This page was created on June 11, 2004
This page was last updated on June 12, 2004

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In Memory of Pamela Gordon Some of the persons portrayed in this motion picture are actual persons and the events depicted are loosely based on the lives and experiences of those persons. Portions of this motion picture may consist of re-enactment or re-creations of actual events. Although some of those events may have been fictionalized for dramatic purposes, any resemblance to actual persons, whether living or dead, or events other than those portrayed and depicted here, is purely coincidental. This motion picture is protected under the laws of the United States of America and other countries.

Country of first publication: United States of America. SHOWTIME NETWORKS INC. is the author of this motion picture for purposes of the Berne Convention and all National laws giving effect thereto. Unauthorized duplication, distribution or exhibition may result in civil liability and criminal prosecution. Copyright " MMIII, Showtime Networks Inc. All Rights Reserved. "Dedicated to all the Brothers and Sisters who opened the Door"

SYNOPSIS

"Melvin took on the Hollywood machine on his own terms and changed the game."
- Ossie Davis

The year was 1971 and the hot ticket at the box office was THE FRENCH CONNECTION. Little did audiences and the film industry know that in the same year the birth of a new era was about to explode.Independent Black Cinema.

The city was Detroit, and a weathered Melvin Van Peebles sat alone in the Grand Circus theatre watching only a few ticket buyers enter where his new film - his follow up to the successful comedy WATERMELON MAN - was about to play. After months of clawing, scheming and fighting to finish the film he wanted to make, the moment had arrived, and in a virtually empty theatre, Melvin sat with just a few curious onlookers. By the end of the screening, Melvin was alone. No one could have predicted what happened after that momentous end would be the beginning of history. Melvin Van Peebles stunned the world for the first time with his debut feature THE STORY OF A THREE-DAY PASS. Filmed in France and selected as the French entry in the San Francisco Film Festival, Melvin's film was awarded the top prize. Saying it was controversial would be an understatement. In 1968, for a black man to walk up to the podium and accept the top festival award for a film he had to go abroad to make - now that's how you make your mark.

After his comedy WATERMELON MAN, Melvin was determined to push the Hollywood boundaries with the groundbreaking, and even more controversial, SWEET SWEETBACK'S BAADASSSSS SONG. Turned down by every major studio including Columbia, where he had a three-picture deal, Melvin was forced to basically self-finance. Risking everything he had, Melvin delivered to the world the first Black Ghetto hero on the big screen, whether they were ready or not!

More than 30 years later, history is being fashioned again. Mario Van Peebles, Melvin's son, directs an honest and revealing portrait of his pioneering father. Following in his dad's footsteps, and documenting his exceptional journey towards political defiance through cinema, Mario directs and stars as Melvin in BAADASSSSS!, based on the book Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song written by his father right after making SWEETBACK. The book went onto become a best seller, has been translated into several languages and is now a standard in university film classes.

"When I went to my Dad about optioning the book, his words to me were simple: 'Don't make me too damn nice.'"
- Mario Van Peebles

"I wrote the book because I figured that no one would believe what happened. Plus, in case I got rubbed out in the process my children would at least have a chance to learn where I was coming from."
- Melvin Van Peebles

In BAADASSSSS!, Mario sharply observes Melvin's struggles to raise money to fund SWEETBACK under the guise of creating a black porno film. Melvin ducked creditors, the unions and had to bail out his camera crew after they were arrested because a white cop decided "a bunch of Negroes and hippies couldn't have come by that camera equipment honestly." Despite death threats and temporarily losing sight in one eye, Melvin managed to whip into shape a rag-tag, multi-racial crew and finish the film. The film had a winning formula - a hip, empowered black lead and a driving, energetic soundtrack with music from the then up-and-coming band Earth Wind and Fire. Maurice White of Earth Wind and Fire also contributes new music to the new film.

Before the Wright Brothers, there was no manned flight. After them, we have been to the moon and beyond. Before Melvin Van Peebles, there were no films that would dare depict a brother standing up to the "man" and living to tell about it. Baadasssss cinema had arrived. Despite the fact that initially only two theatres in the whole United States would play his film, SWEETBACK became the top grossing independent hit of 1971 spawning a decade of similar studio fair - SHAFT, SUPERFLY and FOXY BROWN. Melvin had brought the hood to Hollywood.

The cast of BAADASSSSS! also includes David Alan Grier (KING OF TEXAS, TV's "Life with Bonnie"), Joy Bryant (ANTWONE FISHER, SHOWTIME), Nia Long (BIG MOMMA'S HOUSE, THE BEST MAN), Paul Rodriguez (TORTILLA SOUP, COMIC RELIEF VIII), Saul Rubinek (THE CONTENDER, DICK), Ossie Davis - one of the few active black director's when SWEETBACK was made (MISS EVERS BOYS, KING), Khleo Thomas (HOLES), Glenn Plummer (THE SALTON SEA, PASTIME), Karimah Westbrook (SAVE THE LAST DANCE), Khalil Kain (THE TIGER WOODS STORY, EXECUTION OF JUSTICE), Rainn Wilson (ALMOST FAMOUS, TV's "Six Feet Under"), John Singleton (2 FAST 2 FURIOUS, BOYZ N THE HOOD) and Adam West (the original "Batman," "Family Guy"). The film is written, produced, directed and starring Mario Van Peebles, co-executive produced by Tobie Haggerty, co-produced by Dennis Haggerty and executive produced Michael Mann.

DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT
ABOUT THE PRODUCTION
THE BEGINNING

"How's your Daddy, he still getting some?" inquired Muhammad Ali leaning in with a conspiratorial wink, his broad rugged face grinning as he scanned the set. "Do some Malcolm for me." I'd give him a taste, one of the minister's later speeches. "Brother sure could talk couldn't he?" Ali said suddenly reflective. I had first met the Champ at the premiere of my directorial debut, NEW JACK CITY, but never spent time with him until filming ALI for Columbia Pictures. I had already directed what became a controversial film on the Black Panthers and had been struggling to assemble funding on a piece about Dr. King for months and now here I was on the well-healed ALI set portraying the political icon Malcolm X (El-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz).

Recently it seemed I had been re-visiting roughly the same period in history each time from a different political vantage point.

I had grown up in a run n' gun "do for self" indie film family; on ALI, I was like a poor kid in a candy store. With a budget, I mean a real big ass studio film, Michael Mann research budget. I visited prisons to meet with inmates who had converted to Islam while incarcerated and a car and driver took me there. Any books I requested usually appeared the next day. I met with Warith Deen Muhammad, Elijah Muhammad's son who had taken over the nation of Islam, Mike Wallace, Minister Farrakhan and Ms. Shabazz, Malcolm's eldest daughter, who was instrumental, giving me permission to humanize Malcolm as a father. One of the last stops on my research pilgrimage was with my own Dad, who it turns out interviewed Malcolm at length when he was in Paris. Malcolm had said some disturbing things and the article was never published, some believe at the insistence of the U.S. State Department. Shortly thereafter he returned to New York where he was assassinated.

Melvin Van Peebles is many things at once - renaissance man, hustler, revolutionary, wise old sage, player, father, grandfather, friend, comrade, dramatist - and he's layered like that proverbial onion revealing knowledge only on a "need to know" basis depending on your level and interest. I never knew the motherf*cker got to interview Malcolm X. And here he was taking his sweet time about revealing the contents of said discussion. A pause for the revolutionary cause as he savored his stogie reflectively.

I grinned slightly at my own annoyance not too much of course or he'd notice and we'd get way off on some tangent about me letting him take his time as he saw fit. After all it was I who was once again the askee. Anyway like I said, I'd grown accustomed to these dramatic pauses so I resorted to my usual tact, studying the lines of his hands and face. As a kid I'd often sketch out a quick cartoon of him. The jutting defiant jaw, the droop of his moustache, his heavy lids, I had him nailed. But today I was on a mission, any move for pen or paper could result in delay.

It's interesting as a son to take a good long look at your old man, you can't help wondering if you'll end up aging like this guy. How much of you is in him? Or vice versa? Genetics?

Karma? Mannerisms? Expressions? Couldn't the son of a bitch have had more hair? Well at least I didn't inherit his long graceful chick-like fingers. On some level you kind of want to keep your parents frozen in the suspended animation of your memory. I'd seen his face so many times, in so many incarnations, and yet each time some nuance seemed different, and each time, I as observer was different.

Beyond the "mortality" if he buys-the-farm-guess-who's-next-issues, "aging" is inconvenient. It complicates ones ability to place experiences. Was he different when I was a kid? Or was it simply my perspective then? Has he mellowed? Was it "tough love" or "paternal fascism?" And what about now? Can I truly grasp or articulate the complexity of all I feel about him as an adult? The dynamics have leveled out as we both grow as men and yet still we're in a constant state of flux. Especially because, unlike some fathers, the only constant with MVP is that he remains perpetually in-motion learning, reevaluating and stretching beyond any apparent comfort zone.

In his twenties he was one of the first black officers in the US Air Force, then a painter, writer and SF cable car driver. Next he moved to Europe, taught himself French and became a filmmaker. In his thirties he "took the 'hood to Hollywood" with his groundbreaking film SWEET SWEETBACK'S BAADASSSSS SONG and when the studios started imitating his cinematic formula, he split for NYC. He had two plays running simultaneously on Broadway including my favorite "Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death." In his late forties he started running marathons. In his fifties he became the oldest and first black trader to hit the commodities floor and wrote a book about it. In his sixties he was working on his music, directing an indie film, and getting the French Legion of Honor award. (Yeah, technically he is "Sir Melvin" now.) Now at seventy he's between Paris and New York working on two books and can still out run my ass any day.

In spite of all this and unwarranted as it may be, secretly for some time now I'd felt like my father's father. As if on some level I was his protector, played out through the role of son. I wanted to see him win, to see him get his due, his props. I remembered his eyes the last time we almost came to blows, I was already bigger than him and pretty sure I could take him. And there he was threatening me and knowing that I probably was thinking what I was thinking, and also that I'd never want to see him lose. Maybe winning seemed more important to him on that level or to his generation of warriors. I'd never want to see that spirit broken and yet I know he's resilient enough to lose on any level and get back up; he's done it a thousand times. I don't think it's as simple as me wanting him to win, so I win by proxy or because we share a last name. Maybe I want him to remain father, at least in his own eyes. I want to see that he has achieved what he wanted in this lifetime and for him to know that he passed it on. we got it.

I flashed back on my own sons as little guys insisting that I was the strongest man in the world, even when I told them differently. Were my feelings about MVP some version of this?

I thought about Ali and the question he had asked, yeah at seventy my Dad was still getting "some" and without much prompting he'd give you the details (too much info man). I thought about how Ali was arguably the world's first in your face "black power" athlete and that this cool old cat sitting in front of me with the dead stogie and heavy lids was arguably the world's first "black power" filmmaker. Sir Melvin Van Movies had rocked the cinematic world back on its heels with his indie revolutionary hit SWEET SWEETBACK'S BAADASSSSS SONG. Not only was it the top grossing independent hit of 1971, it was the biggest true indie up till that time.

As Ossie Davis succinctly put it, "Melvin took on the Hollywood machine on his own terms and changed the game."

Not just for black film but for independent film as well. Accompanied by a pulsating soundtrack by the then relatively unknown band Earth Wind and Fire, SWEETBACK started the cinematic tradition of the empowered ghetto hero.

THE HISTORY

It's hard to comprehend the significance of what crazy Melvin did without understanding the political context in which he had to act. During the Sixties, most African Americans were considering themselves "colored." The subtext of being colored was that "colored" was just slightly different from white. As if to say, "Please let us have a small slice of the American pie. Please let us exercise our constitutional right to enroll in the same schools, sit at the same lunch counter or even in the same movie theatre with the rest of white America. Recognize our humanity, after all we are like you, we're just a bit colored." During this time the non-violent civil rights movement, spearheaded by Dr. King was making measured gains. Cinematically, Hollywood for years had been acting with impunity, categorically dissing people of color. Hispanics were portrayed as oily bandits who "don't need no stinkin' badges." Native Americans were screaming savages circling innocent white settlers who just wanted to take the red man's land - "The only good Injun was a dead one." Asians were deferential houseboys bowing politely. And black folks were members of some strange shuffling servant tribe, mumbling little more than "yes suh," "no suh."

When America needed to get black folks involved in World War II, Hollywood did its part by inventing what my Dad in his documentary CLASSIFIED X refers to as the "New Negro" or the noble "colored" character. They usually got their ass shot off in the fourth reel so the white hero could safely escape with the girl.

I remember as a kid watching "Star Trek" and wondering why Spock wasn't the captain of the Enterprise. He was smarter, taller, more logical, and could clearly kick more "Klingon ass" than Captain Kirk. From what I could gather, Spock was the token Vulcan neo-Negro of the future. Spock seemed to be relegated to some sort of permanent unspoken intergalactic second-class citizenship. No matter how overqualified he was, our man Spock was never gonna get to be captain, or get laid on the Enterprise; he like us was "colored."

Like brother Spock, Sydney Poitier, Harry Belafonte, Dorothy Dandridge, Lena Horne, and Diahann Carroll often easily outclassed their white counterparts. They were the brightest, the best we could be and yet Ms. Dandridge barred from the whites-only bathroom where she occasionally performed, had to pee in a Dixie cup. Colored audiences had to watch their new colored stars from the "colored only" section of the balcony. American apartheid was alive and well. Brother Malcolm chuckled at us from his podium, saying it doesn't matter whether you call yourself "Negro" or "colored" or "black" or "African American" or "Christian" or "Muslim" or "Baptist," you ain't nothing but a nigger to the man. He's been whipping our collective asses for four hundred years, he's just getting better at it.

Malcolm astutely went on to point out that the "Ghandiesque" turn the other cheek non-violent approach to civil rights worked in India because the East Indians were a majority and the occupying British colonialists a minority; in essence a big brown elephant sitting on a little white one. But here in the wilderness of North America, the lost tribes of stolen Africans made up a minority of 12% of the population.

Malcolm said you're talking non-violence to an enemy that doesn't speak non-violence, to an enemy that will beat you down while you peacefully sing "we shall overcome." An enemy that will sic dogs on students trying to enroll, turn fire hoses on you, jail you, lynch you, and blow up your churches.

Malcolm went on to say that you can't sing your way to freedom, power concedes nothing without demand. "Do for self." If they don't want you in their restaurants, build your own. Don't look for trouble, but don't turn the other cheek if trouble looks for you. About Ali, Malcolm remarked with his West Indian-flavored wit. "Black people need to stop singing and start swinging; Ali didn't get to be champ by singing up on freedom, he had to swing up on some freedom." If Dr. King was the carrot, Minister Malcolm was the stick - both necessary halves of the same revolutionary coin. Dr. King had a dream that one day we'd get freedom by peaceful means, Minister Malcolm X said freedom by "any means necessary." and in the end America killed them both.

The ghettoes across the United States erupted in anger and despair. The assassinations of JFK, RFK, and Medgar Evers only added fuel to the fire. Once peaceful colored folk were now getting seriously pissed off. Cassius Clay gave up his "slave name", became Muhammad Ali and refused to go kill the yellow man in Vietnam for the white man that was denying us our human rights here at home.

Folks turned their back on the Caucasian standard of beauty, no longer straightening their natural kinky hair, they grew Afros. Terrified whites fled the inner cities in droves heading for the suburbs.

Movie theatres became half empty barns. Studios couldn't seem to gauge this rapidly changing audience (this was pre-multiplex). MGM was forced to sell off its back lot. Star driven flicks like Charlton Heston's OMEGA MAN and ALEX IN WONDERLAND bombed. People who once sang "We Shall Overcome" were now singing "Say it loud, I'm Black and proud." The Black Panther Party for Self Defense rose up in Oakland in response to extreme police brutality and unemployment.

The black power movement had arrived in full force, trying to fit in, and be "colored" was over. The subtext of being "Black," of course, is that unlike "colored," it is the opposite of white. Across America this incredible surge of militancy was taking place in the black community and yet Hollywood seemed oblivious. Ossie Davis had directed a black cop drama COTTON COMES TO HARLEM, and Poitier had slapped Rod Steiger back in THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT, but by and large we were still being depicted on the silver screen as servants and mammies or overqualified ubernegroes, noble coloreds trying to be accepted by the dominant culture. There was a huge gap between the explosive reality of what was happening on the streets and the surreality of what was happening on screen. What Melvin did was fill the void. Not only did he make the first revolutionary "black power flick" but his modus operandi was revolutionary as well. It's like my father thought he was the Statue of Liberty for disenfranchised wanna-be filmmakers. Give me your tired, your hungry, your black, Hispanics, your hippies, women, and porn makers and they shall be my crew. Take all the folks who had been left out for so long, the cinematically disempowered and let them come learn to control their own imagery. Of course his goal of a fifty-percent minority crew would have been an impossibility if he did SWEETBACK union, like his first studio flick WATERMELON MAN. The "good ol' boy" unions were almost exclusively male and white. Melvin took the chance of going non-union by making SWEETBACK under the guise of a black porno film.

The union left smut films alone.

If you can cut off the head, the body will die. If you assassinate charismatic leaders like King and Malcolm, to some extent their movements die. The Panthers seemed to have learned that bitter lesson, rather then having one empowered leader they had several. Their slogan oddly democratic was "Power to the people." They, like King and Malcolm, were most threatening to the status quo when they crossed the color lines linking up with the Brown Barrets, (their Hispanic counterparts) or the White Radical Peace and Freedom party. "Power to the People" meant empowering all, not only black. What Melvin did with this renegade indie film was not only empower indie filmmakers of all colors but put on screen that it was not starring a Hollywood actor but "the black community." And he dedicated it to all the brothers and sisters who have had enough of the man. All power to the people. As Jose Garcia, my father's maverick Hispanic second unit cameraman on SWEETBACK, said, "there was a great sense of solidarity between the races back then, a sense that as young filmmakers they could somehow reach, inspire, unite and empower the masses."

The graphic images of dismembered Vietnamese children that we saw in Life Magazine helped galvanize America's feeling against the war. The first televised presidential debates between Nixon and Kennedy in which Kennedy handled himself in a presidential manner helped swing public opinion, elect a president and change the course of a nation. The film BIRTH OF A NATION with its images of violent, lazy neo-primate darkies helped create the KKK. During the fifties and sixties the power of the media was growing exponentially. More and more it seemed that the gatekeepers of imagery and information could control public opinion and thus to some extent policy. It's easier to repress a people if you can first de-humanize and demonize them in the media. Melvin, by doing his funky angry ghetto response to four hundred years of having the man's foot in our asses, was taking that power back. Although at age thirteen I had production assisted on SWEETBACK and played a couple roles in it - including losing my cinematic cherry - I was only peripherally aware of the slings and arrows my father was suffering during its making. He was forced to self finance, constantly on the brink of ruin, his crew got arrested and jailed, death threats, and yet he refused to submit his film to the all-white MPAA ratings board for approval. He said they're not a jury of my peers, the dominant culture has been approving negative, crippling images of people of color for years, why should they decide what our cinematic agenda should be? The film then received an X rating. My Dad, true to form, printed up t-shirts that read "Rated X by an all white jury" and made it part of his marketing campaign.

At the film's completion all he had left was about $13, sight in one eye, and only two theatres in the whole United States agreed to play it. In spite of the odds, the film caught fire with the Black Panthers who embraced it as a "revolutionary masterpiece" and made it required viewing for their members. Shortly thereafter the students, Yippies and Hippies came - the "mother country radicals" as the Panthers dubbed them.

In the end, SWEETBACK a funky black X-rated independent everyone had passed on, out-grossed LOVE STORY and caught the Hollywood studios totally off guard. If they won't let you in at the bottom go in at the top. As Malcolm has said, "Do for self" - don't beg for a seat at their restaurant, build your own. Melvin didn't beg to be in their movies, he shot his own. By basically self-financing MVP was his own studio. The inherent risk with "do for self" cinema is personal financial ruin. He took that gamble for himself and our family and this time it paid off. The rest is history. The studios quickly re-grouped and followed suit. MGM re-wrote a white cop script it had into black face and called it SHAFT, then came SUPERFLY, both with slamming soundtracks and the golden age of what would later be called "Blaxploitation" was born. As Dad often says, "the man has an Achilles pocket book."

People often ask me about the Blaxploitation era, and like other visible minorities who have on some level achieved within the Hollywood system or behind enemy lines, I find myself in that awkward position of "cinema niggerologist." I'll inevitably be at some cocktail party trying to just get my little Merlot buzz on, or at some film festival often one of the few dark faces around and they'll circle in and get me. "Mario is your Dad still alive?" "Didn't he do this or that?" And what's your opinion of Blaxploitation, O.J., rap music, affirmative action etc.

Sometimes the hardcore O.G. revolutionaries will pull me aside and remind me, least I forget, that my Dad's flick was truly revolutionary, because it's flawed character - by standing up against the "man" - made being a revolutionary hip. They believe that the subsequent films funded by the studios imitated the formula but diluted the revolutionary core. SHAFT made being a cop hip, while they contended that SUPERFLY was counterrevolutionary because it made being a drug dealer hip.

The more bourgeoisie despised SWETBACK for its raw sexuality and it's in the hood portrayal of black life; to them Melvin was an overrated troublemaker and opportunist. Some believe that any flashy images of us with Afros and guns were exploitative in nature. Others, more cinema black nationalists in spirit, resent the fact that after Ossie Davis, Gordon Parks, and my Dad, it was often white directors at the helm. I suppose as I look back on it all, even if the films did eventually devolve into semi-stylish, ghetto, full-screen comic books, they did do one thing, bad or good - they did depict us as empowered. Even if only for two hours, we were Pam Grier or Richard Roundtree or Fred Williamson. f*ck it, celluloid escapist fantasy or not it beats the "yes suh" "no suh" tribe. At last, we too were finally Baadasssssed!

THE DEAL

The conventional wisdom in Hollywood is that audiences usually avoid biopics. Black biopics are even a tougher sell. The truth is that historically, at least here in North America when we raise our heads as brother Malcolm or Dr. King or the Panthers did, we get shot down. Hoover and his COINTELPRO cohorts did a pretty good job of wiping out our leaders and as the infamous FBI memo reads, "preventing the rise of any black messiah, anyone who might unify or electrify black people."

Traditionally we're often portrayed as victims, not as empowered. We're slaves and chauffeurs or jumping up and down hollering "show me the money" and by in large this is the type of fare the dominant culture still rewards. When they tell our story we become relegated to exotic backdrop.

When Spike did X, he told it from Malcolm's perspective not some white reporter interviewing Malcolm. When I did PANTHER, it was their story. I didn't create a fictional white character to usher us through the narrative as suggested. Singleton did ROSEWOOD, Euzhan did SUGARCANE ALLEY, all historical period pieces told from our perspective. Naturally, we're at home with ourselves; we don't need a white host.

Historically most of our black towns got burnt to the ground, our heroes got assassinated or ended up broke, or broken, in jail or on drugs. Most Americans, let alone hard working Afro-Americans, don't want to work all week long to spend their ten bucks on a movie just to see themselves getting their asses whipped no matter how noble a cinematic endeavor it may be.

Ali was different, he stood up against the system, sacrificed and triumphed and Ali is still here standing.

During the seventies "Black is Beautiful" era, my Dad had written a line for a character in his Broadway play "Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death." The line was bellowed out by actor-director Bill Duke during a surrealistic boxing match, "Black is not only beautiful it's baaad too! It's fast, classsy, asss kicking, and nametaking too!" I turned the line over in my head while my Dad sat there in Manhattan's warm afternoon light still gathering his thoughts.

It hadn't occurred to me before how much it sounded like he was writing about the champ and now the champ was asking about him. I couldn't help thinking about how much the man sitting right there in front of me had sacrificed and done. Against all odds he had triumphed and lived to brag about it.

Me
.Dad what do you think about me doing the Sweetback story?

I put it right out there, interrupting the silence as if he had been privy to my inner monologue all along. No reaction, he paused then asked, mildly annoyed at the change in subject.

Melvin
A remake?

Me
No the whole period, your struggle to make it. The birth of baadasssss anti-establishment cinema. James Brown's the godfather of "soul," you're the godfather of "soul cinema". We could base it on your making of the SWEETBACK book.

Pause. he removes the stogie from his lower lip.

Melvin
Who's we?

Me
I don't know who we is yet.

Melvin
Well who we is makes a big f*cking difference to me.

Me
I hear you.
He eyes me.

Takes a beat.

Melvin
I love you son. but I don't want to get f*cked on the deal.

Me
We'd option the book, the whole nine yards, if I can't structure a deal where I have creative and political autonomy I won't do it. And all rights will revert back to you.trust me Mel, it's just your life.

I grinned slightly, he hates that Mel sh*t; Studio execs call him Mel. He refused to take the bait, eying me knowingly, a game we've played to perfection over a lifetime.

Melvin
You want to hear about Malcolm's interview or not?

Me
All ears man.

About a year later my writing partner, Dennis Haggerty, and I had written a feature film script based on MVP's making of SWEET SWEETBACK'S BADASSSSS SONG. Eventually our film would be entitled BAADASSSSS!, spelled the same way Dad spelled baadasssss, two A's and five S's.

Conceptually, I wanted our film to feel like some unseen camera crew had followed Melvin around while shooting the making of SWEETBACK and interviewing the cast and crew; our diverse ragtag "Greek chorus." I find it interesting when 'good' and 'bad' are not articulated, each character plays his or her own "truth" and, like life, their collective truths are often diametrically opposed.

I also wanted the film to go past the 'making-of' realm and capture the intimate difficult moments, like the ones between my father and me. I wanted to get inside his head and experience the creative and political state of siege he was under at the time.

This forced me as a writer to turn the emotional chessboard around and play my father's position to the best of my ability, not just his side of the argument against what was once mine but against the world. Later when I interviewed some of the real players from the time, we were often astounded at the accuracy with which certain events had been re-created. "That's exactly what your Dad said, did that mother f*cker tell you that?" inquired one of his old crewmembers. And this is where things got bizarre. On ALI, I had experienced dreaming as Malcolm - consciously studying, immersing myself, and then being someone else twenty-four-seven until it became unconscious. My experience on BAADASSSSS! was different. It was as if I had some paternal umbilical cord wired into my hard drive allowing me to channel directly. I'd be thinking as my father, reacting as him without ever first translating as me. I know him, have studied him, have sketched him, been taught by and fought with him long enough to know his game, his response in most situations. I soon discovered how much in fact I was similar to this man that as a kid I hadn't always liked and never consciously intended to emulate.

At any rate, Dennis and I had sent our script out to most of the studios around town and got passes. We received feedback like "original," "provocative," "powerful," "unbelievable," "Is this really a true story?" "Who's the audience?" "Is this art house or mainstream?" "Black audience or white?" "Too political." "Can it be more comedy or more drama?"

"And how sexy is the sex going to be, is this R?"

"Can't we make Melvin more likeable?"

My Dad's life was sexy, and political, and interracial, and humorous, and tragic simultaneously. To make it genre specific for the finance and marketing guys would be marginalizing some aspect of his persona. The one cat that got the script was Michael Mann - cinephile, historian, and unafraid of politically charged material. Michael Mann and his wife Summer had seen "Sweetback" on their first date. In addition to his astute story notes, Michael, as producer, saw the inherent non-genre specific funding dilemmas we would clearly face. But he also noted another concern. He said he thought I had to play Melvin and he didn't picture anyone else directing it but me. I'm inherently familiar with the story (which is not always a positive) and I obviously had the passion for it.

But doing both was a challenge. Doing both on an under the radar hardcore independent with limited time and money was a risk at best.

Flash backward a couple of weeks, Jerry Offsay was retiring as president of Showtime and producing a few one million-dollar digital pictures. A straight shooter Jerry had expressed interest in the project. We had worked together several times over the years but I didn't see this as digital. It had to be film man - 35mm, big, and a million dollars? For a period piece in L.A.?

It was Michael Mann who got me re-thinking digital. Portions of the visually lush ALI were done digitally and he let me get a little experience with it when I directed an episode of his series "RHDLA." The series was shot entirely digitally in L.A., often using a minimal lighting package at night.

Meanwhile the voices of my muse kept coming to me at all hours of the night. I'd wake up inspired and have to re-work some of the dialogue in the script or tighten some scene. Dennis would humor me, we'd get out the new and improved draft and still we were getting passed quicker then an Iranian hitchhiker on the New Jersey Turnpike.

Dad would call occasionally from Paris or NYC and he was cool. He knows the business and me well enough to know no news is no news and if I had news I'd tell him, so we'd just rap as father and son and leave the movie business alone.

We got other interest in the script but it was "could be, should be, might be" money. With each passing week that "no strings" million from Jerry looked better and better. My Dad had a sign in his office that read "If you don't like my principles I have others." I was sliding down the slippery slope talking myself into this sh*t, but how could I sell it to Pops?

I hooked up with a no-nonsense line producer who did up a bare bones budget on spec. The answer came back - we could afford about eighteen days to shoot the entire film if and only if we paid the crew, director, and actors close to bare minimum. I knew one director and actor who'd do it for scale and not give me any sh*t. me. That solved that equation but what about everyone else? And what of old Sweetback's reaction?

Me
Hey Pop remember that offer from Jerry? (No reaction)
I think I should take it while the money's still green.

Melvin
I thought we agreed that was a little tight.

Me
Yeah, yeah, it is but we'd have eighteen days.you shot SWEETBACK in what 20, 25?

Pause.

Melvin
Who's gonna play me?

Me
Me.

Melvin
And you're gonna direct too?

Me
Yeah man just like you did.

Growing enthusiasm, it's all making karmic sense to me now.

We'll be doing it in the spirit of the original and we'll even get that same fifty percent minority crew like you had. Remember your question who is the we with creative control gonna be?. Me. The bad news is money's tight; the good news is I can make the movie. No studio interference - good or bad the vision will be specific.

Melvin
Pause.
Well. Don't make me too f*cking nice.

And that was it. MVP's truncated code for have at it, do as you will, I trust you and won't interfere. And he didn't. He visited the set twice at my request and he saw the film only after my final cut.

FATHER AND SON
Life seems to allow most of us the opportunity to play all the roles. One day you're a kid dodging homework, checking out some cute girl, the next day you're a parent trying to get your kid focused on their homework and your daughter's a cute girl. My life in particular has allowed me to play out all the roles. Yesterday I was a skinny kid with a big afro working on my Dad's flick, the next day I'm literally playing my Dad directing me as a kid; and completing the circle, my own children are acting in my film - three generations of the Van Peebles clan.

At times during filming it seemed surreal, wearing the same pimpified crushed velvet Sweetback outfit he wore. I'd yell "cut" as Melvin directing a scene within the film that I was directing, and my crew would inadvertently cut as well.

Was it coincidence that thirty years later I was subjecting myself to roughly the same slings and arrows that he had suffered? Starring, directing, producing, and writing simultaneously on an eighteen day shoot with no money to throw at the inevitable problems that would arise?

Michael Mann is a smart cat and he had given me that look. That "be careful what you ask for you might just get it" look. Is this what he meant? Was this also about walking in my father's proverbial shoes to better understand him and some of the raggedy sh*t he did to my siblings and me as kids? Not just the overt "wack you," or be willing to cut your 'fro off and stick you in a sex scene stuff that the world could see, but the less obvious stuff. Involving us in a battle as kids without ever explaining the war. Being unavailable as a parent to be available to fight that war. Sacrificing the opportunity cost of being our father, choosing to lead the troops in the cinematic revolution instead of playing with us, tickling us, taking us to jiu jitsu, or soccer, or movies and family adventures like I do with my kids. Giving us enough straight up "fun love" so that the inevitable and needed "tough love" would make emotional sense.

I feel sorry for my father on that level because he missed out on the early years with us, the pure irreplaceable "snuzzle" love years that I savor with my brood. Having missed them he has no real idea what he missed. Now having said that I had gone over my list of "father/son grievances" with my Dad years ago and he listened respectfully. Agreed and apologized in some cases, and not in others, and even more disturbing, as many parents (myself included) didn't always remember some sh*t that was momentous to me. He handled it well, may I be as graceful as he. I believe I forgave him. I also know that on some level my kids will perceive me as letting them down, they may in turn compensate with their children giving them what they lacked from me and so on. I only hope that the desire and ability to communicate our differences is there as it has been with me and the old man.

Don't get me wrong, I know I've been blessed with the parents I needed. "Not always getting what you want" as the Stones sang, but surely I got what I needed. Both my folks are exceptionally cool avant-garde individuals who have made living and thinking outside the box an art form. They were a young, artistic, hip, non-materialistic, interracial, and politically engaged couple.

After traveling Bohemian-style through Mexico and Amsterdam, my folks divorced. My sister Megan and I came back with our mother Maria to settle in San Francisco during the not always so peaceful peace movement. Dad stayed in France building up his cache as a French filmmaker.

I didn't really get to know the man until the summer of 1970. I was about twelve and he had moved back to the States, rented a one-bedroom flat in Hollywood, and started making SWEET SWEETBACK'S BAADASSSSS SONG.

Someone once said maybe it's the mother that shows you the mountain, and the father that teaches you how to climb it. My mother had shown me the mountain so to speak. She turned me onto the arts, ecology, peaceful protest, Altamont, the Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan, Haight-Ashbury, and the zen of mat surfing. A free spirit who dabbled in photography, Mom encouraged my creativity. It was Mom who worked with me on every audition, making sure I got the nuances and lines right. If Mom had shown me the mountain, Dad taught me how to climb it, 'i.e.' make a living doing what I love. SWEETBACK was film school for many of Dad's non-union crew, I was no exception. While other kids were out playing or at camp, I was organizing props, sorting filmstrips, storyboarding, or going for coffee. In reality, I was probably a hell of a lot less useful than Dad led me to believe. But you see that's MVP's trick, the 'love' part of his 'tough love' regimen. The man encourages that "I know I can" sense of self work-ethic thing - "empowerment." As granddad had always said, "Can't be afraid of hard work." My Dad taught me to survive. Forget whether or not I'm the guy's son, only a dozen people care about that. I'd always felt this was a great story period. David vs. Goliath, a man with a vision and a Malcolm "do for self" spirit. As Bill Cosby put it, "Melvin had a dream, woke up, did it, and it's still good." But whatever my own personal motivations might have been or not, I had a choice, make the film under less than ideal conditions or postpone it indefinitely. I felt it was time, I wanted to do Dad's story while he was still around to see it. The very fact that I could do the film under less politically adverse conditions then when he did SWEETBACK was a testament to his sacrifice - he had kicked the Hollywood door open. In all likelihood, had he been the cuddly, ever-present Dad I might have wanted I wouldn't be here now enjoying the freedom I have as a filmmaker. The dominant culture would still have a strange hold of our imagery. We'd still be the supporting cast one-dimensional villains, or grinning and clowning as we assist the white leads. I'm not saying that we are not that now but we're not that exclusively.

The black power movement paved the way for the women's movement, the gay rights movement, Latino, Asian and other movements. What Melvin did was show us and the establishment that it was possible to have an independent vision that made a pile of money and that there was a big ass black and alternative audience out there to be reckoned with. That's powerful stuff and it reverberated beyond race and class lines throughout the film community as a whole.

Of course the tight shooting schedule on BAADASSSSS! kicked me and the crews collective asses, but in a "Nietzsche" kind of way, "That which doesn't kill you makes you stronger." In fact I believe my role as filmmaker on a fierce independent playing a filmmaker on a more fierce independent was served by the intense pressures we faced. There were brakes between lighting set-ups for the other actors but not for me. I was forced to remain in an intense, ever-alert, pro-active mode reminiscent of my Dad. Always in the moment, strategizing, planning the next shot, the next day, dealing with the fire marshals, the actor that flaked, no permits, unions, MPAA, anticipating the next crisis - and in this storm I found him. I found something central to my Dad's character, his ability, his sheer will to get it done, with humor, with force, by any means necessary.

With no time to act I just was. In the end I made no attempt to play him as good guy or bad guy, I played him as I felt him, as I knew him. The truth.
- MARIO VAN PEEBLES, November 2003

CAST BIOS

Melvin Van Peebles - "HIMSELF"
Mr. Van Peebles has worked in every medium of the entertainment industry, from music (a three-time Grammy nominee) to television (an Emmy-award winner) to Broadway as a writer and director (11 Tony nominations), and after 30 years his blockbuster movie, SWEET SWEETBACK'S BAAADASSSSS SONG, remains on Variety's list of all-time top grossing films. The film was recently released on DVD.

Mr. Van Peebles' works are taught at such distinguished schools as Yale, Harvard and Columbia. Scott Gentry's book, "The Film 100," recognized Mr. Van Peebles as one of the most influential people in the history of cinema for his commercialization of both independent and black films.

Mr. Van Peebles began his career as a 10-year old selling second-hand clothes to winos. Since then, he has been involved with, among other things, the Boy Scouts, Astronomy, Youth for Christ, the Strategic Air Command, the Merchant Marine, the Artillery, the Post Office, Cable Cars, Het Nederlands Comedie, the ACLU, the Cinematique Francaise, the Harkness Ballet, Boston Marathons, Pinochle, the Block, Blues, Dues, the Senegalese Police and the Mexican immigration authorities. Recently, Mr. Van Peebles was awarded the prestigious French Legion of Honor.

His book, The Making of Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song, upon which the movie is based and which serves as an excerpt from one of the volumes of his upcoming autobiography, is in its fourth U.S. printing. It has also been published in the U.K. and translated into Japanese. Additionally, Mr. Van Peebles finished personally translating the book into French, which will be available in December 2003.

He is currently writing a novel that is a cautionary tale from mankind's future entitled "Ratcatchers 2147", in addition to opening "Soul Cabaret" in December 2003, a French musical review at the Peter Brook's Theater in Paris.

Mario Van Peebles - "MELVIN VAN PEEBLES"
Never one to rest on his laurels, Mario Van Peebles has carved out a substantial career that is constantly redefining and inspiring modern cinema in the same revolutionary style his father pioneered in the 1970s. Most recently, Van Peebles portrayed political icon Malcolm X in Michael Mann's ALI and starred in the indie feature THE HEBREW HAMMER with Adam Goldberg. He also appeared in the telefilms 44 MINUTES, CROWN HEIGHTS, and TEN THOUSAND BLACK MEN NAMED GEORGE, where he played the historical figure Ashley Totten, who helped start America's first Black union of Pullman train porters.

His feature directorial debut came with the critically acclaimed box office hit NEW JACK CITY, in which he also starred. Next, he would redefine the Old West directing and starring in the multicultural western POSSE. Mario received a Director's Guild Award nomination for his telefilm MALCOLM TAKES A SHOT, and he directed and co-produced the controversial, historical drama PANTHER, a film about the Black Panther Party for which he would win the Silver Leopard Award (among others) at the Locarno Film Festival.

Van Peebles' other acting film credits include Clint Eastwood's HEARTBREAK RIDGE, for which he won a NAACP Image Award. He has starred in the acclaimed telefilms Alex Haley's MAMA FLORA'S FAMILY, THE RICKEY BELL STORY, SALLY HEMMINGS: AN AMERICAN SCANDAL, THE EMPEROR JONES, GANG IN BLUE and RIOT. He earned a Cable ACE Award nomination for his work in THIRD & OAK: THE POOL HALL, co-starring with James Earl Jones and was awarded the Bronze Halo Award for CHILDREN OF THE NIGHT. He also starred in the TV series "Sonny Spoon" and "Rude Awakening," in addition to directing and starring in several episodes of Michael Mann's series "Robbery Homicide Division."

Van Peebles' stage work includes "Waltz of the Stork," which was directed by his father, "War Letters," and "Oak and Ivy" in which he portrayed the acclaimed turn-of-the-century poet Laurence Dunbar.

Ossie Davis - "GRANDDAD"
As a playwright, screenwriter, director, producer, and actor during a career spanning over 50 years, Davis has been a staple of black theater with his wife, actor Ruby Dee. Both are longstanding political activists who were highly visible during the height of the Civil Rights movement and continue to speak out at rallies for progressive and humanitarian causes.

Davis delivered the moving eulogy at the funeral of slain civil rights leader Malcolm X (which he repeated for the extended coda to Spike Lee's 1992 biopic). Born in Cogdell, Georgia, Davis began his career as a writer and actor with the Rose McClendon Players in Harlem in 1939. He most recently appeared in the Showtime movies DEACONS FOR THE DEFENSE and Anne Rice's FEAST OF ALL SAINTS.

In 1946, Mr. Davis made his Broadway debut in "Jeb" and went on to perform in many Broadway productions, including "Anna Lucasta," "The Wisteria Trees," "Green Pastures," "Jamaica," "Ballad for Bimshire," "The Zulu and the Zayada" and the stage version of "I'm not Rappaport." In 1961, Mr. Davis wrote and starred in the critically acclaimed "Purlie Victorious". He was inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame in 1994.

After making his film debut in NO WAY OUT in 1950 with Sidney Poitier, Mr. Davis appeared in such films as THE CARDINAL, THE HILL and THE SCALPHUNTERS. In 1970, Mr. Davis directed his first feature film, COTTON COMES TO HARLEM. He went on to direct four others: GORDON'S WAR, KONGI'S HARVEST, BLACK GIRL and COUNTDOWN AT KUSINI, which he also co-produced with his wife, Ruby Dee. Additional film roles included the animated feature DINOSAUR, DR. DOLITTLE with Eddie Murphy, GET ON THE BUS for Spike Lee, and I'M NOT RAPPAPORT with Walter Matthau.

Mr. Davis' first appearance on the small screen was in the title role of the 1955 television production of "The Emperor Jones." He received an Emmy Award nominations for his work in "Teacher, Teacher" "King" and most recently, "Miss Evers' Boys." He has been a regular or recurring player in "With Ossie & Ruby," "B.L. Stryker," "Evening Shade," and "The Client."

Additional notable television credits include "12 Angry Men," "Promised Land," "Night Gallery," The Sheriff," "The Ernest Green Story," "Roots: The Next Generation," Alex Haley's "Queen," "The Stand," "The Defenders," and "Bonanza." Currently, Mr. Davis co-hosts the African Heritage Movie Network's Movie of the Month. His television writing credits include episodes of "EastSide/ West Side" and the teleplay of "For Us the Living," for which he received the Neil Simon Jury Award.

Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee have produced several television specials, including "Today Is Ours," "Martin Luther King: The Dream & The Drum," and two segments of "A Walk Through the 20th Century with Bill Moyers." They also co-produced the television series "With Ossie & Ruby," which aired for three seasons. In 1980, Mr. Davis and Ms. Dee founded their own production company, Emmalyn II Productions Company, Inc.

Mr. Davis has received many honors and citations, including the N.Y. Urban League Frederick Douglass Award, the NAACP Image Award, and the National Medal of Arts.

He is the author of three children's books: Escape to Freedom (honored by the American Library Association and the Jane Adams Children's Book Award); Langston and Just Like Martin. He and Ruby Dee recently marked their 50th wedding anniversary with the publication of their joint autobiography, With Ossie and Ruby: In This Life Together.

David Alan Grier - "CLYDE HOUSTON"
Although David Alan Grier has been known for his ability to create comedy and humor, the graduate of the Yale School of Drama has successfully made the diverse jump from theatre to television to film and still alternates between all three.

Trained in Shakespeare at Yale, Grier began his professional career on Broadway as Jackie Robinson in "The First," for which he earned a Tony nomination in 1981. He then starred opposite Denzel Washington in "A Soldier's Play," and both actors continued their roles in the film version, A SOLDIER'S STORY. Grier starred on Broadway in "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum." He has also performed at the New York Shakespeare Festival in productions of "Richard III" and "The Merry Wives of Windsor" at Central Park.

Grier's television credits are abundant, from recent comedy specials such as "The Book of David" to starring in "DAG". He is currently co-starring with Bonnie Hunt in "Life With Bonnie" on ABC, but most audiences will recognize him as one of the principle cast members of the acclaimed television series "In Living Color" - where he helped to create some of that show's most memorable characters. Keeping his close comedic relationship with the Wayans' brothers, he co-starred with Damon Wayans in "Damon."

In addition, Grier has gained recognition for his numerous feature film roles, including 15 MINUTES, BOOMERANG, JUMANJI, RETURN TO ME and STREAMERS, for which he won a Golden Lion Award for Best Actor at the Venice Film Festival.

He will next be seen in TIPTOES with Matthew McConaughey, Gary Oldman and Kate Beckinsale, and THE WOODSMAN with Kevin Bacon, Benjamin Bratt, Mos Def and Eve. Grier was born in Detroit, Michigan and currently resides in Los Angeles. When not in production on a series or film, he continues to travel the country on his comedy tour.

Nia Long - "SANDRA"
Building a reputation as an actress of exceptional range, Nia Long has delivered outstanding work in box office hits, independent features and television. After a two year break to raise her newborn son, Long is returning as one of the busiest actresses today. First up for Nia is joining the cast of NBC's hit drama "Third Watch" where she plays Sasha Monroe, a struggling cop who partners with Molly Price's character.

Long returns to the big screen in two diverse roles. She will star opposite Jude Law in ALFIE which begins filming this fall. Then Long is slated to star opposite Rosario Dawson in Spike Lee's new film SHE HATE ME.

Nia's other film credits include BIG MOMMA'S HOUSE, for which she was nominated for a Blockbuster Award and a NAACP Image Award for Best Leading Actress; THE BROKEN HEARTS CLUB, BOILER ROOM opposite Vin Diesel and Ben Affleck, IN TOO DEEP, BEST MAN for which she won the NAACP Image Award for Best Actress, HELD UP, STIGMATA, SOUL FOOD, LOVE JONES which received critical acclaim and tied for the prestigious Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival, MADE IN AMERICA and BOYZ IN THE HOOD. Television credits include starring as the fiancé of Will Smith in the NBC hit comedy "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air;" "Judging Amy;" the controversial "If These Walls Could Talk II;" and "ER."

Long divides her time between Los Angeles and New York.

Joy Bryant - "PRISCILLA"
Destined to become one of the most talented young actresses of her generation, Joy Bryant has made an impressive transition from the runway to the big screen. Last year, her breakthrough performance in Denzel Washington's ANTWONE FISHER made people stand up and take notice. The upcoming year will be no exception as she once again dominates the screen in the music-driven coming of age drama HONEY, co-starring with Jessica Alba and Mekhi Phifer, and Scott Ziehl's sexy noir-thriller THREE WAY SPLIT with Gina Gershon.

Bryant made her onscreen debut in CARMEN - THE HIP OPERA opposite Beyoncé Knowles and Mekhi Phifer, followed by a small role in the comedy SHOWTIME, which starred Eddie Murphy and Robert DeNiro.

While enrolled as a full-time student at Yale University, Bryant was discovered by a modeling scout from Next Model Management. For several years, Bryant pursued a career as a fashion model in Paris and subsequently entered in an exclusive contract with Tommy Hilfiger. Bryant continues to model between films as a cover subject for Victoria Secret, and in a number of prestigious print campaigns such as the Fall 2003 GAP ads. Born and raised in the South Bronx, Bryant attended Westminster High School in Connecticut on a full scholarship. She is an avid supporter of the Fieldston Enrichment Program under the umbrella of "A Better Chance Public School Program," an organization that reaches out to minority talent to enrich their academic opportunities. Bryant shares her time between Los Angeles and New York with her beloved pit bull named Nana.

Paul Rodriguez - "JOSE GARCIA"
Paul Rodriguez' career as an actor and comedian spans more than two decades and includes starring roles and featured appearances in over 30 films and countless television series and specials.

Rodriguez is an actor, comedian, director, writer and producer. Most recently, he was the executive producer and star of the comedy concert film "The Original Latin Kings of Comedy," which also stars Cheech Marin, George Lopez, Alex Reymundo and Joey Medina. Rodriguez has honed his craft over the past 22 years and it is estimated that he has performed live to well over a million concertgoers from coast to coast.

Rodriguez is proud of his Latino roots, and also finds the time to work with various civic and educational groups, including the Hispanic Scholarship Fund (HSF), for which he hosts an annual celebrity golf tournament and the National Council of La Raza for which he hosts the Alma awards.

Rainn Wilson - "BILL HARRIS"
Beloved (and desired) by morticians all across the globe, Rainn Wilson is best known for playing the role of Arthur Martin, the odd mortician intern on HBO's "Six Feet Under." Wilson has appeared in features such as GALAXY QUEST, ALMOST FAMOUS, AMERICA'S SWEETHEARTS and Rob Zombies' HOUSE OF 1,000 CORPSES.

On television, he has played guest and recurring roles on several shows and played wonderfully quirky lead parts on many failed pilots. Wilson was born and raised in the Seattle area and attended the graduate acting program at NYU.

After spending many year doing Broadway, Off-Broadway and Regional Theatre roles, he moved to Los Angeles with a comedy troupe he founded called The New Bozena. After transferring their hit Off-Broadway show "Winter is the Coldest Season" to LA, the group developed their off-bear brand of slacker-vaudeville into a Fox pilot which was summarily dumped. He won Best Comedy Direction award for the show from the LA Weekly.

Khleo Thomas - "MARIO VAN PEEBLES"
At the age of 14, Khleo Thomas has already built an impressive resume in theater, TV and film. In 2003 he played Zero in HOLES with Sigourney Weaver and Jon Voight. Other big screen accomplishments include REVEREND DO WRONG AIN'T RIGHT, A MOMENT ON DOROTHY DANDRIDGE, and FRIDAY AFTER NEXT. Thomas made his show business debut in a McDonald's commercial at the age of 3, and has stared in many more since then.

On the small screen, he has appeared on shows such as "City Guys," "Family Law," "Kids Say the Darndest Things" with Bill Cosby (which led to an "Oprah Winfrey Show" appearance at age 7) and "Wait Till You Have Kids." He has also shined on the live stage in theatrical productions "Dinny & The Golden Millennium Seed," "The Desperate Hours," and "Call for Peace."

Thomas often does his own stunts on set, can impersonate just about anyone and is mean competition in any skateboarding park. Thomas lives in Los Angeles with what he calls, "the perfect parents."

BAADASSSSS CAMEOS

John Singleton - "DETROIT J"
Producer, director and screenwriter John Singleton exploded onto the scene in 1991 with his first film BOYZ N THE HOOD, a tough, intelligent, plain-speaking look at friends in gang-ridden South Central L.A. The film earned him Oscar nominations for Best Original Screenplay and Best Director, making him the first African-American (and the youngest) filmmaker ever to do so.

Singleton has won numerous awards such as the LAFCA New Generation Award in 1991, the MTV Movie Award for Best New Filmmaker in 1992, the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best New Director (BOYZ N THE HOOD) in 1991, and finally the ShoWest Awards for Screenwriter of the Year, and the Special Award for Directorial Debut of the Year, 1992. Singleton recently directed 2 FAST 2 FURIOUS staring Paul Walker, R&B singer Tyrese, Eve Mendes and Cole Hauser. He also wrote, produced and directed BABY BOY, starring Tyrese, Ving Rhames, Snoop Dogg, and newcomer Taraji P. Henson; the film has received four NAACP nominations. He also wrote, produced, and directed SHAFT, starring Samuel Jackson. He directed ROSEWOOD starring Jon Voight and Ving Rhames. He wrote, produced, and directed HIGHER LEARNING starring Omar Epps and Laurence Fishburne, and he wrote, produced, and directed POETIC JUSTICE starring Janet Jackson.

While Singleton was attending the Filmic Writing Program at USC he won three writing awards from the university, which led to a contract with Creative Artists Agency during his sophomore year. He was also a recipient of the John Nicholson Award in 1989 and 1990 and the Robert Riskin Award in 1989.

T.K. Carter- "BILL COSBY"
A talented black stand-up who branched out into comedy roles, T K Carter astounded critics and audiences with his richly textured portrait of a successful businessman who descends into heroin addiction in the acclaimed HBO drama "The Corner."

A native of Los Angeles, Carter made his TV acting debut in an episode of the NBC series "Police Woman." Carter began a successful career as the opening act comic for such musicians and groups as Gladys Knight and the Pips, James Brown, Kool & the Gang and Patti LaBelle. Concurrently, he began racking up numerous guest appearances and roles in sitcoms like "Good Times" and "Family Matters." His first regular series role came as the genie Shabu in the ABC sitcom "Just Our Luck" (1983-84). Carter later joined the cast of "Punky Brewster," the Disney Channel's "Good Morning, Miss Bliss" and "The Sinbad Show." In film, Carter has appeared in the comedy CORVETTE SUMMER, SEEMS LIKE OLD TIMES with Chevy Chase and Goldie Hawn, DOCTOR DETROIT with Dan Aykroyd, RUNAWAY TRAIN with Jon Voight, and with Eric Roberts and Rebecca DeMornay and in the lead role of HE'S MY GIRL. In 2003, Carter starred as Rodney King in the independent feature L.A. RIOT SPECTACULAR.

Adam West - "BERT"
A true American icon, Adam West's role as Batman in the classic series and movie continues to be seen throughout the world more than 30 years after it's first showing. While Batman/Bruce Wayne is certainly his signature role, West has many other motion picture, theater and TV credits.

He has made nearly 50 movies, including starring or co-starring roles in DROP DEAD GORGEOUS, THE NEW AGE, HOOPER, THE YOUNG PHILADELPHIANS, AN AMERICAN VAMPIRE STORY, SOLIDER IN THE RAIN, ROBINSON CRUSOE ON MARS and NEVADA SMITH.

West has starred in four other TV series including "The Detectives," "The Last Precinct," and "The Clinic." His theater credits include "Valpone" at the Mark Taper Forum. In the animated realm, West has lent his voice to characters in such well-known shows as "The Simpsons," "Rugrats," "Family Guy," "Batman," "Animaniacs," "Johnny Bravo," "Spydogs," and "The Super Adventure Team." His animated short film, "Redux Riding Hood" was nominated for an Academy Award in 2000. He is also the author of two books - Back to the Batcave and Climbing the Walls - and most recently he starred and served as a creative consultant in the CBS Movie of the Week "Return to the Batcave: The Misadventures of Adam & Burt," where he breathed new life into the classic character. West lends his support to numerous charities, recently winning $250,000 on "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" on behalf of an organization supporting women and children in Idaho. He can next be seen in MTV's "Monster Island" with Carmen Electra and he appears in the January 2004 issue of Esquire about "America's Top 10 Icons."

Len Lesser - "MANNY & MORT GOLDBERG"
A veteran stage, TV and film actor, Len Lesser is probably best known for his 9-year portrayal of Uncle Leo on the hit sitcom "Seinfeld", for which the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences awarded him a plaque honoring his work on the show.

Lesser has appeared in dozens of feature films including KELLY'S HEROES, OUTLAW JOSEY WALES, DEATH HUNT, MAIN EVENT and BIRDMAN OF ALCATRAZ. He also completed over 400 television shows, including a recurring role as Garvin in "Everybody Loves Raymond," and has made over 100 stage appearances at the Mark Taper Forum and Ahmanson Theatre.

Sally Struthers - "ROZ"
A two-time Emmy Award winner for her performance in "All In The Family," Sally Struthers' current TV work includes a recurring role on the WB's "Gilmore Girls" and a guest starring role on CBS's "Still Standing." She also appeared in cameo performances in the independent features OUT OF THE BLACK and A MONTH OF SUNDAYS with Rod Steiger, as well as a ten-episode cameo on ABC's "General Hospital."

Among her other film credits, she appeared with Jack Nicholson in FIVE EASY PIECES, and co-starred with Steve McQueen and Ali McGraw in her second feature, THE GETAWAY. Struthers' credits include the television movies "Deadly Silence," "A Gun In The House," "Your Name Is Jonah," "My Husband Is Missing," "Intimate Strangers," "The Great Houdini," "Hey, I'm Alive," and "In The Best Interest Of The Children." Sally also appeared in the television series "9 to 5" and "Gloria," and appeared on stage in Neil Simon's female version of "The Odd Couple" and "Wally's Café," both on Broadway.

Sally starred as Miss Hannigan in the 20th Anniversary national tour of "Annie" and also as Miss Lynch in the national road company and on Broadway in the Tommy Tune production of the musical "Grease". She often stars as Louise Seger in "Always Patsy Cline" at various theatres around the country; a true story based on the relationship between Seger and Cline. Sally was also "heard" as the voice of the teenage dinosaur Charlene in the ABC series "Dinosaurs."

For twenty years, Struthers has worked tirelessly to help the disenfranchised, hungry and uneducated children of the world. She has visited these children in many parts of the Third World and the United States, and has filmed numerous public service announcements and documentaries on their behalf.

FILMMAKER BIOS

Michael Mann - Executive Producer
A man of extraordinary vision in a career spanning three decades, award-winning producer and director Michael Mann has been an inspiration to generations of filmmakers.

Mann was born in Chicago and educated at the University of Wisconsin. He then moved to England to do graduate work at the London Film School. After completing his degree, he remained in Europe to start a small production company making documentaries, shorts and television commercials. In 1970, his short film, JUANPURI won the Jury Prize at Cannes. He came back to the U.S. in 1971 to shoot and direct 17 DAYS DOWN THE LINE, a documentary about a road trip upon his return to America.

In the mid-1970s, Mann made his theatrical film debut with THE THIEF, a modernist crime story starring James Caan and Jim Belushi that was nominated for the Golden Palm Award at Cannes. He followed this in 1983 with the gothic horror film THE KEEP, starring Gabriel Byrne, Scott Glenn, and Ian McKellen. In 1986, he directed MANHUNTER, a psychological thriller based upon the first of Thomas Harris' Hannibal Lecter books, Red Dragon, featuring William Petersen and Brian Cox as Lecter.

Throughout the 1980s, Mann continued to work in television with the revolutionary "Miami Vice" and the acclaimed Chicago and Las Vegas drama "Crime Story," starring Dennis Farina. In addition to these efforts, he produced the 1990 Emmy-winning miniseries "Drug Wars: The Camarena Story" and executive produced the 1992 Emmy-nominated sequel "Drug Wars: The Cocaine Cartel."

In 1992, Mann directed, co-wrote and produced THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS, starring Daniel Day-Lewis and Madeline Stowe. Following this success, in 1995, he directed HEAT from his own original screenplay that starred Al Pacino and Robert De Niro; in fact, Ashley Judd and Amy Brenneman each had their first major roles in HEAT.

In 1999, Mann earned Oscar nominations for co-writing, directing, and producing THE INSIDER, starring Russell Crowe and Al Pacino. Based upon Marie Brenner's Vanity Fair article: "The Man Who Knew Too Much," the film tells the true story of Jeffrey Wigand, a tobacco industry executive who blew the whistle on the industry's cover-up of cigarette's known health risks. In 2001, Mann took audiences into the heart and life of legendary boxer, Muhammed Ali in ALI, starring Will Smith and Jon Voight, both of whom received Oscar nominations. Most recently, Mann produced "Robbery: Homicide Division" for CBS, starring Tom Sizemore. He is currently producing and directing COLLATERAL, starring Tom Cruise.

Jerry Offsay - Executive Producer
Jerry Offsay left his position as President, Programming for Showtime Networks in July 2003 to form his own production company for series and movies for networks and studios. He has spent the last six months exec producing 6 films, three of which have been accepted at Sundance in 2004. During his ten-year tenure, he was responsible for all programming functions of Showtime Networks Inc. (SNI). He supervised the Original Programming, Program Acquisitions and Scheduling departments. While at Showtime Networks, he was responsible for more than tripling SHOWTIME's original programming slate of series and films. Many of these programs have appeared in the Venice, Toronto, Sundance and Cannes Film Festivals and have garnered Emmy®, Golden GlobeT, CableACE, Humanitas and Peabody awards, among others. Most recently, Offsay had been responsible for greenlighting SOLDIER'S GIRL and TENNESSEE WILLIAMS' THE ROMAN SPRING OF MRS. STONE, both of which just won a total of 5 Golden Globe nominations. Critically acclaimed projects that have aired under Offsay's management have included: HIROSHIMA, 12 ANGRY MEN, THE TWILIGHT OF THE GOLDS, MANDELA AND deKLERK, THANKS OF A GRATEFUL NATION, THE BABY DANCE, INHERIT THE WIND, THE DEVIL'S ARITHMETIC, STRANGE JUSTICE, THE PASSION OF AYN RAND, NORIEGA: GOD'S FAVORITE, ARTHUR MILLER'S DEATH OF A SALESMAN, BOJANGLES, LAUGHTER ON THE 23rd FLOOR, THE DAY REAGAN WAS SHOT, KEEP THE FAITH, BABY, DAMAGED CARE and LAST CALL.

During his stay at Showtime Networks, Offsay had also worked hard to establish the network as a home for top-quality artists, providing access to important work that might otherwise not be seen. He was honored by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Southern California with its annual Bill of Rights honor for making SHOWTIME the premiere platform for artists interested in exploring topics and issues outside the mainstream. Examples of projects under Offsay's direction include the hit series QUEER AS FOLK, as well as the films DIRTY PICTURES (2001 Golden Globe Award winner in the category Best Mini-Series Or Motion Picture Made For Television), RATED X, LOLITA, the two mini-series ARMISTEAD MAUPIN'S MORE TALES OF THE CITY and ARMISTEAD MAUPIN'S FURTHER TALES OF THE CITY, Anjelica Huston's BASTARD OUT OF CAROLINA and SISTER MARY EXPLAINS IT ALL.

Prior to joining Showtime Networks in January 1994, Offsay served as Executive Vice President, ABC Productions for Capital Cities/ABC Inc., where he was responsible for all production and distribution. Before assuming his position at ABC Productions, Offsay was President, RKO Pictures.

He served as executive producer on many films including "Eight Men Out," "Diabolique," and "Hamburger Hill" as well as co-producer on "Narrow Margin." Offsay began his career as an entertainment attorney for the Los Angeles law firm of Loeb & Loeb, where he was a partner involved in international film financing and the co-production of numerous films. Offsay holds a B.A. degree from Harpur College in New York and a J.D. from Columbia University Law School. He is currently on the Board of the National Foundation for Jewish Culture and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Foundation. He and his wife, Pam, have four children.

Offsay's company, Parkchester Pictures, is based in Los Angeles.

Tobie Haggerty - Co-Executive Producer
For over 20 years, Tobie Haggerty has been a personal manager. She began her career with Bill Treusch & Associates with clients that included Christopher Walken, Sandy Dennis, Eric Roberts, Tom Hulce, Sissy Spacek and Tom Berenger. After forming her own management company, her roster included Kevin Spacey, Phoebe Cates and Mario Van Peebles. Haggerty is presently managing the New York office for Vincent Cirrincione Associates, a Los Angeles based management company. Their clients include Halle Berry, Ruben Santiago- Hudson, Jobeth Williams, Isaiah Washington and Mario Van Peebles.

Among her producing credits, Haggerty has produced THE PACKAGE with Gene Hackman and Tommy Lee Jones, and executive produced LOVE KILLS.

Dennis Haggerty - Co-Producer
Dennis Haggerty started his writing career with the story idea for THE PACKAGE with Gene Hackman and Tommy Lee Jones, which he also co-produced. He is currently working on the romantic comedy JUST THE WAY YOU ARE.

G. Marq Roswell - Co-Producer / Music Supervisor
The total movie experience, more often then not, is as much about sound as it is about sight. In the right hands, music that accompanies film imagery is capable of evoking the full spectrum of emotion in an audience. The artists who orchestrate what you hear in the theater, who guide every aspect of a film's musical content, are called music supervisors, and one of the industry's best is G. Marq Roswell.

A sixth generation Californian and graduate of UCLA's prestigious film school, Roswell knows all too well how music can contribute to almost any film's ultimate success. To date he's lent his talents to almost 30 films, including SPY GAME, starring Robert Redford and Brad Pitt, SWEET NOVEMBER with Keanu Reeves and Charlize Theron, PAY IT FORWARD with Helen Hunt and Kevin Spacey, END OF DAYS with Arnold Schwarzenegger, Norman Jewison's THE HURRICANE with Denzel Washington and Sam Raimi's FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME with Kevin Costner.

Roswell has the unique ability to seek out and immerse himself in the music for each project, no matter what genre it occupies. He worked with pop/country artists Lyle Lovett, Trisha Yearwood and Vince Gill on FOR THE LOVE OF THE GAME, assembled hard rockers Guns -n- Roses, Korn, and Limp Bizkit for END OF DAYS, sought out contemporary rhythm and blues artists Ruth Brown, Ray Charles, The Roots, and Me'Shell NdegeOcello for THE HURRICANE, and worked with a host of Middle Eastern musicians for SPY GAME.

Due to the nature of how music compliments a film's content, Roswell prefers that his role begin very early in the process, and depending on the complexity of the music used, that involvement can last many months. Another such labor-intensive project was director Norman Jewison's THE HURRICANE, for which Roswell researched nearly 40 years of rhythm and blues.

As the music supervisor for all of the above films, Roswell was responsible for the placement of these successful tracks. Roswell has a unique understanding of how music affects film audiences.

It's no wonder that he's one of today's most respected and sought after music supervisors. Currently, Roswell has worked on the films DAWN OF THE DEAD with Sarah Polley and Ving Rhames, Lasse Hallström's AN UNFINISHED LIFE with Robert Redford, Jennifer Lopez and Morgan Freeman, and the TV movie "Redemption" with Jamie Foxx.

Robert Primes - Cinematographer
Robert Primes, ASC, is a pioneer in digital cinematography, having won the first ASC award ever given to a digital production (MDs) in 2003. He received Emmys for "My Antonia" and "Felicity" and has five other cinematography nominations. He is credited with changing the look of television with his innovative work on "thirtysomething." His feature work includes BIRD ON A WIRE, THE HARD WAY, MONEY TALKS, A MURDER OF CROWS and ASPEN EXTREME.

Short films he directed have won a Cine Golden Eagle and a gold medal at the Atlanta Film Festival. He also directed Harold Pinter's Night in 2002 and Theo Plays Chopin, the first high definition prod