#janicza bravo
Greener Grass (2019)
In a day-glo-colored, bizarro version of suburbia where adults wear braces on their already-straight teeth, everyone drives golf carts, and children magically turn into golden retrievers, soccer moms and best friends Jill (Jocelyn DeBoer) and Lisa (Dawn Luebbe) are locked in a passive aggressive battle-of-the-wills that takes a turn into the sinister when Lisa begins systematically taking over every aspect of Jill’s life – starting with her newborn daughter.
Meanwhile, a psycho yoga teacher killer is on the loose, Jill’s husband (Beck Bennett) has developed a curious taste for pool water, and Lisa is pregnant with a soccer ball. That’s just the tip of the gloriously weird iceberg that is the feature debut from writers-directors Jocelyn DeBoer and Dawn Luebbe, a hilariously demented, Stepford Wives-on-acid satire destined to be an instant cult classic.
Directed by: Jocelyn DeBoer and Dawn Luebbe
Starring: Jocelyn DeBoer, Dawn Luebbe, Beck Bennett, Neil Casey, Mary Holland, D'Arcy Carden, Dot-Marie Jones, Lauren Adams, Janicza Bravo, John Milhiser, Santina Muha, Jim Cummings
Release date: October 18, 2019
Introducing The 2020 Culture Shifters
Sometimes it feels like we’re at peak everything. There is so much to consume. Prestige TV, an endless parade of Marvel movies, viral memes and hot takes dominate our conversations online and off. In today’s cultural landscape, it can be hard to discern what’s new and paradigm-shifting and what’s just noise.
Enter the Culture Shifters list, HuffPost’s way of shining a light on those who are shaping today’s culture in exciting ways and setting the tone for what is possible for our future.
In this inaugural list, we’ve chosen people across the United States in the realms of film, television, activism, fashion, literature, nightlife, food and comedy. They are people who aren’t simply getting a seat at the table in their respective industries, but are creating their own tables, cultivating their own spaces, and forging untraditional paths within traditional institutions.
Among the honorees are a young Asian American culture writer changing the conversation around representation with brilliant essays and celebrity profiles, a nightclub collective that hosts legendary and affirming parties exclusively for queer people of color, a 12-year-old activist fighting for clean water across America, a young Black actor challenging how we define the Hollywood male lead, and a beauty entrepreneur whose makeup line reenvisions what beauty even means.
This list isn’t just about who is hot right now. Instead, it is about people who have the potential for long-lasting impact, people who spark important conversations and, in big and small ways, are shifting the culture.
✨Head here to check out all of the incredible profiles.✨
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© Sundance Institute | L–R, from top left: Ekwa Msangi by Caydie McCumber; Janicza Bravo by Jemal Countess; Ava DuVernay by Mark Leibovitz; Euzhan Palcy by Ron Hill; Gina Prince-Bythewood with Sanaa Lathan, photographer unknown; Dee Rees by Dan Campbell; and Ayoka Chenzira, photographer unknown
Black women directors have created some of the most powerful, nuanced, and layered stories of our time. From indie hits to serious blockbusters, projects written and directed by black women have proven to be essential in contributing a unique cinematic gaze. In the span of 39 years, Sundance Institute has supported numerous black women artists in telling their stories via labs, grants, and the annual Festival in Park City.
In celebration of Black History Month, we’re highlighting black women feature-film directors with ties to Sundance Institute. We’ve chosen 11 artists who have worked to portray the intricate lives of black women, bring into focus cultural aspects of the African diaspora, and express socially relevant themes through film.
Check out the full blog post here.
