Synopsis: Lena Baker was a maid who was executed for murder by the State of Georgia in 1945 for killing her employer, Ernest Knight in 1944. At her trial she claimed that he had imprisoned and threatened to shoot her should she attempt to leave, whereupon she took his gun and shot him.
A jury of 12 white men, her subpoenaed peers, found Lena guilty of murder in less than 6 hours. She received the death penalty as her sentence, earning Lena Baker a place in history as the first and only woman to be sentenced to death by electric chair in the state Georgia. She was pardoned posthumously in 2005.
The Lena Baker Story stars actress Tichina Arnold and has yet to have an official release date. Although the movie will have small screenings in Atlanta, word is the are still looking for a US distributor. Looks good though.
TYLER SIGNS NEW DEAL WITH LIONSGATE
Lionsgate signed a new three-year first look distribution deal with Tyler Perry, covering the filmmaker’s theatrical and home entertainment product.
Under the new agreement, Perry will provide at least three additional feature films to Lionsgate. The films will follow Perry’s The Family That Preys, due in theaters Sept. 12, and Madea Goes to Jail, set for theatrical release on Feb. 20, 2009.
Lionsgate also will continue to distribute Perry’s DVDs, including his popular stage plays.
The studio said Perry’s five films for Lionsgate have cumulatively grossed nearly $250 million at the box office, and it has sold more than 25 million Tyler Perry DVDs.
SNOOP GOES BOLLYWOOD
First Snoop went country, now he’s gone Bollywood. Snoop Dogg teamed up with the Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar to create a music video for the theme song for the upcoming film, “Singh Is Kinng,” which hits theaters on August 8th. Check out footage from the video shoot above. Cannot knock the hustle!
Snoop needs a one way ticket to the moon or maybe those new galaxies NASA took pictures of… the moon ain’t far enough.
I’ve seen “The Lena Baker Story” and Tichina Arnold and the director deserve Oscars. The film is amazing!!! This trailer doesn’t do it justice.
p.s. The film can’t come out in “Montana” or any other state until it receives a distribution deal in the U.S.
About the only aspect of the Lena Baker Story that should be told is “WHERE WERE THE BLACK ME! Especially the CHURCH men. Again, I recognize the timeline but having momma and the church women bear her cross was quite saddening. I say this wilh no malice and everything that can be done TODAY to get this Occar, a plaque, on every calendar, and more….Thank you for your patience.