Actor and comedian Robert Townsend has managed to keep Hollywood in the palm of his hand for nearly three decades with his unwavering commitment to making quality motion pictures. From producing classics like Hollywood Shuffle and The Five Heart Beats Townsend has made it clear why he is noted as the “godfather” of independent films. Well, he is at it again with his newest production Playin for Love, which tells the story of a high school coach trying to turn his team around.
The Film is set in Overtown, a historically African American community located in the city of Miami. Townsend’s inspiration developed after being contacted by the city of Overtown’s commissioner requesting him to speak at a local high school to students who have been plagued by violence, gangs and drugs.
“She asked if I could make a short film with them and I said why don’t we just make a movie together. I’ll teach them about making movies and we’ll shoot it in the ‘hood,” he says.
Townsend spent eight weeks teaching the students the intricacies of filmmaking, giving them the opportunity to work behind the scenes in the wardrobe department, production and sound design. After interviewing 200 students, he selected 20 to have speaking parts and extra roles in the film. Little did the students know they would be acting next to some of Hollywood’s biggest stars like Jenifer Lewis, Salli Richardson-Whitfield, Esai Morales, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs, Melyssa Ford and more.
“We just wanted to give these kids an experience. We shot the film to give the city of Overtown some hope. Everybody I reached out to said yes,” he added. Townsend gave these young people memories they will remember for a lifetime and now they can share their journey with friends, family and fans.
Playin for Love, which made its streaming premiere on UMC, is now available on DVD.
“I couldn’t be more and happy and proud of the work we’ve done,” Townsend said.
This isn’t the only career accomplishment he is raving about, it’s also the 25th anniversary of The Five Heartbeats film’s 1991 debut. Townsend is currently working on a documentary based on how he made the movie, and in February the Writers Guild will be presenting a screening open to the public.
For all those die-hard Robert Townsend fanatics, you can keep up with his progress for the anticipated project at www.roberttownsend .com.
