Join The Burton Wire‘s founder & editor-in-chief Nsenga K. Burton, Ph.D. as she interviews award-winning film and television director Christine Swanson and celebrated actress Aunjanue Ellis about their latest project, Lifetime Television’s The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel, Wed., April 4 at 3 p.m. EST. The television movie debuts on Lifetime Sat., April 11 at 8/7c.
A Detroit native, Swanson directed three original cable movie premieres for TV One entitled, To Hell and Back (starring Ernie Hudson and Vanessa Bell Calloway), For the Love of Ruth (starring Denise Boutte, Loretta Devine, Gary Dourdan, and James Pickens, Jr.) and Love Under New Management, The Miki Howard Story (starring Teyonah Parris, Darius McCrary, and Gary Dourdan) which broke network ratings as the most watched original movie in network history. In 2015, Christine received an NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Directing in a Television Motion Picture for For the Love of Ruth.
Some of the NYU graduate’s award-winning titles include, Two Seasons (winner HBO Short Film Competition, Sundance selection), All About You (winner Audience Choice Award Chicago International Film Festival, Grand Jury Prize Hollywood Black Film Festival, Festival Award at the Pan African Film Festival, and the Film of the Year Award at the Santa Barbara African Heritage Film Series) starring Renee Elise Goldsberry, Terron Brooks, and Debbie Allen; All About Us (invited to the prestigious Heartland Film Festival, The Chicago International Film Festival, and the Cannes Festival du Film Panafricain) starring Boris Kodjoe, Ryan Bathe, and Ruby Dee; and Woman Thou Art Loosed (Santa Barbara International Film Festival and Blockbuster Audience Award for Best Feature Film at the American Black Film Festival) starring Kimberly Elise and Loretta Devine.
San Francisco native Aunjanue Ellis has been working steadily in television and film for two decades. Many remember the UC Berkeley and NYU graduate’s outstanding performances in Men of Honor, Undercover Brother, Ray, The Help and most recently The Book of Negroes, When They See Us and If Beale Street Could Talk. Ellis has been nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award for Ray, Primetime Emmy Award and NAACP Award for Best Lead Actress for When They See Us and Critics Choice award for lead actress for When They See Us.
Produced by National Newspaper Publisher’s Association (NNPA) and Black Press USA Newswire, where Dr. Burton serves as entertainment and culture editor, the interview will be livestreamed Wednesday, April 8 at 3 p.m. EST on the site and Facebook.
Set your reminder and check out the interview live, tomorrow at 3 p.m.
This post was written by Nsenga K. Burton, Ph.D. Follow her on Twitter @Ntellectual.
Follow The Burton Wire on Twitter @TheBurtonWire.
