The city of New York rolled out the red carpet as the cast of “Brotherly Love” attended the star-studded screening Tuesday night at the AMC Magic Johnson Theater. Flavor Unit Entertainment, a production company owned and operated by Queen Latifah and her partner Shakim Compere, have teamed up with Jacavi Films and Electric Republic to produce “Brotherly Love” set to release April 24, 2015.
Angela Yee hosted the event along with cast members Cory Hardrict, Eric Hill Jr., Marc John Jeffries, Jay “Lil JJ” Lewis and Julito McCullum. Special guests of the screening included, Neyo, Jada Kiss, Lil Mama, Mac Wilds, Angela Yee, Dana Chanel , A Town, and Charlie Mack (Executive Producer).
Celebrities came out in the hundreds to pack out the Harlem screening. As a special treat, guest were able to partake in a Q& A session [shortly after] with cast members, Cory Hardrict, Eric Hill Jr., Julito McCullum, Marc John Jeffries and Jay “Lil JJ” Lewis.
PLUM caught up with the cast members and New York’s Power 105.1 Breakfast Club radio show host, Angela Yee on the red carpet to discuss the film, their attractions, and upcoming projects. Take a watch below:
Movie Synopsis:
KeKe Palmer, Cory Hardrict andQuincy Brown lead the cast for first time writer/director, Jamal Hill in a complicated love story that will grip your heart and awaken your belief in family. Set in West Philadelphia, born-and-raised basketball star Sergio Taylor(Eric D. Hill Jr.) deals with the early pressures of fame. Alongside older brother June (Cory Hardrict), who lost his own hoop dreams to the streets to provide for the family after their father’s death, and sister Jackie (KeKe Palmer), whose own musical ambitions are sidetracked by love, Sergio faces life-altering decisions on the streets of Philly.
The film’s cast includes: Macy Gray, Malik Yoba, Romeo Miller, Jay Lewis, Logan Browning, Faizon Love and Teyana Taylor.
I really enjoyed this film. Director, Jamal Hill did a phenomenal job in addressing the growing epidemic of youth violence within African American communities, and the challenges of many youths who grow up in poverty, and single-family homes. Back in 1998 [ second year law student, Kimberly Chipman wrote an article ‘Violence in the African American Community; A Public Issue Health where she addressed the societal factors that impact youths of color, and how the resolve of this issue must be dealt with from multiple sources [including community persons and actions] in order to see full change. Take a read at a brief excerpt below:
” The correlation between poverty and violence is a well-established factor in social science literature. Being‘poor’ inAmerica means living in a devastated, crime-ridden neighborhood. It often means growing up in a family without a father and going to schools where most students fail.”
” Many young men of color suffer from“Black self-hatred”. This is not genetically induced, but results from years of conditioning in the social environment. Many of these young men are growing up without fathers or significant role models.They seek and learn behavior from television and movies. The general assumption is that if they are on the streets, they are planning a crime or looking to “gang-bang.” This factor combined with constant confrontations with police only seems to solidify to this young black man that he is“bad”.
…….There is not one strategy alone that can combat the problem of violence. The program against violence has to originate from a multi-disciplinary approach. There must be community support financially, spiritually, and physically. This must include parental involvement, religious involvement, and strong support from educators. “
Please support this film in theaters Friday, April 24th. Brotherly love will be playing in all national citiesNew York, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Chicago Washington D.C, with a national release of over250 theaters. To join the “Brotherly Love” viral conversation on Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest and Snapchat follow @BrotherlyLoveTheMovieand for more information visit www.BrotherlyLoveTheMovie.com
One Love PLUM’s!
