As we approach Pride month, Hollywood Suite is gearing us up with the opportunity to see HBO Max Docu-Series EQUAL! The Docu-Series recalls the trail of Activism and all its unsung heroes that landed us where we are today. It also speaks with several high-profile subjects including Cheyenne Jackson, Anthony Rapp, Shannon Purser, Heather Matarazzo, Jamie Clayton, Isis King, Samira Wiley and Gale Harold. Most of all, Billy Porter narrates.
Schedule is as follows:
Episode 1 – The Birth of a Movement
Broadcast premiere Monday, June 7 at 9pm ET
Available on demand Tuesday, June 8
In response to a repressive 1950s culture that considers homosexuality illegal and immoral, two iconic gay rights groups organize, fight back, and lay the foundation for the modern LGBTQ+ civil rights movement.
The episode 1 premiere will be followed by the Hollywood Suite premiere of Luca Guadagnino’s Oscar, BAFTA and Spirit Award-winning film Call Me by Your Name (2017).
Episode 2 – Transgender Pioneers
Broadcast premiere Monday, June 14 at 9pm ET
Available on demand Tuesday, June 15
The incredible stories of three trans trailblazers from across the ages help illuminate the significance of the 1966 uprising at San Francisco’s Compton’s Cafeteria.
The episode 2 premiere will be followed by Colette (2018) and Kinsey (2004).
Episode 3 – Black is Beautiful, Gay is Good!
Broadcast premiere Monday, June 21 at 9pm ET
Available on demand Tuesday, June 22
We meet three very different activists whose lives and work epitomized the intersection of gay and civil rights in the 1960s: Lorraine Hansberry, Bayard Rustin, and José Sarria.
The episode 3 premiere will be followed by Moonlight (2016).
Episode 4 – Stonewall: From Rebellion to Liberation
Broadcast premiere Monday, June 28 at 9pm ET
Available on demand Tuesday, June 29
The events of the historic Stonewall Uprising are told through the voices of the activists and icons who were there, and who helped usher in a new era of being, out, proud, and EQUAL.
The episode 4 premiere will be followed by the Hollywood Suite premiere of Xavier Dolan’s Cannes Grand Prix, César and Canadian Screen Award winner Juste la Fin du Monde (2016) and A Single Man (2009).
Other Queer Cinema selections airing during Pride month include: The Children’s Hour (1962), The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975), The Times of Harvey Milk (1984), The Color Purple (1985), My Beautiful Laundrette (1986), Paris is Burning (1990), My Own Private Idaho (1991), The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert (1994), The Celluloid Closet (1995), The Birdcage (1996), Fire (1996), Mulholland Dr. (2001), Brokeback Mountain (2005), Closet Monster (2015) and Sleeping Giant (2015).
(Photo credit: HBO Max)
Hollywood Suite presents a second season of their A Year in Film podcast which will launch its second season beginning tomorrow, April 13, 2021. The season features 24 episodes.
Episodes are as follows:
Day of the Locust & At Long Last Love: Old Hollywood Unhinged
Rollerball & Death Race 2000: Dystopias
Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS & Gina: Canuxploitation
Mahogany & Cooley High: Black Rep
Tommy & Lisztomania: The Who
The Passenger & Seven Beauties: Viva Italia
Labyrinth & Legend: Dark Fantasies
Night of the Creeps & Invaders from Mars: Comic Book Horror
Heavy Metal Parking Lot & Trick or Treat: Metal Heads
The Great Mouse Detective & An American Tail: House of Mouse
The Boy in Blue & Flying: Canadian Sports
Blue Velvet & The Texas Chainsaw Massacre Part 2: The New American Gothic
Muriel’s Wedding & The Adventures of Priscilla Queen of the Desert: Australian Quirk
The Flintstones & The Little Rascals: Old IP
The Shadow & Radioland Murders: Radio Days
Wolf & Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein: Return of the Monster
Shallow Grave & Four Weddings and a Funeral: British Invasion
In the Mouth of Madness & Cemetery Man: It Creeps
Cecil B. Demented & But I’m a Cheerleader: Queer Counter Culture
Mission to Mars & Red Planet: Baroque Space
Godzilla 2000 & Dracula 2000: The Millennial Monster
Girlfight & Love and Basketball: Women in Sports
Bamboozled & Nurse Betty: Cutting Comedies
Bring it On! & Center Stage: Werk It
The first two episodes of Season 2 cover 1975 films The Day of the Locust, At Long Last Love, Rollerball and Death Race 2000, and will be released on April 13, 2021 with the remaining episodes following weekly on Tuesdays. All episodes will be available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and wherever else you find podcasts.
Learn more here.
Hollywood Suite has announced it will be the home of the 36th edition of the Film Independent Spirit Awards this year!
The star-studded event will honour films like FIRST COW, NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES ALWAYS, MINARI, MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM and NOMADLAND.
Among those nominated include: Julia Garner (THE ASSISTANT), Riz Ahmed (THE SOUND OF METAL), Carey Mulligan (PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN), Nicole Beharie (MISS JUNETEENTH) and Benedict Wong (NINE DAYS).
Regina King and the Cast of ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI will receive the Robert Altman Award.
Don’t forget you can catch previous Best Picture winners like:
MOONLIGHT
12 YEARS A SLAVE
BIRDMAN (OR THE UNEXPECTED VIRTUE OF IGNORANCE)
LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN
THE WRESTLER
LOST IN TRANSLATION
RIVER’S EDGE
THE PLAYER
STAND AND DELIVER
CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON
… all on Hollywood Suite!
Hosted by Saturday Night Live’s Melissa Villaseñor, the ceremony will air live April 22, 2021 at 10pm ET on Hollywood Suite.
BBC Lockdown Series STAGED has found a home in Canada on Hollywood Suite! The comedic Series starring Michael Sheen and David Tennant, arrives – you guessed it – April Fool’s Day!
Synopsis:
Actors Michael Sheen (The Queen) and David Tennant (Doctor Who) play fictionalized versions of themselves, trying to rehearse a performance during lockdown via videoconference, while the underconfident director, Simon, struggles to keep control of the production. This six-part, half-hour series was filmed entirely during the COVID-19 pandemic and features guest appearances by Judi Dench, Samuel L. Jackson, and Adrian Lester.
Two episodes premiere each night April 1–3 beginning at 9pm ET on HS00. The full series will be available on demand from April 1.
Episode One “Cachu Hwch” – April 1, 9pm ET
Episode Two “Up To No Good” – April 1, 9:25pm ET
Episode Three “Who The F#!k is Michael Sheen?” – April 2, 9pm ET
Episode Four “Bara Birth” – April 2, 9:25pm ET
Episode Five “Ulysses” – April 3, 9pm ET
Episode Six “The Cookie Jar” – April 3, 9:25pm ET
STAGED premieres on Hollywood Suite Friday, April 1 at 9pm ET.
(Photo credit: Hollywood Suite)
HOLLYWOOD SUITE announced today that it will be premiering Documentary Short What About Our Future? on Sunday, March 21, 2021 at 9pm ET.
Directed by Jaime Leigh Gianopoulos and Cláudio Cruz, the Film follows a group of teens who organized the largest climate strike in Vancouver’s history, which included appearances by famous environmental activists Greta Thunberg and David Suzuki.
There also will be a conversation brought to you by David Suzuki Foundation and Hollywood Suite taking place which you can register to be a part of, on April 29, 2021 at 7 PM ET. You can register here.
Hollywood Suite once again is the Canadian home of the EE BAFTA Awards! The Awards are set to take place at London’s spectacular Royal Albert Hall on April 11, 2021, honouring the best in Hollywood and British Film this past year.
Nominees include:
BEST FILM
THE FATHER Philippe Carcassonne, Jean-Louis Livi, David Parfitt
THE MAURITANIAN Nominees TBC
NOMADLAND Mollye Asher, Dan Janvey, Frances McDormand, Peter Spears, Chloé Zhao
PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN Ben Browning, Emerald Fennell, Ashley Fox, Josey McNamara
THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7 Stuart Besser, Marc Platt
OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM
CALM WITH HORSES Nick Rowland, Daniel Emmerson, Joe Murtagh
THE DIG Simon Stone, Gabrielle Tana, Moira Buffini
THE FATHER Florian Zeller, Philippe Carcassone, Jean-Louis Livi, David Parfitt, Christopher Hampton
HIS HOUSE Remi Weekes, Martin Gentles, Edward Kings, Roy Lee
LIMBO Ben Sharrock, Irune Gurtubai, Angus Lamont
THE MAURITANIAN Kevin Macdonald, Rory Haines, Sohrab Noshirvani, M.B. Traven
MOGUL MOWGLI Bassam Tariq, Riz Ahmed, Thomas Benski, Bennett McGhee
PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN Emerald Fennell, Ben Browning, Ashley Fox, Josey McNamara
ROCKS Sarah Gavron, Ameenah Ayub Allen, Faye Ward, Theresa Ikoko, Claire Wilson
SAINT MAUD Rose Glass, Andrea Cornwell, Oliver Kassman
OUTSTANDING DEBUT BY A BRITISH WRITER, DIRECTOR OR PRODUCER
HIS HOUSE Remi Weekes (Writer/Director)
LIMBO Ben Sharrock (Writer/Director), Irune Gurtubai (Producer) [also produced by Angus Lamont]
MOFFIE Jack Sidey (Writer/Producer) [also written by Oliver Hermanus and produced by Eric Abraham]
ROCKS Theresa Ikoko, Claire Wilson (Writers)
SAINT MAUD Rose Glass (Writer/Director), Oliver Kassman (Producer) [also produced by Andrea Cornwell]
FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
ANOTHER ROUND Thomas Vinterberg, Sisse Graum Jørgensen
DEAR COMRADES! Andrei Konchalovsky, Alisher Usmanov
LES MISÉRABLES Ladj Ly
MINARI Lee Isaac Chung, Christina Oh
QUO VADIS, AIDA? Jasmila Žbanić, Damir Ibrahimovich
DOCUMENTARY
COLLECTIVE Alexander Nanau
DAVID ATTENBOROUGH: A LIFE ON OUR PLANET Alastair Fothergill, Jonnie Hughes, Keith Scholey
THE DISSIDENT Bryan Fogel, Thor Halvorssen
MY OCTOPUS TEACHER Pippa Ehrlich, James Reed, Craig Foster
THE SOCIAL DILEMMA Jeff Orlowski, Larissa Rhodes
ANIMATED FILM
ONWARD Dan Scanlon, Kori Rae
SOUL Pete Docter, Dana Murray
WOLFWALKERS Tomm Moore, Ross Stewart, Paul Young
DIRECTOR
ANOTHER ROUND Thomas Vinterberg
BABYTEETH Shannon Murphy
MINARI Lee Isaac Chung
NOMADLAND Chloé Zhao
QUO VADIS, AIDA? Jasmila Žbanić
ROCKS Sarah Gavron
ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
ANOTHER ROUND Tobias Lindholm, Thomas Vinterberg
MANK Jack Fincher
PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN Emerald Fennell
ROCKS Theresa Ikoko, Claire Wilson
THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7 Aaron Sorkin
ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
THE DIG Moira Buffini
THE FATHER Christopher Hampton, Florian Zeller
THE MAURITANIAN Rory Haines, Sohrab Noshirvani, M.B. Traven
NOMADLAND Chloé Zhao
THE WHITE TIGER Ramin Bahrani
LEADING ACTRESS
BUKKY BAKRAY Rocks
RADHA BLANK The Forty-Year-Old Version
VANESSA KIRBY Pieces of a Woman
FRANCES McDORMAND Nomadland
WUNMI MOSAKU His House
ALFRE WOODARD Clemency
LEADING ACTOR
RIZ AHMED Sound of Metal
CHADWICK BOSEMAN Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom
ADARSH GOURAV The White Tiger
ANTHONY HOPKINS The Father
MADS MIKKELSEN Another Round
TAHAR RAHIM The Mauritanian
SUPPORTING ACTRESS
NIAMH ALGAR Calm With Horses
KOSAR ALI Rocks
MARIA BAKALOVA Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
DOMINIQUE FISHBACK Judas and the Black Messiah
ASHLEY MADEKWE County Lines
YUH-JUNG YOUN Minari
SUPPORTING ACTOR
DANIEL KALUUYA Judas and the Black Messiah
BARRY KEOGHAN Calm With Horses
ALAN KIM Minari
LESLIE ODOM JR. One Night in Miami…
CLARKE PETERS Da 5 Bloods
PAUL RACI Sound of Metal
ORIGINAL SCORE
MANK Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross
MINARI Emile Mosseri
NEWS OF THE WORLD James Newton Howard
PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN Anthony Willis
SOUL Jon Batiste, Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross
CASTING
CALM WITH HORSES Shaheen Baig
JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH Alexa L. Fogel
MINARI Julia Kim
PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN Lindsay Graham Ahanonu, Mary Vernieu
ROCKS Lucy Pardee
CINEMATOGRAPHY
JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH Sean Bobbitt
MANK Erik Messerschmidt
THE MAURITANIAN Alwin H. Küchler
NEWS OF THE WORLD Dariusz Wolski
NOMADLAND Joshua James Richards
EDITING
THE FATHER Yorgos Lamprinos
NOMADLAND Chloé Zhao
PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN Frédéric Thoraval
SOUND OF METAL Mikkel E.G. Nielsen
THE TRIAL OF THE CHICAGO 7 Alan Baumgarten
PRODUCTION DESIGN
THE DIG Maria Djurkovic, Tatiana Macdonald
THE FATHER Peter Francis, Cathy Featherstone
MANK Donald Graham Burt, Jan Pascale
NEWS OF THE WORLD David Crank, Elizabeth Keenan
REBECCA Sarah Greenwood, Katie Spencer
COSTUME DESIGN
AMMONITE Michael O’Connor
THE DIG Alice Babidge
EMMA Alexandra Byrne
MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM Ann Roth
MANK Trish Summerville
MAKE UP & HAIR
THE DIG Jenny Shircore
HILLBILLY ELEGY Patricia Dehaney, Eryn Krueger Mekash, Matthew Mungle
MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM Matiki Anoff, Larry M. Cherry, Sergio Lopez-Rivera, Mia Neal
MANK Kimberley Spiteri, Gigi Williams
PINOCCHIO Mark Coulier
SOUND
GREYHOUND TBC
NEWS OF THE WORLD Michael Fentum, William Miller, Mike Prestwood Smith, John Pritchett, Oliver Tarney
NOMADLAND Sergio Diaz, Zach Seivers, M. Wolf Snyder
SOUL Coya Elliott, Ren Klyce, David Parker
SOUND OF METAL Jaime Baksht, Nicolas Becker, Phillip Bladh, Carlos Cortés, Michelle Couttolenc
SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS
GREYHOUND Pete Bebb, Nathan McGuinness, Sebastian von Overheidt
THE MIDNIGHT SKY Matt Kasmir, Chris Lawrence, David Watkins
MULAN Sean Faden, Steve Ingram, Anders Langlands, Seth Maury
THE ONE AND ONLY IVAN Santiago Colomo Martinez, Nick Davis, Greg Fisher
TENET Scott Fisher, Andrew Jackson, Andrew Lockley
BRITISH SHORT ANIMATION
THE FIRE NEXT TIME Renaldho Pelle, Yanling Wang, Kerry Jade Kolbe
THE OWL AND THE PUSSYCAT Mole Hill, Laura Duncalf
THE SONG OF A LOST BOY Daniel Quirke, Jamie MacDonald, Brid Arnstein
BRITISH SHORT FILM
EYELASH Jesse Lewis Reece, Ike Newman
LIZARD Akinola Davies, Rachel Dargavel, Wale Davies
LUCKY BREAK John Addis, Rami Sarras Pantoja
MISS CURVY Ghada Eldemellawy
THE PRESENT Farah Nabulsi
EE RISING STAR AWARD (voted for by the public)
BUKKY BAKRAY
KINGSLEY BEN-ADIR
MORFYDD CLARK
ṢỌPẸ DÌRÍSÙ
CONRAD KHAN
Broadcast time and date to be confirmed.
(Photo credit: BAFTA)
Monday, March 8, 2021 is International Women’s Day and to celebrate, Hollywood Suite all month long are bringing you a selection of curated Films either directed by women or centering on powerful female characters. Kicking things off on March 8th is 2018’s COLETTE starring Keira Knightley.
Additional Films to be spotlighted:
RBG (2018) – March 2 at 6:30 pm ET
DIRECTORS: BETSY WEST and JULIE COHEN
A documentary showcasing the life and career of US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. From
being a trailblazer for women’s rights to becoming a pop culture icon in her final decade, West and Cohen
get behind-the-scenes, unprecedented access to the woman known lovingly as RBG.
REAL GENIUS (1985) – March 2 at 9pm ET
DIRECTOR: MARTHA COOLIDGE
When two college students discover their project is being eyed by nefarious government officials to be
used as a weapon, they set out to put a stop to their plans.
BLACK GIRL (1972) – March 9 at 9pm ET
DIRECTOR: Ossie Davis
STARRING: PEGGY PETTITT, LESLIE UGGAMS, RUBY DEE, CLAUDIA MCNEIL
A dramatic exploration of family dynamics, the search for identity and the fulfillment of dreams among
three generations of Black women.
ENOUGH (2002) – March 10 at 9pm ET
DIRECTOR: MICHAEL APTED
STARRING: JENNIFER LOPEZ, JULIETTE LEWIS
A working-class waitress thinks her dreams have come true when she’s swept off her feet by a gorgeous
millionaire. She soon discovers that her dream man is anything but, forcing her to go on the run.
WELCOME TO ME (2014) – March 14 at 9pm ET
DIRECTOR: SHIRA PIVEN
STARRING: KRISTEN WIIG, LINDA CARDELLINI
After winning the lottery and deciding to go off her medications, a mentally unbalanced woman buys her
own talk show.
MIXED NUTS (1994) – March 19 at 9pm ET
DIRECTOR: NORA EPHRON
When threatened with eviction on Christmas Eve, the staff of a crisis hotline called Lifesavers – along with
a cast of oddball characters – are thrown into a state of crisis themselves.
GIRLFRIENDS (1978) – March 23 at 9pm ET
DIRECTOR: CLAUDIA WEILL
STARRING: MELANIE MAYRON
This critically acclaimed drama centres around a struggling New York City photographer who finds
herself dealing with a profound loneliness when her best friend moves out and gets married.
SEVEN MINUTES IN HEAVEN (1986) – March 30 at 9pm ET
DIRECTOR: LINDA FEFERMAN
STARRING: JENNIFER CONNELLY, MADDIE CORMAN
Trusted by her father to care for their home while he’s out of town, a straight-A student lets her two best
friends move in
(Photo credit: Elevation Pictures)
Hollywood Suite and Mongrel Media will be teaming-up for World Cinema Wednesdays, kicking-off with PERSEPOLIS March 3, 2021. The partnership will see over 20 Mongrel Media’s most acclaimed titles from around the world premiere on Hollywood Suite over the next year.
Other WORLD CINEMA WEDNESDAYS titles include the likes of SUN CHILDREN, which has been shortlisted for Best International Feature for the 2021 Academy Awards. Bandar Band, RBG, A Fantastic Woman, The Lobster, The Lunchbox, A Royal Affair and Let the Right One In are among the other titles.
March’s selections from the Series include:
Beau Travail, Natalie Portman’s A Tale of Love and Darkness, Rubaiyat Hossain’s Made in Bangladesh and Chantal Akerman’s Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Brussels. All five titles will be available On Demand in March as well.
Visit Hollywood Suite’s website https://hollywoodsuite.ca for more.
(Photo credit: Mongrel Media)
Hollywood Suite have announced that they will be the Canadian home of acclaimed, socially-conscious Documentary Series THE IMPACT SERIES. The Series of eight films will broadcast Monday nights at 9pm ET starting March 15, 2021.
Films in the Series include timely topics ranging from oppression, climate change, gun violence and the use of our brains.
CHICAGO 10 (2007) – Premieres Monday, March 15 at 9pm ET
DIRECTOR: Brett Morgen
Re-released to coincide with the 2020 U.S. election, this innovative documentary tells the story of the group of young Americans who would not have their opinions oppressed, and who spoke out during the 1968 Democratic National Convention in the face of armed government forces.
NOW (2020) – Premieres Monday, March 22 at 9pm ET DIRECTOR: Jim Rakete
From Greta Thunberg to the Extinction Rebellion, for the young activist the rebellion is both a means and an end in the struggle for the climate of the future.
TO THE FOUR WINDS (2018) – Premieres Monday, March 29 at 9pm ET
DIRECTOR: Michel Toesca
An olive grove farmer on the southeast French border tries to help immigrants without papers, many of them black, crossing over from Italy, but runs into bureaucratic and racist obstructions.
HOLY MOUNTAIN ( 2017) – Premieres Monday, April 5 at 9pm ET
DIRECTOR: Reinhold Messner
Nepal, 1979: a group of young New Zealanders led by Peter Hillary decide to climb the 6,828-metre-high mountain Ama Dablam. Reinhold Messner and his team intend to do the same. They observe the dangerous ascent of the first group, who very quickly seem to be in serious danger.
J’VEUX DU SOLEIL! ( 2019) – Premieres Monday, April 12 at 9pm ET
DIRECTOR: Gilles Perret
French journalist François Ruffin – now a Member of Parliament – decides to embark on a journey across France with documentary filmmaker Gilles Perret to visit the infamous Gilets Jaunes (Yellow vests) occupying roundabouts since November 2018 to protest social inequalities.
THE GREAT INVISIBLE (2014) – Premieres Monday, April 19 at 9pm ET
DIRECTOR: Margaret Brown
Re-released to coincide with the 10-year anniversary of the catastrophe, The Great Invisible looks beyond the media coverage of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion, which to this day remains the worst oil spill in American history.
31⁄2 MINUTES, 10 BULLETS (2007) – Premieres Monday, April 26 at 9pm ET
DIRECTOR: Marc Silver
Black Friday 2012: four boys in a red SUV pull into a gas station after spending time at the mall buying sneakers and talking to girls. With music blaring, one boy exits the car and enters the store, a quick stop for a soda and a pack of gum. A man and a woman pull up next to the boys in the station, making a stop for a bottle of wine. The woman enters the store and an argument breaks out when the driver of the second car asks the boys to turn the music down. 31⁄2 minutes and ten bullets later, one of the boys is dead.
In addition to the Monday night series, the Canadian documentary The Divided Brain w ill be available through Hollywood Suite On Demand beginning April 1, followed by its linear broadcast in September.
THE DIVIDED BRAIN (2019) – Available Hollywood Suite On Demand on April 1 DIRECTOR: Manfred Becker
Inspired by the book “The Master and his Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World” by Dr. Iain McGilchrist, The Divided Brain posits that the imbalance of the human brain could have catastrophic consequences for our species. Has our society been hijacked by the left hemisphere? Is it too late to correct the imbalance?
(Photo credit: Hollywood Suite)
February is Black History Month and on their programming lineup is an eclectic collection of Films from the ’50s onwards, to help you celebrate.
Hollywood Suite 70s
No Way Out (1950) Thursday, Feb 11 at 9:00 pm ET – PREMIERE – A pioneering film that deals with race relations, Sidney Poitier plays a doctor who tends to two racist white criminals who arrive at his hospital after being shot.
Carmen Jones (1954) Thursday, Feb 18 at 9:00 pm ET – PREMIERE – It’s the screen adaptation of the stage musical which was a modern reworking of the classic Bizet opera Carmen. Harry Belafonte and Dorothy Dandridge star in the drama that follows a steamy romance between a factory worker and a pilot.
Island in the Sun (1957) Thursday, Feb 18 at 10:50 pm ET – PREMIERE – Based on the Alec Waugh novel, this drama starring Harry Belafonte, Joan Fontaine, James Mason, Dorothy Dandridge and Joan Collins, is set in the fictitious island of Santa Marta and deals with race relations and interracial romance.
Buck and the Preacher (1972) Sunday, Feb 20 at 9:00 pm ET – PREMIERE – Sidney Poitier’s directorial debut, the film stars Poitier, Harry Belafonte, and Ruby Dee. Following the end of the Civil War, soldier-turned-trail-guide Buck makes a living by helping former slaves find settlements in the West. Along the way, a con artist Preacher joins the group and constantly clashes with Buck. But when a gang of bounty hunters attempts to round up the freed slaves to bring them back to Louisiana, the two put aside their differences to fight a common enemy.
Hollywood Suite 80s
Hanky Panky (1982) Saturday, Feb 6 at 9:00 pm ET – PREMIERE – Director Sidney Poitier takes a comic turn directing Gene Wilder and Gilda Radner in this action-comedy about a man who is drawn into a web of government secrets when a woman carrying a mysterious package gets into a taxi with him. When she’s later murdered, he becomes the chief suspect and goes on the run.
Stir Crazy (1980) Saturday, Feb 6 at 10:55 pm ET – That’s right, they’re bad. Two best friends, who dress up like woodpeckers, are framed for a bank robbery and sent to prison. It’s the second of four on-screen collaborations between Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder.
Clara’s Heart (1988) Wednesday, Feb 17 at 9:00 pm ET – PREMIERE – A young Neil Patrick Harris meets Whoopi Goldberg in this drama about a Jamaican housekeeper who becomes an unforgettable influence in the life of a young boy, providing him with affection, growth and gentle comic comfort to the harsh realities of his parents’ divorce.
The Color Purple (1985) Wednesday, Feb 17 at 10:50 pm ET – Steven Spielberg’s adaptation of Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel was nominated for 11 Academy Awards. The film stars Danny Glover, Whoopi Goldberg, Oprah Winfrey, Rae Dawn Chong, and Adolph Caesar and tells the touching tale of a woman who struggles to find her identity after suffering abuse from her father and husband over four decades.
Hollywood Suite 90s
How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998) Friday, Feb 5 at 9:00 pm ET – PREMIERE – This romantic comedy-drama, adapted from Terry McMillan’s best-selling 1996 novel, tells the story of a workaholic stockbroker who has an island fling on vacation but realizes even though he is half her age, they may have something deeper. The all-star cast includes Taye Diggs, Angela Bassett, Whoopi Goldberg and Regina King.
A Rage in Harlem (1991) Friday, Feb 5 at 11:10 pm ET – Dubbed The Sting Above 125th Street, this caper stars Gregory Hines, Forest Whitaker, Danny Glover and Robin Givens and tells the story of a gangster’s girlfriend who flees to Harlem with a trunk of gold after a shootout, unaware that the rest of the gang is on her trail.
The Five Heartbeats (1991) Friday, Feb 26 at 9:00 pm ET – PREMIERE – Robert Townsend directed and co-wrote the script with Keenan Ivory Wayans, which follows the three-decade career of the vocal group The Five Heartbeats. The plot was based on the stories of several Motown groups, including The Dells, The Temptations, and The Four Tops.
Hollywood Suite 2000s
Love & Basketball (2000) Sunday, Feb 14 at 9:00 pm ET – PREMIERE – Omar Epps and Sanaa Lathan headline in Gina Prince-Bythewood’s directorial debut and cult classic about two next-door neighbours who grow up and pursue basketball careers before eventually falling for each other, proving all is fair in love and basketball.
Antwone Fisher (2002) Sunday, Feb 7 at 9:00 pm ET – PREMIERE – Denzel Washington starred and made his directorial debut in a film about a young navy man who is forced to confront his past in therapy after a violent outburst against a fellow crewman. Derek Luke, in his first lead role, garnered critical praise for his portrayal of Antwone Fisher.
The Pursuit of Happyness (2006) Friday, Feb 19 at 9:00 pm ET – PREMIERE – A biopic starring Will Smith alongside his son Jaden Smith who makes his film debut as Gardner’s son, Christopher Jr. The film tells the astounding yet true rags-to-riches saga of a homeless father who raised and cared for his son on the mean streets of San Francisco and went on to become a crown prince of Wall Street.
The Secret Life of Bees (2008) Friday, Feb 26 at 9:00 pm ET – PREMIERE – Adapted from the novel by Sue Monk Kidd, the film is set in South Carolina in 1964. To escape her lonely life and troubled relationship with her father T-Ray, 14-year-old Lily flees with her caregiver to a South Carolina town. When she enters the lives of the Boatright sisters, April, May and June, she discovers they hold the secrets to her past. Features stellar performances from Queen Latifah, Dakota Fanning, Jennifer Hudson, Alicia Keys, and Sophie Okonedo.
These titles appear on Hollywood Suite beginning February 1, 2021.
(Photo credit: Hollywood Suite)
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