The basketball movie ‘Shooting Stars’, for which Caymanian filmmaker Frank E. Flowers co-wrote the screenplay, has won best movie in the fifth annual African American Film Critics Association TV Honors.
Flowers, who wrote the screenplay with Tony Rettenmaier and Juel Taylor, told the Compass he was “humbled” by the recognition.
The association revealed its full list of winners on Wednesday.
Though happy the film received the award, Flowers, in an emailed comment to the Cayman Compass Wednesday, maintained his stance supporting the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike, as the protest continues in Hollywood.
“While the WGA strike prohibits us members from attending any awards ceremonies or promotional events, I thank God and am humbled to have contributed to a project that is being so well received,” he said.
The film, which chronicles the origin story of basketball superstar LeBron James and is directed by Emmy nominee Chris Robinson, debuted on the Peacock streaming service on 2 June and has received a three-star rating on sites IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes.
The three screenwriters based the movie script on the book by James and Buzz Bissinger, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of ‘Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream’.
Flowers told the Compass that the story of the ‘Fab 5’ of James and his teammates, is one that celebrates black excellence, the power of friendship and the importance of maintaining good character in the face of extraordinary circumstances.
“Shooting Stars is an inspirational sports film so if our off-screen success helps inspire other Caymanian artists to strive for their own goals, lift up their voices and keep their morals intact, then that is an even greater win,” he said.
Flowers opted out of the movie’s premiere back in May in solidarity with the Writer’s Guild strike which has an ongoing ban on promoting movies and TV shows.
The AAFCA TV Honors is an annual event recognising outstanding work in the television industry, according to the association’s website.
“Honorees are selected by a special committee within the association charged with identifying exceptional content and performances in television that offer profound and refreshing representations of the world in which we live,” it said.
Flowers’s next project is the movie ‘Bob Marley: One Love’. He is one of three writers who penned the screenplay for that film, which is based on the life of the legendary reggae musician. Shot in London and Jamaica, the movie is expected to be released in 2024.
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