LAUREL AVENUE Galas

AFI Graduate Carl Franklin has been acknowledged as one of the hottest filmmakers in America since the international acclaim he received last year for his superb thriller One False Move, which appeared on many top-ten-of-the-year lists. His latest project, the hotly anticipated contemporary drama Laurel Avenue, was filmed in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, and made for Home Box Office as a mini-series. Three 50 minutes episodes have been combined into one film for this special presentation in the AFI Film Festival. Laurel Avenue focuses on the life of a black working-class family over a one-weekend time span. The talented cast includes Mary Alice ( To Sleep with Anger), Juanita Jennings (Basic Instinct), Rhonda Stubbins, Vonte Sweet (Boyz N the Hood) and Mel Winkler (Doc Hollywood). Shown to great acclaim at the Washington D.C. Film Festival, Laurel Avenue presents a thoughtful, realistic look at the problems and challenges facing this contemporary American family. Di rector Carl Franklin will be present to introduce and discuss Laurel Avenue.