By AFRO Staff
Artmattan Productions has acquired U.S. rights to Clare Anyiam-Osigwe’s romantic feature film debut No Shade, produced by BUFF Originals – the production arm of the British Urban Film Festival.
Written and directed by Anyiam-Osigwe, the award-winning dermatologist puts colourism and the problematic nature of skin-tone preference in the spotlight. No Shade screened in Cannes earlier this year has been an official selection at the British Urban Film Festival, the Greater Cleveland Urban Film Festival, Da Bounce Urban Film Festival and the Women of The Lens Film Festival. Earlier this month, Anyiam-Osigwe became the 6th Black British female director in over a century to release a feature in UK cinemas.
Clare Anyiam-Osigwe, writer & director of “No Shade.” (Photo credit: Verona Rose Photography
Artmattan will screen the movie, Nov. 28, at the NY African Diaspora International Film Festival (ADIFF) in New York, followed by a limited release with digital and home entertainment releases to follow exclusively across North America. The deal was brokered by Clare and Emmanuel Anyiam-Osigwe, co-founders of BUFF Originals, and Diarah N’Daw-Spech, director at Artmattan Productions.
Kadeem Pearse and Sharea Samuels, two of the lead cast members in “No Shade.” (Photo credit: BUFF Originals)
Speaking on the deal, N’Daw-Spech said, “NO SHADE attracts attention to a very alarming issue (colourism) in a fresh, smart and entertaining manner that makes Clare Anyiam-Osigwe’s film really appealing to us. We are delighted to bring NO SHADE to the U.S. audience.”
No Shade stars Adele Oni and Kadeem Pearse and opens in New York at the Cinema Village theater on Nov. 30.