Black Revivalist joins Now Instant to present a double feature of Jessie Maple's newly restored 1981 film Will, the first known film to be directed, produced and written by an African-American woman, alongside Maple's second feature, Twice as Nice (1989).
A Q&A with archivist Tony Best, the last person to extensively research and interview Maple before her passing in 2023 will take place in between the films. The conversation will be moderated by Evan Nicole Brown, arts and culture writer and founder of GROUP CHAT.
Will
In 1981, Jessie Maple became one of the first African American woman to direct an independent film with this raw, unflinching portrait of heroin addiction and recovery. Shot on location in Harlem, Will stars Obaka Adedunyo as the title character, a former All-American basketball star who has fallen from grace because of his dependence on junk. Soon after Will promises his wife, Jean (Loretta Devine, in her screen debut), that he’ll go straight, he becomes a father figure to Little Brother (Robert Dean), a street-tough teen who appears to be following in Will’s footsteps. By wising Little Brother up to the needle’s harsh realities, and by coaching a girls’ basketball team, Will renews his sense of purpose and begins to come out from under the influence—though dangerous temptations loom for both him and his young charge. A landmark of African American cinema, Will resonates with Maple’s determination to tell the stories of her community with anger, sadness, and, ultimately, hope.
Twice as Nice
Maple’s second narrative feature uses an intimate story—the relationship of twin college basketball players competing to be the first female draft pick in the “MBA.”—to examine the nature of sisterhood, competition, and friendship. As with her documentary work, Maple looks at everyday events and ponders the visible but especially the invisible.
Please note: seating is limited. Box Office opens thirty minutes prior to the listed showtime. Online ticket sales will be honored up until 15 minutes after the scheduled showtime. In-store ticket purchases are subject to availability, first-come, first-served. We do not operate a standby list. All Sales Final.
