TRAILERS

New Trailer for 4K Re-Release of 1993 Brooklyn Film 'Alma's Rainbow'

by Alex Billington
July 19, 2022
Source: YouTube

"Explores the interior lives of Black women with loving acuity." Kino Lorber has revealed the latest official US trailer for a 4K re-release of an indie coming-of-age film titled Alma's Rainbow, originally released in 1994. The film is a comedy-drama about three African American women living in Brooklyn, Alma's Rainbow explores the life of teenager Rainbow Gold (played by Victoria Gabrielle Platt) as she enters womanhood and navigates standards of beauty, self-image, and the rights women have over their bodies. Director Ayoka Chenzira's acclaimed film highlights a multi-layered Black women's world where the characters live, love, and wrestle with what it means to exert and exercise their agency. This new 4K restoration was done by the Academy Film Archive, The Film Foundation, and Milestone Films - supervised by Mark Toscano. Funding provided by the Hobson/Lucas Family Foundation. This new edition and 4K re-release will play in limited art house cinemas around the US, starting in NY and LA of course, during the summer for anyone interested in catching it. The film also stars Kim Weston-Moran, Mizan Kirby, Lee Dobson. Take a look below.

Here's the new trailer (+ new poster) for Ayoka Chenzira's Alma's Rainbow, direct from YouTube:

"I am delighted to have this opportunity to join you in presenting Dr. Ayo Chenzira's first feature film. Alma's Rainbow was one of the first full length dramatic narrative films produced and directed by an African American woman in the 20th century. Chenzira's much celebrated and award winning early work is essential viewing today as much as it was when first released in 1994."
– Julie Dash

A coming-of-age comedy-drama about three Black women living in Brooklyn, Alma's Rainbow explores the life of teenager Rainbow Gold (Victoria Gabrielle Platt) who is entering womanhood and navigating conversations and experiences around standards of beauty, self-image, and the rights Black women have over their bodies. Rainbow attends a strict parochial school, studies dance, and is just becoming aware of boys. She lives with her strait-laced mother Alma Gold (Kim Weston-Moran), who runs a hair salon in the parlor of their home. When Alma's free-spirited sister Ruby (Mizan Kirby) arrives from Paris after a 10-year absence, the sisters clash over what constitutes the "proper" direction Rainbow's life should take. Alma has fooled herself into believing she has no need of male companionship and advises her daughter to follow her… Ruby encourages both her niece and her sister to embrace life – and love – fully and joyfully.

Alma's Rainbow is both written & directed by African-American filmmaker Dr. Ayoka Chenzira, her first and only feature film, along with a few other short films. This originally premiered in 1994 and opened in limited theaters at the time. Kino Lorber and Milestone Films are pleased to present Alma's Rainbow, a new 4K restoration of the essential coming-of-age portrait of Black womanhood from director Ayoka Chenzira. Alma's Rainbow will open in select US theaters (starting at BAM in NYC) on July 29th, also playing in LA (at American Cinematheque) starting on August 7th this summer. For more info, visit KL's official website.

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