Adam Clayton Powell (1989)

Starring:

• Julian Bond (narrator)
• Dr. John Henrik Clarke
• Roger Wilkins
• Shirley Chisholm

Masterfully directed by Richard Kilberg, this film explores the nature of power, personality, and politics as exemplified in a flawed, but sublime hero.

The Academy Award-nominated ADAM CLAYTON POWELL delves into the gripping life and career of the most influential and flamboyant civil rights leader in America in the '30s, '40s and '50s. From his emergence as the princely pastor of Harlem's enormous Abyssinian Baptist Church, to his improbable, riotous political climb and eventual ruin, this must-watch film captures a man who was truly larger than life.

Narrated by civil rights activist Julian Bond and resplendent with rich archival footage and candid interviews with those who knew him best, this tell-all documentary mines the good, bad, and ugly acts of Powell's illustrious but controversial career - the multiple marriages, the uproarious taunting of the white establishment, his desegregation of Congress, and his shameful smearing of Martin Luther King, Jr. from self-imposed exile on the island of Bimini.
An unforgettable story of being unforgivably black in white America, ADAM CLAYTON POWELL makes for ''endlessly fascinating, thoroughly enjoyable'' viewing (Chicago Sun-Times).

Lady Cocoa (1975)

Starring:

• Lola Falana 
• Gene Washington
• Joe Greene 
• James A. Watson Jr.
• Alex Dreier
• Matt Cimber 
• Millie Perkins

Storyline
Lola Falana is Lady Cocoa, in Matt Cimber's classic 1975 crime thriller. After being given a 24-hour leave from prison, in exchange for which she'll agree to testify against her mobster boyfriend, Cocoa hits the streets, but quickly discovers that violence lurks around every corner. Co-starring Millie Perkins and George Flower, Lady Cocoa is a non-stop thrill ride of revenge.

Black Joy (1977)

Starring:

• Norman Beaton 
• Trevor Thomas 
• Floella Benjamin
• Dawn Hope 
• Oscar James 
• Paul J. Medford 
• Shango Baku

Storyline
Nominated for the Golden Palm award at Cannes in 1977, Anthony Simmons (Four in the Morning, The Optimists) directs the insightful if seedy story of an innocent and unsophisticated Guyanan immigrant, Ben (Trevor Thomas), who is exposed to the hustle of the Brixton ghetto. Ben arrives in Brixton with his cardboard suitcase and a piece of paper with the address of a relative on it. Within minutes he has lost his wallet to an artful dodger and is forced to sleep at a doss house with one eye closed and other watching his fellow dossers.

Nearly penniless, Ben wanders around Brixton and meets Dave (Norman Beaton), a conniving hustler who lives off the earnings of girlfriend Miriam (Floella Benjamin) and spends his days and money in gambling clubs and brothels. Dave at first sees the innocent Ben as an easy target, and offers to show him the ropes, meet girls and learn the ways of the big city; but ultimately the two men forge a unique friendship based on the corruption of the innocent and the survival of the underdogs.