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 ]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 wa ...
releases, Codeblack entered into an agreement with 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 Dis ...
for film distribution.[ The multi-picture deal with Fox Faith was to produce six original films targeting the African-American faith-based market. The first two productions were film adaptations of the 1980s Off-Broadway ]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 ...
musical hit '' Mama, I Want to Sing!'' and the popular play, ''A Good Man is Hard to Find.''
2012 to present
Codeblack Enterprises entered a distribution deal with Lionsgate
Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation, doing business as Lionsgate, is a Canadian-American entertainment company. It was formed by Frank Giustra on July 10, 1997, domiciled in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and is currently headquartered ...
in 2012 forming Codeblack Films under Lionsgate.[ Codeblack's first film release under Lionsgate was ]Kevin Hart
Kevin Darnell Hart (born July 6, 1979) is an American comedian and actor. Originally known as a stand-up comedian, he has since starred in Hollywood films and on TV. He has also released several well-received comedy albums.
After winning se ...
's stand-up special ''Let Me Explain''.[ That same year, Shaquille O'Neal's All Star Comedy Jam was released through Codeblack and Lionsgate.][ Codeback released '' Woman Thou Art Loosed: On the 7th Day'' as a limited release to 102 AMC theaters in April 2012.
In 2013, Codeblack acquired the rights to produce films from the '' Flyy Girl'' book trilogy by Omar Tyree.][ It was later announced that ]Sanaa Lathan
Sanaa McCoy Lathan (born September 19, 1971) is an American actress. She is the daughter of actress Eleanor McCoy and film director Stan Lathan. Her career began after she appeared in the shows ''In the House'', '' Family Matters'', ''NYPD Blue ...
would be starring as Tracy Ellison in the movie adaptation written by Geoffrey S. Fletcher and Nicole Jefferson-Asher and produced by Effie T. Brown. Codeblack released ''Why We Laugh: Funny Women'', a film about female comedians narrated and produced by Joan Rivers
Joan Alexandra Molinsky (June 8, 1933 – September 4, 2014), known professionally as Joan Rivers, was an American comedian, actress, producer, writer and television host. She was noted for her blunt, often controversial comedic persona—heavi ...
, in 2013. That same year, it acquired ''Frankie & Alice
''Frankie & Alice'' is a 2010 Canadian drama film directed by Geoffrey Sax, starring Halle Berry. Filming began in Vancouver, British Columbia, in November 2008, and ended in January 2009. To qualify for awards season, the film opened in a limited ...
'', a drama starring Halle Berry, after its delayed release.[ In April 2013, Codeblack acquired the theatrical rights of ''Free Angela and All Political Prisoners'', a documentary about social activist ]Angela Davis
Angela Yvonne Davis (born January 26, 1944) is an American political activist, philosopher, academic, scholar, and author. She is a professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz. A feminist and a Marxist, Davis was a longtime member of ...
.[ Also in 2013, Codeblack released the film '']The Inevitable Defeat of Mister & Pete
''The Inevitable Defeat of Mister & Pete'' is a 2013 American drama film directed by George Tillman Jr. and written by Michael Starrbury. The film stars Anthony Mackie, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Jennifer Hudson, Jordin Sparks and Jeffrey Wrig ...
'', a story of two children on their which have been abandoned by their drug-addicted caretaker. The movie was directed by George Tillman Jr. and starred Jennifer Hudson
Jennifer Kate Hudson (born September 12, 1981), also known by her nickname J.Hud, is an American singer, actress, and talk show host. Throughout her career, she has received various accolades for her works in recorded music, film, televisio ...
, Anthony Mackie
Anthony Dwane Mackie (born September 23, 1978) is an American actor. Mackie made his acting debut starring in the semi-biographical drama film '' 8 Mile'' (2002). He was later nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Actor for his pe ...
and Jeffrey Wright
Jeffrey Wright (born December 7, 1965) is an American actor. He is well known for his role as Belize in the Broadway production of ''Angels in America'', for which he would win a Tony Award, and its HBO miniseries adaptation, for which he woul ...
.psychological thriller
Psychological thriller is a genre combining the thriller and psychological fiction genres. It is commonly used to describe literature or films that deal with psychological narratives in a thriller or thrilling setting.
In terms of context and c ...
about a life coach who is abducted by one of his clients, in February 2014. The film was directed by Philippe Caland, who wrote the script alongside Shintaro Shimosawa and worked with Nina Yang Bongiovi to produce the film. The film '' Addicted'' was released by Codeblack in 2014. It was shown on a limited 846 screens. Codeblack signed an agreement with Times Media Films in October 2014 to distribute its films to South Africa.[
In March 2015, Lionsgate's Codeblack Films entered an agreement with distributor Eagle Films to distribute all films produced or co-produced by Codeblack in the Middle East and North Africa.][ In March 2016, Codeblack's parent company, Lionsgate, announced a partnership with Kevin Hart and his company Hartbeat Digital to establish Laugh Out Loud, a video on demand service. Jeff Clanagan. Codeblack's CEO, became president of Hartbeat Digital and Laugh Out Loud.][ That same month, Codeblack produced a game show series on Instagram similar to "]The Newlywed Game
''The Newlywed Game'' is an American television game show that puts newly married couples against each other in a series of revealing question rounds to determine how well the spouses know or do not know each other. The program, originally create ...
" called "The Perfect Match" before the release of the film, ''The Perfect Match''.[ In September 2016, Codeblack announced that it was partnering with ]Queen Latifah
Dana Elaine Owens (born March 18, 1970), known professionally as Queen Latifah, is an American rapper, actress, and singer. Born in Newark, New Jersey, she signed with Tommy Boy Records in 1989 and released her debut album '' All Hail the Qu ...
's Flavor Unit Entertainment
Flavor Unit Entertainment is an American entertainment company originally launched in Jersey City, New Jersey, but is now based in Miami, Florida, United States. The company was founded by Queen Latifah and Shakim Compere in 1995.
The company p ...
to co-produce and co-finance several films including ''The Love Playbook: Rules for Love, Sex, and Happiness'' based on the book by La La Anthony
Alani Nicole "La La" Anthony (née Vázquez; born June 25, 1979 ) is an American television personality and actress. In the early 2000s, she worked as an MTV VJ on ''Total Request Live''. She was the host of the VH1 reality television reunion ...
.
In April 2017, the first trailer was released for ''All Eyez on Me
''All Eyez on Me'' is the fourth studio album by American rapper 2Pac and the last to be released during his lifetime. Released on February 13, 1996, by Death Row and Interscope Records, the album features guest appearances from Dr. Dre, Sno ...
'', a biopic about rapper Tupac Shakur
Tupac Amaru Shakur ( ; born Lesane Parish Crooks, June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known as 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He is widely considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. Shakur is among the b ...
distributed by Codeblack which would be released in June on what would have been his 46th birthday. The movie was featured as the closing film at the 2017 American Black Film Festival.
References
External links
Official Codeblack Films website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Codeblack Entertainment
Film production companies of the United States
Entertainment companies based in California
Companies based in Santa Monica, California
Entertainment companies established in 2005
2005 establishments in California
Lionsgate subsidiaries