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Talkhouse

Robert Townsend is often referred to as one of the &#8220;Godfathers of Independent Film.” In 1987, Townsend wrote, directed, produced, and starred in his feature debut, the critically acclaimed, Hollywood Shuffle, a satire depicting the trials and tribulations of black actors in Hollywood, which is newly released on Blu-ray through the Criterion Collection. Townsend next directed the highest-grossing stand-up comedy concert film of all time, Eddie Murphy Raw, followed by The Meteor Man, which is heralded as Hollywood’s first Black superhero film, and the popular soul musical, The Five Heartbeats. Other films include B*A*P*S, The Holiday Heart, Carmen: A Hip Hopera, In the Hive and th3 documentary Making The Five Heartbeats. In television, Townsend created, starred in, and executive produced The Parent ‘Hood, which successfully ran for five seasons on the WB, after which he became President and CEO of Production for The Black Family Channel (BFC). Recently, Townsend has directed episodes of The Last O.G., Colin in Black &amp; White and The Wonder Years.

Robert Townsend

Film

Three Great Things: Robert Townsend

Geeta Gandbhir and Sam Pollard are the directors of the documentary <a href="https://greenwichentertainment.com/film/lowndes-county-and-the-road-to-black-power/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lowndes County and the Road to Black Power</a>, a timely and compelling look at the struggle and determination to correct the political imbalance within a small-town Black community, which is out now in theaters and on VOD through Greenwich Entertainment. Geeta Gandbhir is an award-winning director, producer and editor with more than 25 years of experience in the film industry. She started her career in narrative film under Spike Lee and Sam Pollard. After working for 11 years in the edit room in scripted film, with filmmakers including Merchant Ivory, the Coen Brothers, Robert Altman, she branched into documentary film. Her most recent films include Hungry to Learn and I Am Evidence. Sam Pollard is a veteran feature film and television video editor, and documentary producer/director. Between 1990 and 2010, he edited a number of Spike Lee films, including Mo’ Better Blues, Jungle Fever, Girl 6, Clockers, and Bamboozled. Pollard and Lee co-produced a number of documentary productions for the small and big screen, including Four Little Girls, which was nominated for an Academy Award® in 1998 and When The Levees Broke, a four-part documentary that won numerous awards, including a Peabody and three Emmy Awards. A prolific documentarian, his most recent films include Citizen Ashe, MLK/FBI, Mr. Soul and Sammy Davis, Jr.: I&#8217;ve Gotta Be Me. (Photo via <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Spike_Lee,_Geeta_Gandbhir_and_Samuel_D._Pollard,_May_2011_%289%29.jpg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wikipedia</a>.)

Geeta Gandbhir and Sam Pollard

Best of 2022: Geeta Gandbhir and Sam Pollard on Reginald Hudlin’s Sidney

Sidney Poitier