The Color Purple (2023)
Director: Blitz Bazawule Run Time: 140 min. Rating: PG-13 Release Year: 2023
Starring: Colman Domingo, Corey Hawkins, Danielle Brooks, Fantasia Barrino, Taraji P. Henson
Country: United States
Language: English
About the film:
Received Golden Globe nominations for Best Actress for Fantasia Barrino and Best Supporting Actress for Danielle Brooks, who also earned an Academy Award nomination.
A story of love and resilience, The Color Purple (2023) is a decades-spanning tale of one woman’s journey to independence. Celie faces many hardships in her life, but ultimately finds extraordinary strength and hope in the unbreakable bonds of sisterhood.
“For a story so filled with trauma and sorrow… The Color Purple is a surprisingly joyful experience… the entire ensemble shines.”
—David Rooney, Hollywood Reporter
This bold new take on Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel is directed by Blitz Bazawule (2020’s Black Is King, 2018’s The Burial of Kojo) from a screenplay by Marcus Gardley, based on the Tony Award winning stage musical of the same name.
About the filmmaker:
Blitz Bazawule, known by the stage name Blitz the Ambassador, is a filmmaker and musician born in Accra, Ghana. His short films Native Sun (2012) and Diasporadical Trilogìa (2016) premiered at BAM New Voices in Black Cinema. His debut feature The Burial of Kojo (2018) received nine nominations at the 15th Africa Movie Academy Awards and won two, including Best First Feature Film by a Director. The film became the Golden Globes’ first Ghanaian entry, and the first original movie from Ghana to be released on Netflix. He directed segments of Beyoncé’s visual album Black Is King (2020), which was nominated for Best Music Film at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards. He most recently directed the musical reimagining of The Color Purple (2023).
As a musician and band leader, Blitz has released three studio albums, 2009’s Stereotype, 2011’s Native Sun, 2014’s Afropolitan Dreams, and has performed worldwide sharing the stage with the likes of The Roots, Angelique Kidjo, Sting and Public Enemy. He is also a 2016 TED Fellow and recipient of the Vilcek Prize.
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