Pass The Popcorn: Filmmaker Nefertite Nguvu To Premiere 'In The Morning' At Urban World Film Festival, 09/20

Filmmaker Nefertite Nguvu follows a successful Kickstarter campaign and a compelling trailer with the debut of her new film In The Morning, which premieres on Saturday, September 20th at the Urban World Film Festival in New York City. The ensemble drama about "love and its inevitable change/decline" stars Emayatzy Corinealdi, Numa Perrier, Kim Hill, Jacky Ido and Hoji Fortuna. Nguvu directed the film, which was shot by Arthur Jafa. Jafa commented on the film's importance and his decision to be involved in its completion at the outset of the production:

For me, In The Morning is about those moments in life when the split, between what you know and what you feel, is, fundamentally, irreconcilable. And if one takes this most human of experiences, and places it in the context of the “perpetual post trauma” that defines black life, one has now entered a very specific corner of heaven and hell. It’s a space that artists like Marvin Gaye, Billie Holiday and Al Green have rendered so powerfully. And yet, it’s a space we’ve seldom if ever seen authentically portrayed in black cinema, a space of deepest, blackest feelings.

Nguvu's explanation of the production echoes Jafa's passion for the project and offers fans a decent glimpse at all of its moving parts:

In The Morning is about love and its inevitable change/decline. It charts the emotional anatomy of several relationships over the course of one day. Permutations of passion, sorrow, joy and brutal honesty fuel the lives of a group of inter-connected New Yorkers. Friends: Harper, Ravi, Fez, Bly and Amara, gather to bid farewell to one of their own moving abroad, and debate the compromise and loss of their youthful ideals about marriage, fidelity, life and love. Two lovers: Malik and Cadence, meet to ceremoniously end a whirlwind romance that has collapsed under the weight of fears, obligations and regrets. A couple: Zuri and Leal, sift through the remains of their broken relationship as they try to make a life altering decision, journeying through the bitter heartbreak that comes with faded love, disintegrated trust, and dreams abandoned. For everyone, life will be indelibly altered in the morning.

Simply stated, In The Morning is about love and transitions. It examines the complexities of love from the perspective of three women in the midst of some hard won self-transformation. It’s a mood piece that weaves together three stories about personal growth and the power of choice and action.

More than the simplistic boy meets girl narrative, Nguvu's In The Morning offers a cinematic exploration of love that champions complex characters of color and much more critical examinations of love at every stage of life. Check the footage below to view the trailer for In The Morning. Purchase passes for the Urban World Film Festival via urbanworld.org. Get more on the film via inthemorning-thefilm.com