Juneteenth is finally an official US holiday. Will we get more movies about it?

Following recent voting in Congress, Juneteenth is finally a federal holiday. It's been too long in coming. And speaking of since this is a film site ... Have you caught up with last year's Miss Juneteenth yet? It's so good and Nicole Beharie is just perfect in the leading role, as a former beauty queen who has to learn to let go of trying to strictly mold her daughter into a new version of herself. She won the Gotham Award and was a medalist here at TFE as well. For our money she was better than the bulk of Oscar's acting nominees last season...

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My Spirit Award Ballot

Please welcome guest contributor Chels Eichholz for this preview of the Spirit Awards...

by Chels Eichholz

Anybody with $100 can be a member of Film Independent. Some people join solely for the screeners and the privilege of voting for the Independent Spirit Awards. Others, like myself, are filmmakers that use the other membership perks to help network and get our projects created, and voting is just a fun little cherry on top. The nominees are decided by small juries and winners are decided by all members. The awards will be held tomorrow Thursday, April 22 at 10:00 pm, exclusively on IFC and AMC+.

If you’re looking for a lineup that balances both an independent spirit and Oscar love, look no further. I do prefer when award shows have their own identity and don't try to predict the Academy Awards. The Oscar race itself isn’t a meritocracy, and Film Independent is great at highlighting  unsung gems of the year (along with a few more celebrated Oscar hopefuls). I’ve been a member for a few years now and always make it a point to watch every nominee before voting and this year gave us a great selection.  The categories and my own votes after the jump...

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Nicole Beharie & Riz Ahmed win at the Gothams

by Nathaniel R

It's not always helpful to "lead" in the nominations. First Cow came on strong when the Gotham nominations were announced but two months later at the hybrid real / virtual ceremony it didn't manage a single win. The winners lineeup surprised with a prize for the wondrously talented Nicole Beharie for Miss Juneteenth  and two ties. We don't remember the Gothams doing this before but maybe they have? I don't know if you'vee heard but there are... things going on in the world... and in the nation's capitol... in short: it's difficult to focus).

Without the hubbub of traditional awards ceremonies this year we don't know how much of that "winner" aura is going to rub off on various contenders as we head toward Oscar. Will anything stick?  The winners and a few speeches are after the jump... 

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Watch "Miss Juneteenth"

Happy Juneteenth, everyone! You may recall that before the world shut down film festivals existed and at Sundance back in January the indie film Miss Juneteeth had its premiere. The mother daughter drama about a former beauty queen and an upcoming 'Miss Juneteenth' pageant has been a major critical success for first time feature filmmaker Channing Godfrey Peoples. 

Here's what Murtada had to say about its lead actress Nicole Beharie (Shame, Sleepy Hollow)...

Beharie commands the screen with a naturally quiet disposition and the film flows to her rhythm. Sometimes slowing down completely as Turquoise halts to take on another day and challenge and Beharie shows us that with small reticent gestures. It’s the kind of performance - and film - that you need to let seep into you, settle in and wash away leaving you nourished with palpable emotions. 

You can read Murtada's full Sundance review here. Miss Juneteenth is now available digitally and on demand and you can support your local indie theater while watching it.

Nicole Beharie is "Miss Juneteenth"

Murtada Elfadl reporting from Sundance..

Beauty pageant films are a genre into themselves used to tell many different stories. As when a filmmaker wants to tell a heartwarming story about female ambition (Miss Firecracker) or a satire about striving for perfection (Drop Dead Gorgeous). Sometimes they even debut at Sundance (Little Miss Sunshine). The latest in this tradition is Writer/Director Channing Godfrey Peoples’ Miss Juneteenth which focuses on mother-daughter beauty pageant contestants. However i don't think we've seen one as Black or as enmenshed in specific traditions as this one.

Nicole Beharie (Shame, 42, and TV's Sleepy Hollow) stars as Turquoise Joines. She was once Miss Juneteenth, a title commemorating the day slaves in Texas were freed, two years after the Emancipation Proclamation. As every character in the film keeps telling her constantly -- how rude -- she has not lived up to the promise of her teen years...

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