Dessert Flower

I love independent cinema. I love Black independent cinema even more. Here in Philadelphia, we have a chain of theatres called simply "The RITZ"...Their slogan used to be -"Movies to talk about." At one of these movie houses you can see a movie filmed in The U.K. , Ireland, Japan, France,Spain or elsewhere in the world.

Prior to what the average American moviegoer thinks...Good movies are made outside of this country. If you don't mind english sub-titles sometimes..and you get into the actual story being told..You are in for a great time at the cinema.

There are also some great films made here in the U.S.A. on a shoestring budget that aren't backed by a major studio that wound up getting shown to limited audiences. Ever wonder why you never heard of a movie like "The King's Speech" that won big at the Oscars? It's because you didn't check out independent cinema at movie houses like the Ritz!

Oh...and the popcorn is the best in the city...bar none...You can taste the butter melting on it.

II-

Now for the real reason I wrote this post.....There is an independent movie out that is getting a lot of early buzz on Facebook, Twitter and other websites called 'Dessert Flower' that I want to pull your coat tails to...It probably will wind up in a movie house like the Ritz and in limited theatre openings across the country.

Based on the book of the same name, Desert Flower is at its core a story of courage and hope and one woman's journey. This biopic examines the life of Waris Dirie (played by supermodel Liya Kebede), a Somalian woman who at the age of 13 fled her home before her impending marriage and ultimately became a world-renowned model. The film touches on the sensitive issue of genital mutilation, which Dirie experienced at the age of 3, and the woman's fight to eradicate the horrifying procedure.

Despite the subject matter at it's core...This film and the upcoming "Mooslum" with Evan Ross are two independent Black films that are worth your while to see. Desert Flower is currently playing in select U.S. cities. Go see it and I hope the popcorn in your venue is as good as I know the popcorn is going to be at THE RITZ!