Breaking Glass Pictures recently distributed the highly anticipated thriller “Sway” in the U.S.
Directed by Charlie Hamilton and Zachary Ramelan, the film tells the story of a Black community leader whose life unravels after his brother goes missing. Within hours, he is blackmailed by a mysterious woman, and a murder forces him to confront how far he will go to protect those he loves.
The film stars: Emmanuel Kabongo (Sway) – three-time CSA Nominee, “Star Trek Discovery.” Mishael Morgan (Lisa) – Emmy Award winner, Young and the Restless. Lovell Adams-Gray (Richie) – CSA Winner. Brittany Raymond (Jade) – CSA Winner and Paul Amos (Rez) – CSA Nominee.
“Sway” has already made waves on the festival circuit, winning Best Feature Film at the National Black Film Festival, Best Original Score at the Hollywood North Film Awards, and Best Actress for Morgan at the Toronto International Nollywood Film Festival, among numerous other nominations and accolades. The film has also been officially selected by top festivals in the U.S., Canada and Nigeria, including the Pan African Film Festival, Toronto Black Film Festival and African International Film Festival.
With a runtime of 99 minutes, “Sway” delivers an intense, cinematic experience marked by outstanding performances, striking cinematography, and a haunting original score.
This film puts Sway in a bad spot, after he awakens on a special day with a strange woman in his bed who turns out to be the blackmailer who sets off a day of chaos.
What ensues is a fake podcast, a missing brother and a clock ticking that makes Sway sweat a bit more in his fancy suit.
Kabongo is great as the lead, but his leadership is slowly eroded as his house of cards falls, his soldiers turn on him and he is forced to atone for his sins from which he had escaped. “Sway” is a seductive, glossy thriller. One worth checking out at local theaters or streaming apps.
Mary, A Holiday Dansical, comes to Hyde Park
The cast of 35 dancer-actors includes Destiny Johnson, a senior at the Chicago High School for the Arts (ChiArts), in the lead role of Mary, and Emani Drake, a Prince Grace Foundation Honoraria Awardee, appearing courtesy of Deeply Rooted Dance Theater.
Special guest Nia Sioux, known to many from Dance Moms, will offer a pre-show talk on the importance of safe spaces for Black and brown girls and sign copies of her book Bottom of the Pyramid.
“Mary, A Holiday Dansical” takes place on Sunday, December 14, at 6 p.m. at the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts, 915 E. 60th St.
The performance is a modern twist on the traditional Black Nativity told through ballet, hip hop, tap and contemporary dance. The first act focuses on the struggles of a typical teenage girl searching for her purpose in life.
She is visited by an angel (ballerina) and learns she will conceive and bring forth a child who will be the Savior. Mary turns to her mother and close circle of friends for support, similar to today’s teenagers. The second half includes Christmas songs such as “Mary, Did You Know” and holiday favorites like “Joy to the World.”
Tickets are $45, $25 for children younger than 12, and $65 for the performance and pre-show talk with Nia Sioux. They are available at ticketfalcon.com/e/mary2025.
All programming is subject to change. For information, visit blackgirlsdance.org.
Black Girls Dance, founded by Erin Barnett in 2015, cultivates, empowers, and supports women in pursuing their dreams of performing and grants scholarships to pre-professionals to train at the studio or institution of their choice. The organization became a nonprofit in 2021.
Barnett, a Chicago native, was the first African American “Clara” in the Chicago Tribune Charities production of The Nutcracker at McCormick Place. She toured internationally with Garth Fagan Dance and Philadanco!, played the role of Sarafina in The Lion King in Las Vegas for three years, and performed with Beyonce at the Billboard Awards.
Her first children’s book was Get Outta Here Stage Fright!, inspired by her experiences as a dance teacher for young children. Her second book, Do You Speak Ballet?, is available on Amazon.