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Anne B. Real

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Anne B. Real
Anne B. Real
Directed byLisa France
Written byAntonio Macia
Produced byLuis Moro
StarringJanice Richardson
Carlos Leon
Ernie Hudson
CinematographyStefan Forbes
Edited byDoug Forbes
Music byDean Parker
Production
company
Luis Moro Productions
Distributed byScreen Media
Release date
  • February 2003 (2003-02) (Pan African Film Festival)[1]
Running time
91 minutes[2]
LanguageEnglish

Anne B. Real is a 2003 coming-of-age drama film directed by Lisa France and starring Janice Richardson, Carlos Leon, Ernie Hudson, and Sherri Saum. The film follows an aspiring rapper in Spanish Harlem who finds inspiration in reading The Diary Of Anne Frank. The film won a Black Reel Award for Outstanding Independent Film.

Production

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A teenage girl of Hispanic heritage named Cynthia Gimenez lives in a cramped Manhattan apartment on the edge of Spanish Harlem. Her mother and grandmother speak minimal English. Her older sister is an unwed mother living on welfare. Her older brother is a drug-dealing junkie. In the course of the film, Cynthia faces chaos and betrayal. One of her friends is deliberately murdered, while another of her loved ones is accidentally shot. She runs from the police at one point, and to them at another. But through it all, Cynthia has a secret friend: Anne Frank.

In a flashback scene early in the film, Cynthia's late father gives his young daughter a dog-eared copy of The Diary Of Anne Frank and for the rest of the film Anne's words, read verbatim by Cynthia, provide both her solace and her inspiration. Cynthia buys herself a plaid notebook that looks very much like Anne's original, and she retreats to her corner, like Anne did, to record her private thoughts. “All children must look after their own upbringing,” she reads, and from these words she understands that she can either blame her surroundings and give up, or take responsibility for her own future.

She finds out that her brother is selling her poems to a rapper named ‘Deuce’ who has been performing them and recording them and claiming them as his own. But with Anne's voice in her head, Cynthia finds her courage, and by the end of the film she has transformed herself into an artist named “Anne B. Real.”

Cast

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  • Janice Richardson as Cynthia Gimenez (as Janice Richardson aka 'JNYCE')
  • Carlos Leon as Juan Juan Gimenez
  • Ernie Hudson as Principal Davis
  • Sherri Saum as Janet Gimenez
  • Eric Smith as Deuce
  • Jackie Quinones as Kitty
  • Geronimo Frias as Darius
  • Antonio Macia as Michael Dominguez
  • David Zayas as Cynthia's dad
  • Luis Moro as Tommy Morel
  • Mike Starr as Ron
  • Nesta Ward as Frank

Production

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The film was inspired by the diaries of Anne Frank. Producer Luis Moro contacted the Anne Frank Foundation in Switzerland and received permission to quote extensively from the actual text of Frank's diary.[3][4]

Lisa France and Moro insisted the cast respect their intention to make a PG-rated film before they signed on. In an interview with the World Jewish Digest, France explained her reasonings for this requirement were her respect for Frank's legacy and her desire to make a film suitable for everyone, including Anne's legions of young readers: “Urban family entertainment is rare. We wanted to make a film that an 8-year old and a 90-year old could watch together and we would not feel embarrassed or uncomfortable."[3]

Screenwriter Antonio Macia, who plays one of Cynthia’s teachers in the film, paraphrased Anne’s words in the script.[3] According to Moro, Bernd Elias, one of Anne’s last surviving relatives and the President of the Anne Frank Foundation, was supportive.[3]

Music was performed by R&B singer Janice "JNYCE" Richardson, who learned how to rap for the film. The end credits include the Paula Cole song by "Be Somebody".[5]

Release

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Anne B. Real premiered at the Pan African Film Festival in February 2003.[1] It subsequently screened at a variety of film festivals including Urbanworld Film Festival[6] and the Chicago International Film Festival.[7]

Reception

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Robert Koehler of Variety wrote in his review, "Imbued with street sense yet made with family-friendly limits on harsh language and violence, Anne B. Real is both a shamelessly contrived and unalterably sincere portrait of a high school girl who writes rap poetry in her Bronx 'hood."[8] Bill Stamets of the Chicago Reader commented that Lisa France "creates some strong imagery and elicits compelling performances from her cast, and though redundant flashbacks betray a lack of trust in the narrative, her mature touch rescues this mean-streets saga from the usual uplift cliches."[9] Josh Ralske of AllMovie wrote, "Anne B. Real has been compared to 8 Mile. This film, however, has a more likable protagonist, unlike the monotonously sullen character played by Eminem. Cynthia seems to have passion and a lively mind even when she's not on-stage, where she's understandably not quite as convincing in her freestyle skills."[10] However, he commented the film is "a well-meaning drama with an original premise that still gets bogged down in formulaic plotting, uneven performances, and drab visuals."[10]

Awards and nominations

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Year Film Event Award Category Result Ref.
2004 Independent Spirit Award John Cassavetes Award Lisa France, Luis Moro Nominated [11]
Best Debut Performance Janice Richardson Nominated
2004 Black Reel Awards Black Reel Award for Outstanding Independent Film Won [12]
2003 Dubrovnik International Film Festival Best Independent Film Won
American Black Film Festival Award Best Performance by an Actress Janice Richardson Won [13]
Santa Monica Film Festival Best Dramatic Feature Won [1]
Taos Talking Pictures Film Festival Taos Land Grant Award Nominated

References

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  1. ^ a b c Kaufman, Anthony (February 26, 2004). "The Undistributed: 'Anne B. Real'". Variety. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  2. ^ "Anne B. Real". Brooklyn Film Festival. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d "Anne B. Real: A Cinematic Hip-Hop Tribute to Anne Frank". Films42.com.
  4. ^ "Anne B. Real, the movie". Moro Films. Archived from the original on November 19, 2008. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  5. ^ "Anne B. Real". sweetsoundtrack.com. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  6. ^ "Urbanworld Announces Competition Slate for Seventh Annual Fest". IndieWire. August 28, 2003. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  7. ^ "Anne B. Real - Chicago". blackfilm.com. September 2003. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  8. ^ Koehler, Robert (February 25, 2003). "Anne B. Real". Variety. Reed Business Information. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
  9. ^ Stamets, Bill (August 1, 2003). "Anne B. Real". Chicago Reader. Chicago: Sun-Times Media. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
  10. ^ a b Ralske, Josh. "Anne B. Real (2002) - Review". Allmovie. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
  11. ^ ""In America," "American Splendor," and "Raising Victor Vargas" Top Nominees for 2004 IFP Independent". IndieWire. December 4, 2003. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  12. ^ "2004 Awards". Black Reel Awards. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
  13. ^ "American Black Film Festival Concludes in South Beach with Gala Film Life Movie Awards Show". American Black Film Festival. June 27, 2003. Retrieved December 21, 2022.
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