1st project is "Killing In Thy Name" documentary for Rage Against The Machine, directed by The Ummah Chroma
Directors Terence Nance, Jenn Nkiru, and Bradford Young along with producers Mishka Brown and Nanette Nelms have launched Ummah Chroma Creative Partners (UCCP), an independent, artist-led production company.
Ummah Chroma Creative Partners’ intention is to create a unique space of fostering to create, elevate and preserve authentic Black narratives and perspectives in all media, including advertising, television, cinema and art.
“Our purpose in forming an independent company is to retain the freedom to create projects and processes with collective values and to maintain agency in telling our own stories,” said the founders in a mission statement.
Launched in partnership with Serial Pictures, Ummah Chroma Creative Partners will represent their own directors’ collective The Ummah Chroma, in addition to other artists and filmmakers for branded entertainment, commercials and music videos.
Serial Pictures’ founder Violaine Etienne will act as an executive producer alongside the UCCP’s founding partners. Each member of The Ummah Chroma will continue pursuing individual directing projects through their respective commercial representation: Young is represented by Serial Pictures; Nance is repped by Anonymous Content, and Nkiru by Iconoclast.
Director Young was nominated for a Best Cinematography Oscar in 2017 for Denis Villeneuve’s Arrival. He has lensed notable work in film and TV, including Ava DuVernay’s Selma and When They See Us, and Ron Howard’s Solo: A Star Wars Story. Young has successfully diversified into directing and joined Serial’s roster as a solo helmer last year. Nance’s filmography includes his first feature, An Oversimplification of Her Beauty, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and won a Gotham Award. Nance’s TV series Random Acts of Flyness debuted on HBO in 2018 and went on to win a Peabody Award. Nance has been active making music, scoring his own films and TV series, and working with groundbreaking musicians in the process. His additional film work includes Swimming in Your Skin Again and Univitillen. And Nkiru is an accomplished artist and filmmaker. Her directorial credits include Beyoncรฉ’s “Brown Skin Girl,” which last month was one of five entries to earn Grand Prix distinction at the Ciclope Festival. Nkiru’s first film En Vogue debuted to critical acclaim. And her Rebirth Is Necessary won the Canal+ award at the Clermont Ferrand Film Festival, best documentary at the London Independent Film Festival, and the Voice of a Woman award at Cannes.
Killing In Thy Name
The first project to be released by UCCP is the powerful documentary film Killing In Thy Name in collaboration with Rage Against the Machine and directed by The Ummah Chroma. The film is framed around the band’s iconic protest anthem “Killing in the Name”, and the directors state their “aim is for the piece to be a fire escape from the fiction known as whiteness and a spring for discovery.”
“We are honored to partner with Ummah Chroma Creative Partners in supporting their vision and commitment as they create a communal creative space and incubator for artists and filmmakers in Black cinema and art,” said Serial Pictures founding partner Etienne. “Our industry has lacked inclusivity in not only what stories are being told, but how they’re told and by whom. Working with these powerful storytellers, we are looking forward to reshaping that approach with an open-ended, equitable collaborative process.”
Previous credits for The Ummah Chroma, which was originally conceived in its first iteration by Young, Nance, Nkiru, editor Marc Thomas, and musical artist and producer Kamasi Washington, include the short film As Told To G/D Thyself, which premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival, where it was nominated for the Short Film Grand Jury Prize.
Oscar and Emmy-Winning Composer Kris Bowers Joins Barking Owl For Advertising, Branded Content
Music, audio post and sonic branding house Barking Owl has taken on exclusive representation of Oscar and Emmy-winning composer Kris Bowers for advertising and branded content.
Bowersโ recent film scores include The Wild Robot and Bob Marley: One Love, alongside acclaimed past works such as The Color Purple (2023), King Richard and Green Book. His contributions to television are equally impressive, with scores for hit series like Bridgerton, When They See Us, Dear White People, and his Daytime Emmy Award-winning score for The Snowy Day.
In addition to his work as a composer, Bowers is a visionary director. He recently took home the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Subject for his directorial work on The Last Repair Shop. The emotionally touching short film spotlights four of the people responsible for repairing the musical instruments used by students in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD). The Last Repair Shop reflects the positive influence that musical instruments have on the youngsters who play them, and the adults in the LAUSD free repair service who keep them working and in tune.
Barking Owl CEO Kirkland Alexander Lynch said of Bowers, โHis artistry, diversity of style and depth of storytelling bring an unparalleled edge to the work we create for global brands. His presence on our roster reflects our continued commitment to pushing the boundaries of sound and music in advertising.โ
Johanna Cranitch, creative director, Barking Owl, added, โKris first caught my attention when he released his record โHeroes + Misfitsโ where he fused together his jazz sensibility with a deeply ingrained aptitude for melody, so beautifully.... Read More