Newlyweeds
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High in Bed-Stuy: Shaka King on Newlyweeds
The lovers at the center of Shaka King’s Newlyweeds are young Brooklynites whose romance more or less revolves around their love of marijuana. King’s often outrageously funny and wistfully bleak movie is a black stoner answer to James Ponsoldt’s Smashed; with genre-bending humor and style to burn, the movie asks delicate questions about the nature and sustainability of their relationship and fissures that may pull them apart. Amari Cheatom’s Lyle is a repo man for a rent-to-own electronics and appliance store while Trae Harris’ Nina is a museum tour guide. He’s a little angry and brighter than his job title would indicate […]
by Brandon Harris on Sep 20, 2013 -
Sundance Recommendations: Frances Bodomo
At the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, Filmmaker magazine asked a series of directors to talk about the films they were excited about at this year’s event. Here Frances Bodomo, writer/director of the short Boneshaker, offers her recommendation.
by Nick Dawson on Jan 26, 2013 -
A Young Producer’s Sundance Photo Diary, Day One
I don’t have a film premiering at Sundance this year, though not for the lack of trying. I don’t have an awesome, all inclusive ticket package or badge, and my name doesn’t pop up on guest lists at premiere parties. I am a young producer hustling my way through the arduous independent film landscape and lucky to be at the Sundance Film Festival. I’m here with my film collective, The Spirit Farm, and with a few projects on my slate. I’ve decided to catalog my time at Sundance bouncing between movies and meetings, cocktail parties (that I can squeeze my way […]
by Alexandra Byer on Jan 19, 2013 -
Five Questions with Newlyweeds Director Shaka King
The stoner comedy niche is one the Sundance Film Festival too rarely fills, but as if to remedy this lack we now have Shaka King’s debut feature Newlyweeds. Equal parts absurd and emotionally grounded, the film follows Lyle (Amari Cheatom) and Nina (Trae Harris), two young lovers with a shared passion for weed. But just as much as the drug provides a stabilizing force in their relationship, it also proves to be the thing holding them back. Newlyweeds premieres today in Sundance’s NEXT section. Filmmaker: Where did the idea for Newlyweeds come from? Forgive me for asking, but are you […]
by Jane Schoenbrun on Jan 18, 2013 -
Newlyweeds | Director Shaka King
[PREMIERE SCREENING: Friday, Jan. 18, 11:30am — Prospector Square Theatre] Making a movie, you’re expected to sacrifice sleep and if you’re fortunate enough to have one, a life…for a time. Even sanity, some say. But in the context of making this film, I prefer to think of sacrifice in the vein of sacrificing a chicken or a goat to a spirit. Sacrificial sacrifice. For something magical you could never understand. Because making this film was that for me. There were no “Damn, I wish I was doing something else” days. I didn’t get sick. I wasn’t at war with a lover. It […]
by Filmmaker Staff on Jan 17, 2013
