Richard Lawson and Tina Knowles-Lawson will present ‘Black Terror’ at Cannes Film Festival

Richard Lawson and Tina Knowles-Lawson are headed to Cannes Film Festival for the special presentation of their latest feature film “Black Terror,” based on the Drama Desk Award-winning play by Richard Wesley. Lawson took on the film’s director role, and Knowles-Lawson is listed as an executive producer.

“Black Terror” will highlight the 4th edition of the Pavillon Afriques. The Pavilion is dedicated to cinema from Africa and its diaspora, with 54 countries connected from 5 continents and over 3,000 participants. It has been part of the Cannes Film Festival since 2019. The organization’s mission is to promote the richness of African cinema and give film professionals from the continent and the diaspora a bigger share of the global film market. “Black Terror” will have a special presentation on May 23 at the Pavillon Afriques, followed by a Q&A featuring Lawson and Knowles-Lawson.

“Black Terror” tells the story of a group of Black freedom fighters defending their community by any means. Lawson’s adaptation of “Black Terror” shines a light on the extreme sacrifices at the center of Black liberation struggles, a topic that is still relevant 50 years after its first writing. In “Black Terror,” a dynamic squad of revolutionaries called the Black Comrades set out to unshackle their people from oppression. The freedom fighters’ divergent approaches threaten their alliance and expose their vulnerabilities.

Lawson and Knowles-Lawson are the co-artist directors of the Where Art Can Occur (WACO) Theater Center. They opened the center in 2017 and each year celebrate the Wearable Art Gala, a marquee celebration in Los Angeles that serves as a multi-pronged fundraiser supporting WACO’s artistic and mentorship programs.

In a past interview with Essence, Knowles-Lawson revealed that the story of “Black Terror” played a role in her love for Black revolutionaries. Growing up in Galveston, Texas, her family had “dangerous interactions with the police,” just like some of the characters.

The film stars Tobias Truvillion (“Brooklyn’s Finest”), Taylor Edwards (“Black-ish”), Michelle Morgan (“Bulworth”), Lester Purry (“Dead Space 2”), Henri Franklin (“Batman Vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice”), Terryl Daluz (“The System”) and Nia Miranda (“McGraw Ave”). The film is produced by Steven Foley, Taneshia Nash Laird, Shay Wafer and Fetteroff Cohen. Executive producers are Richard Lawson, Tina Knowles-Lawson, Kim Taylor-Coleman, CSA, and Alta Global Media’s Theo Dumont.

Martie Bowser is a journalist and public relations professional in Charlotte, NC. She enjoys amplifying the voices of POC and women that fill a void within their community. Her bylines include “person of interest” interviews, small business highlights, pop culture commentary, entertainment features, and everything Beyonce.