The Announcement

The Announcement

On November 7, 1991, suddenly everyone knew someone positive.

NR 2012 · 90 min · ★ 6.9 · Documentary

On Thursday, Nov. 7, 1991, Earvin "Magic" Johnson made people stop and watch at the Forum in Inglewood, Calif. But this time it wasn't his basketball brilliance as a perennial NBA All-Star and three-time MVP that was captivating audiences worldwide. Instead, the 32-year-old groundbreaking point guard was holding a press conference to make the stunning announcement that he was HIV-positive and would be retiring from basketball immediately.

Directed by Nelson George

Your Rating

Cast

Make it a double feature

2h 59m together

The Announcement

Thriller 40

Both from Nelson George.

More from Nelson GeorgeSee all →

One Special MomentOne Special Moment · 2001
One Special Moment
9.02001
Movie
An action adventure film star becomes smitten with an idealistic high school teacher when he agrees to participate in a business deal involving the teacher's ambitious clothing designer brother.
Thriller 40Thriller 40 · 2023
Thriller 40
8.72023
MovieDocumentaryMusic
Forty years after the release of Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller,’ the best-selling album of all-time, director Nelson George takes fans back in time to the making of a pop masterpiece, featuring never-before-seen footage and candid interviews.
Dear MamaDear Mama · 2023
Dear Mama
8.62023
SeriesDocumentary
Explore the history of activist Afeni Shakur and hip-hop icon Tupac Shakur, two voices that could not be silenced. Told through the eyes of the people who knew them best, this series is an intimate wide-angle portrait of the most inspiring and dangerous mother-son duo in American history, whose unified message of freedom, equality, persecution and justice are more relevant today than ever.
Rap: Looking for the Perfect BeatRap: Looking for the Perfect Beat · 1995
Rap: Looking for the Perfect Beat
7.51995
MovieDocumentary
Rap music has articulated a black aesthetic that is influencing pop culture around the world. But does it also promote violence, misogyny, and crime? This program featuring rap master Melle Mel describes the history of rap and hip-hop from its roots in earlier oral and musical traditions to its full flowering in the mid-1990s. Commentary by Grandmaster Flash and Afrika Bambaataa, rap’s early innovators; music critic Nelson George, author of hiphopamerica; radical jazz poet Gil Scott-Heron; movie star and rapper Ice Cube; former gangsta rapper Snoop Doggy Dogg; members of Public Enemy, Arrested Development, and the jazz/hip-hop fusion group UFO; and others speak out about the urban African-American experience, civil rights, social responsibility, and other pressing topics. Clips from music videos provide a visual perspective on the genre. Some images and lyrics may be objectionable.
The Get DownThe Get Down · 2016
The Get Down
7.32016
SeriesDrama
In 1977 New York City, the talented and soulful youth of the South Bronx chase dreams and breakneck beats to transform music history.
Mike Judge Presents: Tales from the Tour BusMike Judge Presents: Tales from the Tour Bus · 2017
Mike Judge Presents: Tales from the Tour Bus
7.32017
SeriesComedyAnimation
The raucous adventures of some of music’s most legendary artists, as told by those who knew them best. Featuring animated interviews with former bandmates, friends and other erstwhile associates, who share uncensored anecdotes about these artists, brought to life with animated reenactments and woven together with live-action archival performance footage and photos.
Finding the FunkFinding the Funk · 2014
Finding the Funk
7.22014
MovieDocumentaryMusic
Finding the Funk is a road trip in search of the past, present and future of Funk music. Starting with Funk's roots in Jazz and the James Brown bands of the '60s we travel to the Bay Area to celebrate Sly & the Family Stone, then to Dayton the birthplace of so many of Funk's originators, then onto Detroit where from the ashes of Motown, P-Funk's Mothership arose, and then to LA where a new crop of musicians are creating their own Funk history. On our journey into Funk, we talk to legends Sly Stone, Bootsy Collins, George Clinton, Nona Hendryx, Maceo Parker, Bernie Worrell, and Steve Arrington and their descendants Mike D, D'Angelo, Sheila E, Shock G and Sade's Stuart Matthewman. Narrated by Ahmir 'Questlove' Thompson of the Roots.
The Real MVP: The Wanda Durant StoryThe Real MVP: The Wanda Durant Story · 2016
The Real MVP: The Wanda Durant Story
7.02016
MovieDramaTV Movie
Wanda Pratt works tirelessly to raise three children, including future NBA basketball player Kevin Durant.
SuspectSuspect · 1991
Suspect
7.01991
MovieDrama
A young white woman leaving a nightclub alone drops her cigarette lighter on the street. When a young black man follows her and attempts to return it, she panics and assumes he is attacking her. The ensuing chase threatens to erupt into violence.
Just Another Girl on the I.R.T.Just Another Girl on the I.R.T. · 1993
Just Another Girl on the I.R.T.
6.91993
MovieDramaRomance
Chantel Mitchell, a hip, articulate, black high-school girl in Brooklyn, is determined not to become "just another girl on the IRT" (the IRT is one of NYC's subway lines). She dreams of medical school, a family, and an escape from the generational poverty and street-corner life her friends seem to have accepted as their lot. But personal and sexual challenges confront Chantel on her way to fulfilling these dreams.
Brooklyn BohemeBrooklyn Boheme · 2012
Brooklyn Boheme
6.82012
MovieDocumentary
Brooklyn Boheme is a love letter to a vibrant African American artistic community who resided in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill Brooklyn during the 80's and 90's that included the great Spike Lee, Chris Rock, Branford Marsalis, Rosie Perez, Saul Williams, Lorna Simpson, Talib Kweli just to name a few. Narrated and written by Fort Greene resident Nelson George, this feature length documentary celebrates "Brooklyn's equivalent of the Harlem Renaissance" and follows the rise of a new kind of African American artist, the Brooklyn Boheme.
The Black GodfatherThe Black Godfather · 2019
The Black Godfather
6.62019
MovieDocumentaryMusic
Follows the life of Clarence Avant, the ultimate, uncensored mentor and behind-the-scenes rainmaker in music, film, TV and politics.
True North: Canadian Myths and Black PowerTrue North: Canadian Myths and Black Power · 2025
True North: Canadian Myths and Black Power
6.52025
MovieDocumentary
Centers on the 1969 student protests against racism at Montreal’s Concordia University and their contribution to the story of Black liberation.
Good HairGood Hair · 2009
Good Hair
6.52009
MovieDocumentaryComedy
An exposé of comic proportions that only Chris Rock could pull off, GOOD HAIR visits beauty salons and hairstyling battles, scientific laboratories and Indian temples to explore the way hairstyles impact the activities, pocketbooks, sexual relationships, and self-esteem of the black community.
A Ballerina's TaleA Ballerina's Tale · 2015
A Ballerina's Tale
6.42015
MovieDocumentary
A feature documentary on African American ballerina Misty Copeland that examines her prodigious rise, her potentially career ending injury alongside themes of race and body image in the elite ballet world.
Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every ChildHappily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child · 1995
Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child
6.31995
SeriesAnimation
Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child is an American anthology animated television series.

More Like This

Couldn't load this row right now.

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter