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kweliTV Announces November 2020 Programming

Launches kweliLIVE Virtual Subscriber Events featuring
Activist Desmond Meade & More
“KweliTV is an exciting, affordable, and mostly accessible entry into the world of streaming international Black cinematic art” – PC Mag
 
“KweliTV is Netflix for black people, by black people, starring black people” – TechCrunch
 
“The Streaming Service That Centers the Black Diaspora” – Black Girl Nerds
kweliTV, the ad-free SVOD service for global independent Black cinema, has released their November 2020 slate of new titles, includinglove story BLACK MEXICANS, the first Mexican fictional film about the Afro-Mexican community, and the worldwide premiere of anticipated documentary CRAWFORD: THE MAN THE SOUTH FORGOT. Plus, not-to-be missed comedy can be found on “Comedy Curated by Lil Rel,” the channel curated by kweliTV’s Head of Comedy, Lil Rel Howery.
In addition, kweliTV has kicked off a program of kweliLIVE virtual events exclusively for kweliTV subscribers. Events include special screenings, Q&As and more, launching with a hip-hop meditation event on November 4 to bring calm to the community in the wake of the election. Coming up, kweliLIVE will feature powerful and inspiring talks and screenings into the new year, culminating in January with voting rights activist Desmond Meade.
“This new slate of programming we’re introducing this month truly reflects the diversity of the black experience – whether it’s telling the perspective of a group of Afro-Mexicans living in Oaxaca or the untold stories of the 17 Black athletes who competed with Jesse Owens during the historic 1936 Olympics,” said DeShuna Spencer, Founder and CEO of kweliTV. “Added to that is our new series of virtual live events that we hope will spark activism and foster healing during these times.”
 
kweliTV is available to stream via the kweliTV website, DistroTV, Comcast Xfinity, Roku, Amazon Fire, Android TV, AppleTV, iOS, GooglePlay for Android and Chromecast. The fast-growing service’s subscribers have more than doubled since April 2020 and PC Mag named kweliTV as one of its “Best Movie Streaming Services for 2020” – one of the only independent, Black-owned services to make the list alongside industry heavyweights.
Founded by journalist, filmmaker and entrepreneur DeShuna Spencer, kweliTV‘s diverse slate of films, series, documentaries and children’s programming showcases the rich history and diverse culture of the global Black community with new award-winning and film festival-vetted films and documentaries added every month.
Full list of November 2020 new releases:
  • A LOVER’S CALL: Assim is torn between his faith and a growing bond with poet Kala when he realizes she isn’t Muslim. Watch the trailer HERE.
  • AFROKONS: Sila Apiseh, a young woman, decides to run for office. She engages in a battle to empower women and give hope to youths in her country, AFROKONS. The political class dominated by men embarks on challenging her personality as a woman and makes attempts to deprive her from running for president. Watch the trailer HERE.
  • BADASSERY: BADASSERY looks at the rise of the female DJ, and how their presence is unapologetically disrupting the Toronto hip-hop scene. Watch the trailer HERE.
  • BLACK MEXICANS: Two women, Juana and Magdalena, are romantically involved with the same man, Neri. Through its central love triangle, the sun-lit movie addresses the alienation and discrimination black Mexicans face within their own homeland. “La Negrada” (Black Mexicans) is the first Mexican fictional film about the Afro-Mexican community, filmed entirely with people from different towns around the Costa Chica in Oaxaca. Watch the trailer HERE.
  • CRAWFORD: THE MAN THE SOUTH FORGOT:  Illinois native Doria Dee Johnson journeys to her ancestors’ hometown in South Carolina to retrace the last days in the life of her great-great-grandfather, Anthony Crawford. Anthony Crawford was an African American businessman and community leader who owned a thriving 427-acre cotton farm in Abbeville, South Carolina. Crawford’s success generated anger, envy and hatred among some of the white citizens of the town, culminating in his horrific demise that had ripple effects on his family for generations. Doria must fight an uphill battle to properly memorialize her great-great-grandfather and, in the process, shed light on a chapter in American history that has been largely buried. Watch the trailer for this kweliTV Worldwide Premiere HERE.
  • FINDING HILLYWOOD: Set amongst the hills of Rwanda, FINDING HILLYWOOD chronicles one man’s road to forgiveness, his effort to heal his country, and the realization that we all must one day face our past. A unique and endearing phenomenon film about the very beginning of Rwanda’s film industry and the pioneers who bring local films to rural communities, on a giant inflatable movie screen. FINDING HILLYWOOD is a real life example of the power of film to heal a man and a nation. Watch the trailer HERE.
  • OLYMPIC PRIDE, AMERICAN PREJUDICE: The lives of the other 17 American black athletes who competed alongside Jesse Owens in the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, and who are often forgotten by history. Watch the trailer HERE.
  • OYA: SOMETHING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE WEST: This personal and political story vibrantly investigates the heritage of command, mythology, gender fluidity and the hidden truth that women are behind the power of indigenous Yorùbá spirituality. Watch the trailer HERE.
  • PAHOKEE SHORTS: Three award-winning short films that exquisitely capture the Pahokee community, a small black Florida town. It takes a poetic window into a unique town’s loving identity. Watch the trailer HERE.
  • SPIT: A musician reaches the end of his rope in the changing landscape of New York City and decides to end his career and pursue a regular life. Watch the trailer HERE.
  • SWITCH: A couple, Nessa and Camden, continue their tradition of looking through each other’s phones once a month but questionable text messages reveal the truth. Watch the trailer HERE.
  • THE RUNAWAYS: Abused and neglected, Kellee attempts to run away with her boyfriend James, only to be chased and cornered by her abusive stepfather. What follows is a series of events that leads to a violent confrontation with the abusive man who terrorizes her life. Watch the trailer HERE.
  • YOLANDA: Single mother struggling to raise her children on the poor outskirts of Santo Domingo decides to risk it all and illegally immigrate to Puerto Rico aboard an overcrowded wooden vessel. Watch the trailer HERE.
 
About kweliTV:
kweliTV allows you to discover and celebrate black stories through curated indie films, documentaries, web series, kids’ shows, news and live experiences from around the world-North America, Africa, Latin America, Europe and the Caribbean. “Kweli” means “truth” in Swahili. Our mission is to curate content that is a true reflection of the global black experience. Ninety-eight percent of kweliTV’s films have been official selections at film festivals and more than 65% are award-winning. kweliTV providing more than 250 indie filmmakers of color across the globe a space to showcase and make money off of their content once they have finished their film festival run. For more information, visit: www.kweli.tv.
About DeShuna Spencer:
DeShuna Elisa Spencer is the Founder & CEO of kweliTV. She’s a former radio host and producer of emPower Hour, a show that examined social justice issues affecting people of color, on Washington, DC’s 89.3 FM WPFW. She is a Halcyon Incubator Fellow, a Voqal Fellow and a Google NexGen Policy Leader. Spencer was first place winner of the 2017 Harvard Business School African Business Conference Pitch Competition.  In 2019, the Digital Diversity Network named Spencer the Innovation & Inclusion Social Entrepreneur of the Year. She’s an advisory board member of Full Color Future and the Multicultural Media Correspondents Association.

Vic

Editor / Writer / Producer For Drop the Spotlight