Judas & The Black Messiah

One of my favorite films from Sundance this weekend was the preview screening of Shaka King’s JUDAS AND THE BLACK MESSIAH, which arrives on HBOMax on February 12th! King has managed to craft a historical film that doesn’t feel like a stuffy biopic. It’s a dynamic, sleek, and often brutal depiction of William O’Neal’s infiltration of the Chicago Black Panther Party, leaking information to the FBI that ultimately led to activist Fred Hampton’s assassination. The film is full of excellent performances, but Daniel Kaluuya as the intoxicatingly charismatic Hampton and Lakeith Stanfield as the enigmatic O’Neal are the anchors of the film. Check it out next week and keep your eyes peeled for a cameo from AM I OK? star Jermaine Fowler. 

—Julia Hammer, Creative Executive