There’s been a ton of news over the past week about film/television projects featuring black women. We’re everywhere! From developing horror films to playing God to headlining new TV shows. Check out the latest rundown:

Recently Announced
Octavia Spencer to Play God in Movie Version of The Shack.

Carmen Ejogo to Star in ‘Born to Be Blue’ with Ethan Hawke – Ethan Hawke will portray jazz trumpeter Chet Baker who is married to a mixed race woman, played by Carmen Ejogo. The film takes place during the 1960s.

Anika Noni Rose Lands Lead Role in Ava DuVernay-Directed CBS Drama ‘For Justice’ – For Justice is based on a novel by James Patterson (known for Along Came a Spider and Kiss the Girls) centered around the fictional murder of Nashville’s first black mayor. Ava DuVernay will direct the pilot episode with Anika Noni Rose playing an FBI agent leading the investigation.
Now Playing/Coming Soon
Feature films
T-Rex shares the story of 17-year-old Claressa “T-Rex” Shields. From the streets of Flint, Michigan, Claressa desperately wants to take her family to a better, safer place and winning gold could be her only chance when women’s boxing is included in the 2012 Olympics. World Premiere on Friday, March 13 at SXSW.

Girlhood follows Marieme, who meets three free-spirited girls and forms an all-girl gang in the dangerous suburbs outside Paris. The Film has received excellent critical reviews. The Miami premiere on Saturday, March 21, will feature the film’s stars KARIDJA TOURÉ and ASSA SYLLA; see full list of U.S. screenings here.

Short films
Strolling from Black British Filmmaker Cecile Emeke. Follows Black Britons as they walk through various cities around the world. Check out this write up on her work.

#PROTECTANDSERVE, from Issa Rae, explores the topic of effective policing, through the lens of a 90-day body camera trial.

Now Funding
Paralysis – from writer/ director R. Shanea Williams, tells the story of Jessica, an African American photographer who, after a painful divorce, moves into a new apartment and is plagued by terrifying occurrences she fears are coming from a supernatural entity.

Queen of Glory – from writer/ director Nana Mensah. About Sarah Obeng, a PhD candidate who is quitting her dissertation research to follow her married lover to Ohio when her mother dies suddenly, willing her a Christian bookstore in the Bronx.

Upcoming Film Events
Black Women Film Network Presents Inaugural Black Women Film Summit, March 5-7, 2015.
BAMcinématek & ActNow Foundation Announce Lineup for 5th New Voices in Black Cinema Festival, Mar 26-29.
Taraji P. Henson to Headline 2015 American Black Film Festival, June 11-14, 2015.

If you are a fellow film lover in the Austin, TX area, I’ll be at SXSW Film March 13 – 16. Wanna meet up? Send me a message on our forum.