL. AH. WHAT PART DO YOU PLAY FROM TIME TO TIME? I DO ACT, UH, LIKE WE ALL DO. SO ARE YOU ACTING AT ALL DURING THIS INTERVIEW? UM, THAT SCENE WAS TOUGH. TELL US A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THIS FILM. WHAT HAPPENS TO DOMINGO’S CHARACTER, LISA, WHAT A GREAT FILM BASED ON A TRUE STORY. A LOT OF THE PEOPLE THAT ARE PLAYING IT IS NOT A DOCUMENTARY. IT IS A NARRATIVE. SO THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE THE OTHER CHARACTERS IN THE FILM ARE ACTUALLY FROM THE REHABILITATION THROUGH THE ARTS PROGRAM THAT CAME BACK TO DO THE PROGRAM AFTER THEIR RELEASE. SO HIS CHARACTER IS REALLY, YOU KNOW, HIS HIS CHARACTER IS SOMEONE WHO IS IN IN FOR A GOOD AMOUNT OF TIME AND USES THIS REHABILITATION THROUGH ARTS TO HELP SORT OF, YOU KNOW, FULFILL WHAT HIS, YOU KNOW, HIS DESIRES AND HIS NEED AND HIS UNDERSTANDING OF, OF THE PERSON THAT WHO HE IS. AND SO THEY STAGE PLAYS. OH MY GOSH, THEY STAGE PLAYS. THEY DO THEY DO SHAKESPEARE, THEY DO ALL SORTS OF THINGS. AND THIS PROGRAM EXISTS AND IT’S REALLY INCREDIBLE. AND THERE ARE OTHER PROGRAMS LIKE IT ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND IN SOME PRISONS THERE’S ALSO A THERE’S ALSO LIKE A MUSIC PROGRAM TOO, AND SOME OTHERS. AND IT’S REALLY A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO DO THIS REALLY HABILITATIVE WORK FOR THOSE WHO ARE INCARCERATED. NOW, HOW DOES THIS FILM DIFFER FROM A TYPICAL PRISON REDEMPTION STORY? I THINK IT DIFFERS BECAUSE IT’S IT’S A TRUE STORY. IT IS. IT HAS THE PEOPLE THAT WERE ACTUALLY PART OF THE REHABILITATION THROUGH THE ARTS PROGRAM, ACTING IN A FILM, A NARRATIVE FILM THAT THEY’VE NEVER DONE BEFORE. SO THESE ARE PEOPLE THAT HAVE ACTUALLY LIVED THIS LIFE. AND THAT’S, I THINK, WHAT BRINGS IT TO LIFE. AND WE’RE WE’RE FOLLOWING IT UP WITH THIS GREAT PANEL DISCUSSION WITH FOLKS FROM HALEY HOUSE AND SOMEONE WHO’S COMING FROM THE REHABILITATION THEATER ARTS PROGRAM. I’VE HAD A CHANCE TO SEE BOTH SING-SING AND LUTHER. SO I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING THEM AGAIN. YES, AT THE FILM FESTIVAL. AND LISA, THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. UM, YOU ARE GOING TO BE AT THE FESTIVAL, THE FESTIVAL, THE EMBRACE FESTIVAL, RIGHT? YES. OKAY. AND THE ROXBURY FILM FESTIVAL OPENS ON JUNE 20TH WITH LUTHER NEVER TOO MUCH. YOU CAN FIND LINKS TO THE REST OF THE SCHEDULE