''I Will Follow'' is a 2010 American

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independe ...

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...

film written and directed by Ava DuVernay, who also produced the film with Molly Mayeux. It stars

Salli Richardson-Whitfield Salli Elise Richardson-Whitfield () is an American actress, director and producer. Richardson is known for her role as Angela in the film ''A Low Down Dirty Shame'' (1994) and for her role as Dr. Allison Blake on the Syfy comedy-drama series '' ...

, Omari Hardwick,

Blair Underwood Blair Erwin Underwood (born August 25, 1964) is an American actor. He made his debut in the 1985 musical film ''Krush Groove'' and from 1987 to 1994 starred as attorney Jonathan Rollins in the NBC legal drama series ''L.A. Law''. Underwood has a ...

and Beverly Todd.

Plot

Maye (

) is a successful artist who has taken a leave from work to care for her ill aunt, Amanda ( Beverly Todd). As the film begins, Maye is moving out of the home she once shared with Amanda after her death and contemplating her relationships, her career, her past and her future.

Cast

as Maye * Omari Hardwick as Troy * Michole Briana White as Fran * Dijan Talton as Raven * Tracie Thoms as Tiffany * Damone Roberts as Damone *

as Evan * Beverly Todd as Amanda ** Kiki Walls as Young Amanda * Phalana Tiller as Christine * Tony Perez as Tuliau * Ramon Leon as Ramon * Royale Watkins as Roy * Owen H.M. Smith as Chuck * Robert Silver as Benjamin *

J.R. Ramirez J. R. Ramirez is a Cuban-American actor. He is best known for his series regular role of Detective Jared Vasquez on the NBC/Netflix series '' Manifest''. Prior, he was a series regular as Julio on the Starz series '' Power'' and as Oscar Arocho ...

as Percy *

Kiara Muhammad Kiara Muhammad (born December 16, 1998) is an American actress. Muhammad was born on December 16, 1998, in Boston, Massachusetts. At a young age, she started her career by being in photoshoots for Reebok. Muhammad voiced the main character in ...

as Ronda, Fran's Daughter * Scotty Noyd Jr. as Fran's Son * Olivia Alvarado as Fran's Baby

Production

''I Will Follow'' was shot in 11 days on location in

Topanga Canyon Topanga () (Tongva: ''Topaa'nga'') is a census-designated place (CDP) in western Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located in the Santa Monica Mountains, the community exists in Topanga Canyon and the surrounding hills. The narrow s ...

, California, on a $50,000 budget. Its title was taken from the U2 song of the same name.

Release

''I Will Follow'' made its world premiere in New York City at the 2010 Urbanworld Film Festival, where it won audience honors. It also played at the 2010

Chicago International Film Festival The Chicago International Film Festival is an annual film festival held every fall. Founded in 1964 by Michael Kutza, it is the longest-running competitive film festival in North America. Its logo is a stark, black and white close up of the comp ...

and the 2010 AFI Film Festival. The film had a

limited release __FORCETOC__ Limited theatrical release is a film distribution strategy of releasing a new film in a few theaters across a country, typically art house theaters in major metropolitan markets. Since 1994, a limited theatrical release in the Unit ...

on March 11, 2011. Film critic

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...

gave the film three and a half out of four stars.

Accolades

African-American Film Critics Association The African-American Film Critics Association (AAFCA) is the world's largest group of Black film critics that gives various annual awards for excellence in film and television. It was founded in 2003 in New York City. History The association wa ...

** 2011, Best Screenplay: Ava DuVernay (Winner) *

Black Reel Awards The Black Reel Awards, or BRAs, is an annual American awards ceremony hosted by the Foundation for the Augmentation of African-Americans in Film (FAAAF) to recognize excellence of African Americans, as well as the cinematic achievements of the Afr ...

** 2012, Best Screenplay: Ava DuVernay (Nominated) ** 2012, Best Director: Ava DuVernay (Nominated) *

Image Awards The NAACP Image Awards is an annual awards ceremony presented by the U.S.-based National Association for the Advancement of Colored People ( NAACP) to honor outstanding performances in film, television, theatre, music, and literature. Similar to ...

** 2012, Outstanding Independent Motion Picture (Nominated)

References

External links

* * * * * * * * 2010 films African-American drama films Films directed by Ava DuVernay 2010 drama films Films shot in California 2010s English-language films 2010s American films {{2010s-drama-film-stub