William Jones, the founder of Afrofuturism Network, is financially backing his first-ever independent film, titled Rumination.
Rumination, written and directed by Chad Eric Smith, combines science fiction, romance, and drama. It’s about a heartbroken man who travels into the past for a second chance at a failed relationship.
Heartbroken and haunted by memories of an ex-girlfriend, Elliott is eager to mend his failed relationship. He meets Renard, a quirky neuroscientist who offers to alleviate his distress with a new scientific method: a top-secret drug that enables time travel.
“Rumination” is a story about grief and the determination of the human mind to regain happiness.
“Too often, black characters in cinema are reduced to one-dimensional stereotypes, caricatures whose emotional Rolodex include very few emotions. In Rumination, I present a black man who is fully human, suffering from emotional pain after losing the romantic love from a beautiful black woman. I show him experiencing heartbreak and grief, juxtaposed with positive images of a black love that once was. Then, I use a sci-fi premise to help his character reunite with the woman of his dreams. From the lens of Afrofuturism, I’m presenting an aesthetic that is rarely seen and fusing it with a time travel mechanism that is rarely explored. William Jones, the founder of Afrofuturism Network, read my screenplay, believed in my vision and supported it financially, helping turn something that existed in the past as only an idea into something that will be enjoyed by audiences nationwide in the near future.” – Chad Eric Smith, Writer and Director of Rumination
The short film stars Kelvin Drama, Angus Whinfield, and Danny Gavigan and has been submitted to close to 20 film festivals throughout the United States and Canada.
So far, the film has had two public screenings in the Washington, DC area and the response has been incredible. It was called a “triumph of visual storytelling” in an article by William Powell.
William Jones, founder of Afrofuturism Network has been happy to help bring this project to life. He says: “Afrofuturism Network is very excited to be a part of this project.” “The Afrofuturism Network is always looking for new projects to support.”
About Afrofuturism Network
AFN seeks to support the ever-growing community of black writers, artists, and thinkers in the realms of sci-fi, fantasy, comic books, and film. Here, we analyze the contributions and portrayal of black characters in these mediums. AFN will examine the role and place of black people in the past present and future and serve as a hub for black creativity and thought.
Read more at afrofuturismnet.com
About William Jones
William Jones, the founder of Afrofuturism Network, is a historian, “comic book geek”, writer, and educator. He is a sought-after public speaker on the subjects of the history of black people in America, the image of black people in various forms of media, pop culture and hip-hop music, to name just a few. He has spoken on various college campuses and at conferences both nationally and abroad.
Media Contact
Company Name: BLUE ARTISTS, LLC
Contact Person: William Jones
Email: Producers@blue-artists.com
Phone: 877-977-2023
City: ARLINGTON
State: Virginia
Country: United States
Website: https://afrofuturismnet.com/