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The Arts Beat is a weekly deep-dive into Memphis arts, music, dance, theater, fashion, film and events. Keep scrolling for a roundup of the best arts and culture stories from the week. Have a story idea? Send it to eperry@dailymemphian.com
We now know who will star in “Rocky Top College,” the film written by former Memphis Grizzlies player and University of Tennessee standout Jarnell Stokes.
Variety reports that Meagan Good, Jabari Banks and Bailee Madison will star in the film.
Good is known for her work in roles like “Eve’s Bayou,” “Roll Bounce” and “Stomp the Yard,” while Banks stars as the Will Smith character in the reimagining of “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” called “Bel-Air.” Madison’s roles have included “Bridge to Terabithia” and “Brothers.”
Stokes’ film premise centers on a young Black basketball prodigy from Memphis.
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It continues (per Variety):
“After being suspended during his highly anticipated senior year, the nation’s No. 1 ranked prep phenom shocks the sports world by enrolling in a small-time college to continue his quest for NBA stardom. But once on campus, a series of peculiar and disturbing events has him questioning his decision whilst fighting to hold onto his fleeting sanity.”
According to Variety, Jamal Hill is the director, and filming begins in Louisville, Kentucky, this month.
“Rocky Top College” was first announced as a TV series.
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In an interview about his film “Break the Cycle,” Stokes told The Daily Memphian:
“There’s a ton of resources in Memphis that are yet to be tapped into, which was something that bothered me as a fellow Memphian. I would like to see my city become an entertainment hub, that reaches far beyond just basketball and hip-hop.”
A Peabody for ‘Stax’
Four-part HBO Documentary Films series “Stax: Soulsville U.S.A.” has won a Peabody Award.
The award was announced on May 1; the ceremony takes place on June 1.
“Numerous music documentaries over the years have detailed legendary recording studios and record labels, but none rise to the magisterial level of Stax: Soulsville U.S.A.,” the Peabody Award website reads.
Brooklyn-based filmmaker Jamila Wignot directed the documentary, which premiered at the 2024 South by Southwest Festival.
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Wignot’s other films include “Ailey,” a documentary she directed about choreographer, dancer and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater founder Alvin Ailey.
‘The Hobby’
Morgan Jon Fox’s 2024 trading card film “Hobby” is up for the Outstanding Business and Economic Documentary Emmy Award.
Click here for a trailer.
“Never thought I’d be an Emmy-nominated director. Feels special, not going to lie,” Fox wrote online. “Like a quiet accomplishment in a very loud world right now, but I’ll accept the small win. Movies take a village and we had a wonderful & talented one.”
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Fox is a Memphis native, now based in Chicago. His previous work includes “Role Players: Dungeons and Dragons,” a documentary; “Feral,” a TV series; ‘The One You Never Forget,” a short film; and “This Is What Love In Action Looks Like,” a documentary.
The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences announced the 46th annual News & Documentary Emmy nominees on May 1. Documentary winners will be announced on June 26.
‘The Other Queen of Memphis’
Luna Mahoux’s 2024 documentary on Memphis rapper La Chat (Chastity Daniels) premiered in March at a French film festival.
Daniels and the late Gangsta Boo (Lola Mitchell) were the only female members of legendary Memphis rap group Three 6 Mafia.
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Mahoux’s 22-minute film “The Other Queen of Memphis” premiered at Cinéma du réel, a Paris-based international film festival.
Click here for a trailer.
“In my work, I always think about forgotten artists, the missing, and on the female side, Gangsta Boo and La Chat are the first female rappers I listened to, but there are very few archives on them,” Mahoux said in an interview with the festival. “When I arrived in Le Fresnoy (national studio of contemporary arts), the first idea I had, which was actually a long-standing desire, was to make a documentary about a female rap icon. “
Translated into English, the festival’s website describes Mahoux as a Belgian artist “whose work explores invisible Afro-diasporic narratives through a blend of music, documentary and archives.”
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Daniels will tour Europe for the first time from May 22 to June 4.
Her concert dates in Paris; Zurich; Geneva; Marseille, France and Brussels will include a screening of the documentary.
Groundbreaking Memphis rapper Tommy Wright III and godfather of Memphis hip-hop DJ Spanish Fly are slated for the May 22 concert date in Paris.
This week’s top arts and culture stories
‘Song Sung Blue’ Christmas
Memphis director Craig Brewer’s film on Milwaukee-based Neil Diamond and Patsy Cline tribute artists will debut on Christmas.
Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson star.
Brewer’s feature film is based on the 2008 documentary by Greg Kohs.
Brewer’s 2005 film “Hustle & Flow” won the Sundance Film Festival Audience Award. Its song “It’s Hard Out Here For a Pimp,” won Three 6 Mafia the Best Original Song Academy Award.
Brewer’s other films include “The Poor and the Hungry,” “Black Snake Moan,” “Dolemite Is My Name,” the 2011 “Footloose” remake and the “Coming 2 America” sequel.
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Jeff Webb documentary
September Club, the documentary studio behind “Jim & Andy,” “Too Funny to Fail: The Life & Death of The Dana Carvey Show” and “Zappa” is in production on a documentary on Universal Cheerleading Association and Varsity Spirit founder Jeff Webb, who is called “the father of modern cheerleading.”
The film aims to feature “exclusive interviews, never-before-seen archival footage, and behind-the-scenes insights into how Webb built Varsity Spirit from a one-man operation into a global power, while simultaneously expanding the sport to 120 countries and full Olympic recognition.”
Varsity Brands subsidiary Varsity Spirit is based in Memphis.
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