Features

Urban Action Showcase: Interview With Warrington Hudlin

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is a renowned Director/Producer and Martial Artist, last year he was on the panel at the and could be back in November to help out once again. Warrington presents a monthly Martial Arts Action film screenings, usually followed by a Q&A with the Stars in NYC called Fist and Sword Martial Arts Films at the Museum of the Moving Image, where he is the Trustee and Curator.

Warrington Hudlin has also built up online communities and online media to show how disruptive power of the internet can be and show a new way of creative freedom. He has been a powerful figure in the Black film movement and has been involved in the business for over 3 decades. He continues his fantastic work and to spread his message to the world and with Fist And Sword bringing fans top stars to speak about there movies, is one huge step ahead and wish him all the success.

Warrington has been involved in the business a long time going back to 1974 where he was the Director/Producer of “Black at Yale”: A Film Diary (documentary). In 1990, Warrington was the producer of the New Line Cinema hit comedy House “Party”, a movie Directed by his brother Reginald Hudlin. In 1992, Warrington was the Producer of the Eddie Murphy hit comedy “Boomerang” and also played the part of a street hustler in the movie.

Selected Credits For Warrington Hudlin:
Producer and Director – “The Capoeira of Brazil” (documentary), 1980.
Producer and Director – “Color”, 1983.
Director and Executive Producer – “The First Commandment,” Cosmic Slop, HBO, 1994.
Producer – “Ride”, Miramax, 1998.
Associate Producer – “Corporate Dawgz”, DV Republic, 2002.

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About Urban Action Showcase:
The Urban Action Showcase is a multi-day Independent Action Film Festival, Showcase, Action Script/Comic BOOK Competition, and Urban Action Expo premiering minority filmmakers specifically in the Action Film Genre. Action is the genre of choice of Fans and Studios alike when it comes to Summer Blockbusters not to mention 9 out of the top 10 highest grossing films to date all have Action at its core! The Danger, Thrill, and Excitement of the Action genre keeps us all at the edge of our seats from the small screen to the big screen and it would seem that the Action genre has it all accept for one very important factor, Diversity. Without equal opportunity and diversity any positive message can be misconstrued. By focusing on the thrill and excitement of the Action genre and recognizing the need for integration the Urban Action Showcase sets itself apart from other film festivals as the only one of its kind!

The Urban Action Showcase will continue to grow both meeting and exceeding expectations with the help of our partnering sponsors and Indie Action fans across the nation. The Urban Action Showcase Indie Action Film Festival welcomes film and television Animation and Live Action Short and Feature narratives in various aspects of the Action genre.

Warrington Hudlin was a moderator for the celebrity panels at the event and did a fantastic job. and have both said how good a Warrington did with stars such as Michael jai White, Kelly Hu, Fred “The Hammer” Williamson and 5 time world champion Ron Van Clief.


 

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Interview With Warrington Hudlin:

1.Take us back to when you were a kid, can you remember when you first wanted to be involved in the movie business and what was it like trying to succeed back in the 70's and 80's?

UNFORTUNATELY MY ANSWER WOULD BE TOO LONG AND COMPLICATED GIVEN THE PRIMARY FOCUS ON THIS ARTICLE.

2.How did you become involved in the Urban Action Showcase and how did you find the whole experience?

​I VOLUNTEERED BY SERVICES TO THE URBAN ACTION SHOWCASE BECAUSE OF MY FRIENDSHIP WITH THE EVENT PRODUCER, ​DEMETRIUS ANGELO. THE EXPO WAS A WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE FOR ME BECAUSE IT RE-CONNECTED ME TO OLD FRIENDS, LIKE BEN RAMSEY, TAYARI CASEL, RON VAN CLIEF, AND MICHAEL JAI WHITE AND INTRODUCED ME TWO NEW ONES LIKE BOBBY SAMUELS AND VINCENT LYN.

3.You have been a great friend and mentor to the creator of Urban Action Showcase Demetrius Angelo throughout his career, was this the main reason you become involved in last years event?

SINCE I HAVE BEEN CURATING MARTIAL ARTS FILM SCREENINGS AND DISCUSSION AT THE MUSEUM OF THE MOVING IMAGE FOR NEARLY A DECADE, I WANTED DEMETRIUS TO HAVE THE BENEFIT OF MY EXPERIENCE.​

4.It's been mentioned there is a possibility of you returning for the upcoming show in November, is this true and if so, do you expect great results once again?

YES PLAN TO RETURN THIS YEAR AND EXPECT THE EXPO TO BE EVEN MORE SUCCESSFUL GIVEN IT AUSPICIOUS DEBUT. ​I AM PARTICULARLY PLEASED THAT MARRESE CRUMP HAS BEEN INVITED BECAUSE I AM CONVINCED HE WILL BECOME THE NEXT BIG ACTION STAR.

5.You present Fist And Sword at the Museum of the Moving Image, how did that first come about?

I JOINED THE MUSEUM OF THE MOVING IMAGE ​NOT LONG AFTER THE LAST MOVIE THEATER IN NEW YORK'S CHINATOWN HAD CLOSED. I STARTED THE FIST & SWORD SERIES TO PROVIDES FANS OF THE MARTIAL ARTS MOVIE GENRE A PLACE TO SEE THOSE FILMS ON THE BIG SCREEN.

6.What do you think of today's Action and Martial Art movies, compared to the 1970's and 80's?

UNFORTUNATELY I NO LONGER ENJOY WATCHING THOSE FILMS BECAUSE I SO MUCH PREFER THE STORIES AND ​FIGHT CHOREOGRAPHY OF CONTEMPORARY FILMS. (THIS GETS ME INTO ARGUMENTS ALL THE TIME WE MY FRIENDS WHO LOVE THE SHAW BROS TITLES.) FILMS IS LIKE MUSIC IN THAT EVERY GENERATION PRODUCES IT OWN “SOUND” AND YOU CAN MOVE ON OR LINGER IN NOSTALGIA.

7.You had a screening for The Black Kung fu Experience in January 2013. Rob Van Clief was the star attraction, how enjoyable was it getting a 5 time world champion to be apart of such a great event?

​I KNOWN BOTH RON VAN CLIEF AND TARYARI CASEL (PROFILED IN THE FILM) SINCE THE 1970'S. IN FACT TAYARI AND I FOUGHT IN A KARATE TOURNAMENT FINALS IN NYC IN 1974 (HE W0N, BUT OUR MATCH WAS SO EXCITING THAT IT WAS WRITTEN ABOUT IN A MARTIAL ARTS MAGAZINE).​ IT WAS A PLEASURE AND A HONOR TO PROVIDE A PLATFORM FOR THESE LEGENDS TO SHARE THEIR ST0RY.

8.What other projects have you got lined up and do you have any dream projects you would like to do in the future?

MY POLICY ONLY PERMITS ME TO TALK ABOUT WHAT I HAVE DONE, NOT WHAT I AM GOING TO DO. (THIS IS THE SAME CONCEPT OF NEVER TELEGRAPHING YOUR PUNCH).​

9.If you could name one project you have worked on, to show an audience of people that are not familiar with your work. What would you choose and why?

​THE MOST POPULAR AND ACCESSIBLE IS​ “BOOMERANG”, STARRING EDDIE MURPHY. THE LEAST ACCESSIBLE IS “COSMIC SLOP”. THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT I AM SCREENING COSMIC SLOP IN NEW YORK CITY ON OCTOBER 27TH AT THE MUSEUM OF THE MOVING IMAGE FOLLOWED BY DISCUSSION WITH THE HOST OF THE FILM,FUNK MUSIC LEGEND, GEORGE CLINTON.

10.Is there anything you would like to say to your fans around the world and the readers of Asian Movie Pulse?

THE BEST IS YET TO COME.

I would like to personally thank Warrington Hudlin for taking time to do the interview, i wish him all the success in the future with all projects including Museum of the Moving Image.  Also thanks to Robert Samuels for setting this interview up and hope The Urban Action Showcase continues to grow.

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About the author

kingofkungfu

Hi my name is Justyn Hughes, I have been involved or watched martial art kung fu movies most my life. I started muay thai when i was around 4-5 years old for ten years. I became a fan of kung fu flicks after watching prodigal Son in the mid 90's and that blew me away. Some of my favorite stars are: Jackie Chan, Sammo Hung, Yuen Biao, lam Ching Ying, Lau Kar Leung, Ti Lung, David Chiang, Chen Kuan Tai and many more.

King Of Kung Fu (Justyn Hughes)

Favorite movie: The prodigal Son

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