Ritual (2000)

Starring:

• Clarence Williams III
• Denise Nicholas
• Shawn Michael Howard
• Angelle Brooks
• Gerrie Ellis

Storyline

Leon Becker is a successful and wealthy Malibu attorney and the patriarch of a seemingly perfect and harmonious family. Leon sees his brood as the pinnacle of personal achievement and as an example to all that the great American Dream is attainable, even if you are Black. The trials and tribulations exist in his home and are equally detached from his ethical soul underneath the surface. Wife and mother Sylvia is on the verge of alcoholism and is threatened by her daughter Teresa, a cunning "electra" who seems to want to replace her in the house and, perhaps, the bedroom. And Becker's brooding on Mason drops out of his Ivy League school and returns home to confront his family's problems. Yet, all these trials-by-fire are the challenges along the path to survival for this American family.

Sally Hemings: An American Scandal (2000, TV Movie)

Starring:

• Carmen Ejogo
• Sam Neill
• Diahann Carroll
• Mare Winningham
• Mario Van Peebles
• Rene Auberjonois
• Zeljko Ivanek
• Klea Scott
• Jessica Townsend
• Lawrence Gilliard Jr.
• Kevin Conway
• Amelia Heinle
• Peter Bradbury
• Chris Stafford
• Kelly Rutherford

The actual accounts of the nature of Jefferson's and Heming's relationship have evolved over the last 20 years, which is after this particular film was made. Many see Hemings as a victim of abuse because she was underage and a slave rather than Jefferson's lover.

Storyline
Mistress of a President. Mother to his children. Slave by law. Sally Hemings, Thomas Jefferson's lover of more than thirty years, remains one of the most controversial women in American history. Bound by love for her suffering people—and Jefferson—but denied acceptance by Jefferson's family, Sally's unique place in society was destined for scandal. For two hundred years, the story of these two lovers has been shrouded in mystery. Now, the secrets behind their romance are revealed.