City News

The Stonecrest Film and Entertainment Committee hosted actor, producer, director, and screenwriter, Robert Townsend recently for his premiere Stonecrest broadcast of "Making The Five Heartbeats" at New Vision Stonecrest 16 theatre. The 90-minute documentary covered the challenges and the rewards involved in the production and release of the 1991 movie, "The Five Heartbeats".

The documentary was written and produced by Townsend with interviews from co-writer, Keenen Ivory Wayans, and the cast. It featured behind the scenes footage and intense interviews about the lives of several R & B music legends such as The Dells, The Temptations, The Four Tops, whose lives the film was loosely based. Townsend expressed his struggles with prejudice and the film's questionable marketing, yet he indicated that it was a success and told how the film helped saved one man from a drug addiction.

After the documentary, Townsend was joined by actors Bill Duke, Clifton Powell, and director Oz Scott. The team answered questions from the audience filled with local residents and aspiring actors, and even question each other regarding their careers. "The underlying theme and message, we have for aspiring actors and producers, is to get trained and perfect your craft" Townsend told the audience. Scott, known for directing the Broadway musical, "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf" and television shows "Everybody Hates Chris" and "Black Lightning", encouraged the audience pointing to today's technology and how, with the right skills, movies can be shot with an iPhone. "So, you have no excuse," Scott told the audience.

Mayor Jason Lary and Councilman Rob Turner presented a proclamation to Townsend and named Saturday, August 17, 2019, as Robert Townsend Day in Stonecrest. "We are thrilled to have Mr. Townsend in our city especially for an evening that gives our residents direct contact with him, his experiences and his triumphs," the mayor said. "Naming this day in his honor is the least we can do to express our gratitude for all that he has done during his career," he added.