*Director: Jessie Maple. United States, 1981, 71m, DCP*

*Presented in partnership with Black Revivalist. West Coast premiere.*

In 1981, Jessie Maple became the first African American woman to direct an independent film with this raw, unflinching portrait of heroin addiction and recovery.

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The first independent feature by an African American woman, writer-director-producer Jessie Maple’s groundbreaking film is an intimate portrait of redemption and addiction, with incredible NYC location shooting and wonderful naturalistic performances. In Harlem, former All-American basketball player Will (Obaka Adedunyo) works to kick his drug habit and regain control of his life, finding purpose and direction in an unexpected encounter and mentorship of an adrift unhoused boy (Robert Dean) he affectionately calls “Little Brother.” With a documentarian’s precision, Maple evokes effortless performances from a mixture of non-professional and professional actors (including the great Loretta Devine as Will’s wife) and demonstrates her mastery of tone, with cinematography from her husband and co-producer Leroy Patton. Made for $12,000 and self-distributed, *Will* is an emblem of the production methods and alternative distribution networks that sustained African-American cinema outside the mainstream industry, and is finally available for a wider audience to appreciate.

The new 4K restoration of *Will* (1981) was a joint project between the Black Film Center & Archive (BFCA), the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture’s Time-Based Media Archives and Conservation staff, and the Center for African American Media Arts.

Special thanks to Camm Harrison, E. Danielle Butler and Michelle Materre.

This is an 18+ event

Presented by Black Revivalist, Mezzanine and MUBI

2220 Arts

LA Festival of Movies: Will

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