Patrice Rushen

A novelist fed up with the establishment profiting from "Black" entertainment uses a pen name to write a book that propels him into the heart of hypocrisy and the madness he claims to disdain.

Lawyers must defend a prisoner accused of murdering two of his inmates during the Attica prison riots in 1971.

Film crew arrives in a small town in Nevada desert. Ends up changing the life of a 12-year-old kid and a friend of his, a movie lover.

Director Robert Townsend (Hollywood Shuffle) knows how to construct and, when necessary, even milk a laugh for optimal effect. This third riotous volume in the Partners in Crime collection features more ribald moments culled from Townsend's laugh-filled HBO variety show. Robin Harris, Tommy Davidson, Shawn Wayans and musical guest Bobby Brown also star.

When six-year-old Ruby Bridges is chosen to be the first African-American to integrate her local elementary school, she is subjected to the true ugliness of racism for the first time.

Director Robert Townsend (Hollywood Shuffle) knows how to construct and, when necessary, even milk a laugh for optimal effect. This fourth and final volume in the Partners in Crime collection features more moments culled from Townsend's laugh-filled HBO variety show. Franklin Ajaye, Reynaldo Rey, John Witherspoon and musical guest M.C. Hammer also star.

Their town always had two proms, one for the whites and one for the blacks. When both proms wanted the same DJ, Brianna McCallister suggested combining the proms, which would also mean more money for decorations. However, her idea shook the town up, especially after a white student was let off for the same offense that a black student was suspended for. Can the town overcome racial tensions and finally combine the two proms?

Cora Jenkins and her parents are the only African-Americans in their community in 1920s Iowa, supported only by Cora's wages as housekeeper to the wealthy Studevants. When tragedy strikes, will Cora speak the truth...with consequences? From the short story by Langston Hughes.

From comedian and filmmaker Robert Townsend (Hollywood Shuffle) comes this collection of comedy sketches starring some of the biggest names in show business. Featuring Keenan Ivory Wayans, Damon Wayans, and Paul Mooney among others Robert Townsend: Partners in Crime, Vol. 1 sends up such pop-culture staples as Dynasty and Michael Jackson.

Sandra Bernhard stars in a studio version of her off-Broadway show, blending re-enactments of the original show's pieces with concept vignettes and 'testimonials' to underscore the relationship between a performer and an audience.

Made especially for the HBO cable network, this well-wrought feature is comprised of three short stories by three noted black American authors, each of which is directed by a respected black director.

THE GIRLS IN THE BAND tells the poignant, untold stories of female jazz and big band instrumentalists and their fascinating, groundbreaking journeys from the late 1930s to the present day.

While many celebrities believe their fame gives them good luck with the opposite gender, one man with a successful television career discovers fame is spoiling his chances with the woman he loves in the made-for-TV romantic drama. Holly Aimes (Lark Voorhies) is the daughter of a prominent politician (Glynn Turman), and recently broke off her engagement with a well-known actor. Holly has spent most of her life in the spotlight, and wants nothing more than to be left alone without the glare of public scrutiny. When Holly meets talk show host Michael Williams (Kadeem Hardison), he's soon convinced that she's the woman with whom he wants to share his life, but can he convince her of his sincerity so she will brave another high-profile romance? Based on the popular romance novel by Carla Fredd, Fire and Ice also features Tempestt Bledsoe and Freda Payne. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

The true story of two African-American teen radio reporters and their documentary investigation of a notorious child murder.

Lee Ritenour is one of the world's most renowned jazz guitarists. Initially performing and recording as a sideman with the likes of The Mamas And The Papas, Tony Bennett, Steely Dan, Pink Floyd and Dizzy Gillespie, since 1976 he has been a major solo artist with over 30 albums to his credit. Overtime was filmed in high definition in Enterprise Studios, Burbank in front of a small audience and is a career retrospective of this extraordinary guitarist in which he is accompanied by some of his many collaborators down the years. The concert is split into four distinct sections. The program starts with acoustic jazz and then moves into Brazilian music, followed by Lee's early fusion music and concludes with a set of his most popular tracks from more recent albums. Interviews with the participants are interspersed between the live performances.

Lady Be Good reveals the lost stories of female jazz musicians from the early 1920s to the 1970s. Narrated by musician-composer Patrice Rushen, the film charts the influence of female players from the struggles and successes of early innovators (Sweet Emma Barrett, Lil Hardin-Armstrong), through the rise of the all-woman big bands (Ina Ray Hutton & Her Melodears, the Hollywood Redheads), to the female musicians that were instrumental players (Dorothy Donegan, Mary Osborne) and arrangers (Mary Lou Williams, Melba Liston) for more famous male band leaders, including Benny Goodman and Quincy Jones. Unfolding over nine parts, director Kay D. Ray's debut film weaves provocative and often humorous interviews with female musicians, big band leaders, jazz authors, and historians throughout a film stuffed end-to-end with archival photos, recordings, and performance footage to create a documentary that restores an essential part of our musical history.