HOLLYWOOD-Awards season is here. So are the plethora of film festivals that will engulf Hollywood for the next few months. One of the film festivals, the 12th Annual Hollywood Black Film Festival (HBFF), recently wrapped up its 2012 campaign with a film screening and wrap up party of Don B. Welch’s “24 Hour Love.”
The comedy-drama stars notable actors Keith Robinson (Dreamgirls), Lynn Whitfield (A thin Line Between Love and Hate, Eve’s Bayou, The Josephine Baker Story) and Melinda Williams among others. Welch is well-known commodity in the entertainment industry, producing may stage plays, including The Divorce, The Bachelor Party, The Bachelorette Party and My Brother’s Keeper.
Welch has been a master in blending reality into his riveting stage plays. The author, singer and actor is now making a play to be as successful on the big screen as he has been in theatre. Judging by the talent has been able to round up to participate in his stage plays, that shouldn’t be too hard of a transition for the Philadelphia native.
Welch has been able to attain the level of success he has with film stars such as Marla Gibbs (227, The Jeffersons), Vanessa Bell Calloway (Hawthorne), Judy Pace (Brian’s Song), Jackee Harry (227) and Obba Babatunde leading the way in his stage productions. In making “24 Hour Love,” Welch turned a stage he wrote into a film adaptation, which he says he’s ecstatic about.
“It was a stage play at first,” Welch told News4usonline.com. “Then we turned it into a screenplay and a film, and I’m excited about the entire thing. It’s really going to be a difference in film making. “
As excited about he is about his latest project, Welch said making a film and working on a stage play are completely separate from one another, in terms of work and preparation.
“It’s a different dynamic,” Welch said. “In theatre, you have a lot more time to do, a lot more time to give a story. In film, it’s got to be quick. You have to get to the beginning, the middle and the end very quickly. I think it’s a natural progression to move into film after doing theatre and television.”
Having “24 Hour Love” as one of the film anchors at this year’s HBFF, is a big thing for Welch. So is the fact that the film festival is around in the first place to showcase films and the work of behind-the-scene players who may not otherwise get a chance to show off what they can do. Welch says the HBFF is more than relevant. It is something that is pertinent.
“It’s important because it is needed,” said Welch. “It’s needed by our community and all the other communities because they need to know what we’re doing. It’s important that everybody knows what we’re doing and our work is out there-not just the African American community-but that all communities get an opportunity to see what we’re able to put together and put out our stories.”
Dennis has covered and written about politics, crime, social justice, sports, and entertainment. Dennis currently covers the NFL, MLB, NBA, NCAA, and Olympic sports. Dennis is the editor of News4usonline.com and serves as the publisher of the Compton Bulletin newspaper. He earned a journalism degree from Howard University.