After being pulled from the Sundance lineup and returned within a matter of days, “Blknws: Terms & Conditions” debuted at Park City on Monday morning. Director Kahlil Joseph was on hand to introduce the film, welcomed by Sundance senior programmer Shari Frilot.
“He was here just as the world was about to change in 2019, to present Blknws in various venues as a kind of broadcast TV news intervention project. Now, as the world is about to change again, Blknws has manifested as this visionary feature film that is singularly unique and really offers medicine for our times,” Frilot said, describing Joseph as a “tenacious, unstoppable artist.”
Joseph kept his opening remarks brief, thanking the audience for attending the early morning screening at the Egyptian Theatre, which was about three-quarters full and well-attended, given the early start time and late re-addition to the schedule. The filmmaker shouted out his mother and daughter in the audience and encouraged attendees to stick around for the post-screening Q&A. Then, about a minute before the movie began to roll, an excited moviegoer yelled out “Black news!,” which got a big cheer from the rest of the crowd.
“Blknws: Terms & Conditions” was pulled from the Sundance lineup on Tuesday after its financier, the now-defunct Participant Media, claimed a new cut was being sent to film festivals. Yet on Saturday the issue was resolved, due to James Shani’s Rich Spirit and BN Media acquiring the film and buying Participant out of its rights. “Blknws: Terms & Conditions” was quickly allowed to screen at Sundance once more, with the hopes of getting a new distributor on board.
After the new deal, Joseph and producer Onye Anyanwu thanked Participant for “their willingness to relinquish ownership of the film, a gesture that allows audiences to finally experience what we’ve spent years crafting alongside so many contributing artists. This moment has been a long time coming, and we are thrilled to finally share this with the world.”
Participant was also acknowledged with the company’s title card shown at the beginning of the film’s credits.
