Robert Townsend's In the Hive

Top row left to right: Kevin Hendricks, Tre C. Roberts, Jonathan 'Lil J.  McDaniel, Roger Guenveur Smith, Jerome Hawkins, Gordan Greene, and Percy Daggs III. Seated row left to right: Jontille Gerard (Orville Wright MS, Westchester High and UCLA), Yutopia Essex, Loretta Devine and Omarosa Manigault.

Michael Clarke Duncan

Robert Townsend

Robert Townsend's In the Hive

Shannen Hill

Sentinel Intern

Robert Townsend's latest movie, In The Hive, has been receiving nods from film festivals around the country.

Townsend directed and produced this thought provoking movie about a school for teens that have been kicked out of their county school. In the Hive has an all-star cast, including Vivica A. Fox, Loretta Devine and Michael Clarke Duncan. Cheryl L. West writes this movie with the same raw, honesty as one of her earlier pieces, Holiday Heart.

In the Hive is based on the true events of Vivian Sanders at a school in North Carolina. The teens in this movie are going down a path that will end with them in prison. Sanders decides to create a school, called The Hive, in which these kids could come and learn from teachers who care about them and are not afraid to challenge them.

Duncan gives a passionate performance in his last film before he passed away last year. He plays the school principal and father figure to the teens, while Devine is a teacher and mother figure.

"Ms. Inez and Mr. Hollis, they're like a momma and a daddy for those of us who don't have that," says one of the characters in the movie.

In the Hive was the official selection for six film festivals, including the American Black Film Festival and the San Francisco Black Film Festival. Devine was even nominated for an NAACP award for her acting in the movie.

"It's a powerful film," says Townsend. "My mission is to create dialogue and content that people will want to talk about."

After a brief run in theaters, In the Hive is set to become a DVD and will also be shown on TVOne.

• < Prev in Movies
• Next in Movies >