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''Mama, I Want to Sing!'' is an American musical film written and directed by Charles Randolph-Wright, produced by Vision Films and
CodeBlack Entertainment Codeblack Films is an American entertainment company. Codeblack focuses on films targeting African-American audiences. History Codeblack Enterprises was founded by Jeff Clanagan in 2005, who became CEO of the company. Originally focused on dire ...
, and distributed by
20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Disn ...
's Fox Faith division. The film is an adaptation of the
off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer th ...
gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message (" the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words a ...
stage musical of the same name, written and produced by Vy Higginsen and Ken Wydro. The film is based on the life story of Higginson's sister,
Doris Troy Doris Troy (born Doris Elaine Higginsen; January 6, 1937 – February 16, 2004) was an American R&B singer and songwriter, known to her many fans as "Mama Soul". Her biggest hit was " Just One Look", a top 10 hit in 1963. Life and career She ...
, a preacher's daughter who sang in a church choir before being discovered by
James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, dancer, musician, record producer and bandleader. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th century music, he is often referred to by the hono ...
. Doris Troy's niece, Knoelle, who has played the star role in the off-Broadway production, makes her film debut in the movie in a principal role. One of the executive producers announced via
Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
that the movie was completed in June 2009. The official movie trailer was released and premiered on September 22, 2009. It was set to premiere September 26, 2009 at the Urbanworld Film Festival in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, but due to technical issues it was canceled.Marvet Britto Twitter
/ref> The film was also slated to premiere on July 23, 2010, at the Faith Film Festival, but was also cancelled as well. In an October 2010 interview, Jeff Clanagan (CEO of
Codeblack Entertainment Codeblack Films is an American entertainment company. Codeblack focuses on films targeting African-American audiences. History Codeblack Enterprises was founded by Jeff Clanagan in 2005, who became CEO of the company. Originally focused on dire ...
) announced that the film was set for a January 14, 2011 release. However, it was pulled from the 10-15 theaters it was scheduled for at the last minute. In December 2011, a press release from
Fox Home Entertainment 20th Century Studios Home Entertainment (commonly referred to as 20th Home Video, or 20th Home Entertainment, formerly known as 20th Century-Fox Video, CBS/Fox Video, Fox Video, and 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment) is a home video label of Wa ...
states that ''Mama, I Want to Sing!'' would be a
direct-to-video Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, TV series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strategy w ...
film. A new promo shot was also released. The film was released straight-to-DVD on February 14, 2012 following years of production hell and numerous delays. This was the final film made by Fox Faith after it was dissolved.


Plot

Amara Winter (
Ciara Ciara Princess Wilson ( ; Harris; born October 25, 1985) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, model and entrepreneur. She released her debut studio album, '' Goodies'' in 2004, which spawned four singles: " Goodies" (featuring Petey Pa ...
), a beautiful and charismatic young singer, is on the verge of stardom. Raised in the church by her father, Reverend Dr. Kenneth Winter (
Marvin Winans Marvin Lawrence Winans (born March 5, 1958) is an American pastor and gospel singer, and a member of the musical Winans family. He is also known for his recurring role in the hit show '' Tyler Perry's House of Payne''. Life and career Early life ...
) and mother, Lillian Winter (
Lynn Whitfield Lynn Whitfield (''née'' Smith; born February 15, 1953) is an American actress. She began her acting career in television and theatre before progressing to supporting roles in film. She won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a ...
), Amara and her younger brother Luke ( Kevin Phillips) have a very strong bond. After her father's untimely death, her mother is thrust into the limelight in the role as preacher, a daring move that ultimately catapults her to the top of the gospel world. Paralleling her mother's success, Amara soon becomes a huge star in her own right, taking the R&B world by storm. Conflict begins to ensue when her mother is confronted with, and unequivocally disapproves of, Amara's secular music and videos. Amara must learn to pursue her dreams while navigating the often treacherous world of celebrity and striving to remain true to herself and family. Amara and her mother must work through their differences realizing that their journeys are not quite so different after all.


Cast

*
Ciara Ciara Princess Wilson ( ; Harris; born October 25, 1985) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, model and entrepreneur. She released her debut studio album, '' Goodies'' in 2004, which spawned four singles: " Goodies" (featuring Petey Pa ...
as Doris Winter / Amara **Mariah Roberson as Young Doris Winter *
Lynn Whitfield Lynn Whitfield (''née'' Smith; born February 15, 1953) is an American actress. She began her acting career in television and theatre before progressing to supporting roles in film. She won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a ...
as Dr. Lillian Winter, Doris' Mother *
Marvin Winans Marvin Lawrence Winans (born March 5, 1958) is an American pastor and gospel singer, and a member of the musical Winans family. He is also known for his recurring role in the hit show '' Tyler Perry's House of Payne''. Life and career Early life ...
as Reverend Winter, Doris' Father *
Patti LaBelle Patricia Louise Holte (born May 24, 1944), known professionally as Patti LaBelle, is an American R&B singer, actress and businesswoman. LaBelle is referred to as the " Godmother of Soul". She began her career in the early 1960s as lead singe ...
as Sister Carrie *
Billy Zane William George Zane Jr. (born February 24, 1966) is an American actor. His breakthrough role was in the 1989 Australian film ''Dead Calm'', a performance that earned him a nomination for the Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Most Promi ...
as Dillan, Doris' Producer *
Hill Harper Francis Eugene "Hill" Harper (born May 17, 1966) is an American actor and author. He is known for his roles on ''CSI: NY'', '' Limitless'' and '' The Good Doctor''. Early life and education Harper was born in Iowa City, Iowa, the son of Harry D. ...
as Jeff Andrews, Doris' Manager * Kim Porter as Tara *
Ben Vereen Benjamin Augustus Vereen (born October 10, 1946) is an American actor, dancer and singer. Vereen gained prominence for his performances in the original Broadway productions of the musicals '' Jesus Christ Superstar'', for which he received a T ...
as Horace Payne * Ava Santana as Dr. Winter's Assistant * Kevin Phillips as Luke Winter, Amara's Brother **Michael Josiah Foster as Young Luke Winter *
Alexandra Cheron Alexandra Beauvoir Cheron Tavárez (January 16, 1983 – May 21, 2011) was a Dominican-American actress, model, businesswoman, and socialite. Tavárez was born in the Dominican Republic. Her father was an accountant from Haiti and her mother a ...
as Kimberly *
Juanita Bynum Juanita Bynum (born January 16, 1959) is an American gospel singer, author, and pastor. In 2007, she released an album titled ''Piece of My Passion'', and ''The New York Times'' described her as "the most prominent black female television eva ...
as Beverly * Shonda Farr as Holly * Courtney Shay Young as Doris Wardrobe * Geraldine Glenn as Still Photographer * Marissa D'Onofrio as Sienna * Gospel For Teens Choir


Production

Tarralyn Ramsey Tarralyn LaJuan Ramsey (born July 8, 1979) is an American gospel musician, songwriter and artist. She began her music career in 2000, with the release of the religious ''Tarralyn Ramsey'' album on Verity Records. This would be her ''Billboard'' ...
and Paris Bennett auditioned for the role of Amara before
CodeBlack Entertainment Codeblack Films is an American entertainment company. Codeblack focuses on films targeting African-American audiences. History Codeblack Enterprises was founded by Jeff Clanagan in 2005, who became CEO of the company. Originally focused on dire ...
offered the role to
Ciara Ciara Princess Wilson ( ; Harris; born October 25, 1985) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, model and entrepreneur. She released her debut studio album, '' Goodies'' in 2004, which spawned four singles: " Goodies" (featuring Petey Pa ...
. Vy Higginsen, the original playwright for the off-Broadway production of "Mama, I Want to Sing!", assisted Charles Randolph-Wright with the script. Shalyric Self was set to portray the younger version of Amara, but due to contract issues, she was replaced by Mariah Roberson. The film was shown on BET for the first time on August 19, 2012.


Songs

''Mama I Want To Sing: The Soundtrack'' was released on January 18, 2011. #Tug of War , Deitrick Haddon #Walk Around Heaven , Patti LaBelle #I Will , Paris Bennett #Living Not in Vain , Fred Hammond feat. Smokie Norful #Mama, I Want to Sing! , Kierra Kiki Sheard #Be Grateful , Fred Hammond feat. Cynthia Simon #U Got Me Through , 21:03 feat. J Moss #For Me , B.R.I.G.G. feat. Eric Griggs #I'm Gonna Serve the Lord , Johnny B. Williams #Jus' 1 of Dem Days , Irocc Williams #Sick-n-Tired , Karen Clark Sheard feat. Kierra Kiki Sheard #Not Created to Fall , Desiree Coleman


See also

*
List of black films of the 2010s The following is a list of black films that were released in the 2010s. Black films listed here are generally associated with the peoples from the African diaspora; the cinema of Africa is distinct from this topic (see list of African films). Law ...


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mama, I Want To Sing! 2012 films Films about Christianity 2010s musical drama films African-American musical drama films Films about music and musicians American films based on plays African-American films Films based on musicals 2012 drama films 2010s English-language films 2010s American films