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Angela Davis, American political activist, scholar, and author, presented Tribeca Festival’s fourth annual Harry Belafonte Voices for Social Justice Award to Rosario Dawson, Jesse Williams, Aloe Blacc, aja monet, Matt Post, Carmen Perez-Jordan, RodStarz and Sean Pica.

Named after the entertainer, actor, and civil rights leader, the Harry Belafonte Voices for Social Justice Award recognizes individuals who have used storytelling and the arts to enact change in their communities.

The award ceremony took place following the World Premiere screening of documentary Following Harry, directed and edited by Susanne Rostock (Sing Your Song). The film was followed by a panel discussion, moderated by Davis, with the award winners and filmmakers.

Following Harry begins with Harry Belafonte at the age of 84, embarking on a deeply personal journey, disrupting injustice over the next ten years by passionately encouraging a diverse group of entertainers and activists to overcome soaring national unrest and anger...

Veteran US independent producer Cassian Elwes and Chinese tech entrepreneur and NextG founder Edward Zeng are launching a $100m fund to invest in five to eight features over the next three years.

The pair are in Cannes to meet with potential partners on their Next Generation Media Fund and are talking to buyers on the first project on the slate, the crime biopic Gambino.

Elwes, whose credits include The Butler, Precious and Mudbound, is lead producer on the story of the Mafia boss who led the Gambino crime family in New York until his death in 1976.

Nick Vallelonga, the Oscar-winning...

Tribeca Enterprises Chief Content Officer Paula Weinstein surprised a packed house tonight at Tribeca Festival’s annual Harry Belafonte Voices for Social Justice Award presentation with a special, never before seen, extended sneak peek of Susanne Rostock’s upcoming Harry Belafonte documentary “Following Harry.”

The four-minute clip, presented below, represents the prologue of Rostock’s upcoming documentary. The reveal was the climax of the event, during which the annual award was presented to Jane Fonda at Indeed Theater at Spring Studios.

The footage shows the elderly activist, who passed away at the age of 96 on April 25 of this year, reflecting on his life and the frustration that he has seen so many negative forces emerging upon the public stage in his twilight years.

“The truth of the matter is that the enemy doesn’t sleep,” Belafonte states amid scenes of torch-bearing Charlottesville Nazi protestors shouting “blood and soil.”

Belafonte collaborated...

Exclusive: Principal photography has wrapped on Following Harry, a documentary that offers an inside view of 96-year-old civil rights icon Harry Belafonte’s continuing mission of social justice. The film directed and edited by Susanne Rostock is being readied for premiere at fall film festivals.

Belafonte, who celebrated his birthday on March 1, executive produces Following Harry. He, Rostock and producer Julius Nasso previously collaborated on the 2011 documentary Sing Your Song, a film that examined both Belafonte’s groundbreaking career in entertainment and his key role in the Civil Rights Movement. Following Harry is a present-tense account of Belafonte’s ongoing dedication to advance a more equitable and just society. It covers a span of time dating from the killing of Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Florida more than a decade ago until today.

“Following Harry is a feature documentary that shares the lived experience of Harry Belafonte, in the most public...

Exclusive: Andy Fickman (One True Loves) will direct the fish-out-of-water feature My Dad’s A Famous Movie Star for Brick Lane Pictures, Convoke Media, Film Roman and Kranzmedia—also producing through his Oops Doughnuts Productions banner.

Details as to the film’s plot are being kept under wraps, though it’s said to be in the vein of titles like Billy Elliot, Waking Ned Devine and About a Boy. Fickman wrote the script with his wife, Kristen Gura Fickman. Brandon Evans (Big Bear) will produce for the Ireland-based Brick Lane Pictures, along with Todd Slater for Convoke (King of Killers), Steve Waterman (Alvin and the Chipmunks), Jeff Kranzdorf (The Good Neighbor), and Fickman and Betsy Sullenger (One True Loves) for Oops Doughnuts. Elaine Grainger (Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard) is handling casting, which is now underway for a fall shoot in Ireland.

“When I first got involved with the script...

Exclusive: Screen Media has acquired North American rights to the psychological thriller The Good Neighbor, from director Stephan Rick (The Dark Side of the Moon), with plans for a day-and-date theatrical release in June.

The film written by Rick and Ross Partridge (Room 104) is a remake of the 2011 German thriller Unter Nachbarn, which marked Rick’s feature directorial debut. It watches as a nightmarish evening unfolds when neighbors David (Luke Kleintank) and Robert (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) hit a woman on her bike and flee. When her sister arrives searching for the truth, Robert does unspeakable things to protect their secret.

Bruce Davison (X-Men) also stars in the thriller, which was produced by Dean Altit, Yulia Zayceva, Forma Pro Films and Altit Media Group. Kimberly Hines, Rami Jaber, Kia Jam, Jeff Kranzdorf, Ross Partridge, Max Pavlov, Igor Pronin, Svetlana Punte, Qais Qandil, Stephan Rick, Patrick Rizzotti and Jim Steele served as its executive producers.