'Paradigm Grey': Groundbreaking Sci-Fi / Horror Series. World Premiere

​IMPAKT STUDIO  ANNOUNCES ITS WORLD PREMIERE EVENT OF “PARADIGM GREY”, A BLACK SCIENCE FICTION ANTHOLOGY 

Sci-fi and horror fans are starved for authentic films that depict black characters in non-stereotypical ways. Year after year, the Academy is getting in trouble for overlooking achievements of black artists. The Academy, in turn, points at the presumed lack of strong films. 

Even those films, that portray black characters, and / or written and produced by black artists, are often built on certain tropes. 
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One of such tropes is represented in "12 Years A Slave" (2013), a brilliant film that won three Academy awards, including the Best Picture. A deserving film all around as it is, it demonstrates that the mainstream consumer sees black characters mostly in the context of oppression.  Other black mainstream successes are Color Purple, Precious etc. 

WHEN: DECEMBER 2, 2017 AT 6PM.
WHERE: HAROLD WASHINGTON CULTURAL CENTER 4701 SOUTH KING DRIVE, CHICAGO

Another trope is portraying black characters as 'Redshirts', disposable characters that are easy to kill off as a plot device. Paradigm Grey creator, producer, and director Christopher Adams reflects on it in the above featured video (at the 8.08 min mark), citing a black character being killed off in the very trailer of "Life" (2017).

One famous example of a film that received a lot of heat for introducing a disposable black character was Star Wars: The Force awakens. 

When the news of John Boyega playing a stormtrooper Finn broke out, there was much excitement. Finally a black lead character! To much disappointment, Finn dies in the film, while other white lead characters carry on. 

'Madea' is another film trope. Although made by the black artists, it is also made for the black community. As awesome as the films are, they offer one-dimensional perspective that does not translate well outside black Christian viewer. 

"Boyz n the Hood" (1991) is an iconic film, a classic of it's time, but over 25 years later, films still follow its trope in portraying black characters in association with drugs and crime, and in best case scenario, with sports.

Paradigm Grey departs from all of those tropes, following in the footsteps of science fiction / horror classics like the Twilight Zone, the Outer Limits, and new smash hits like the Black Mirror. ​

"Black Speculative Fiction, Horror and Sci-Fi represent a vastly underserved segment in cinema that is begging to be explored. African Americans fully support these genres but constantly complaining about the lack of quality representation. With the runaway success of Jordan Peele’s “Get Out” the world saw that there is a huge market for Black genre films. And with the massive anticipation of Marvel's “Black Panther”, Paradigm Grey is poised to be a groundbreaking new chapter in Black Cinema." - stated in the Paradigm Grey press-release. ​

Paradigm Grey is also a victory of collaboration and local production, so rarely seen these days in the film industry. Six Chicago-based Black Production Companies (IMPAKT STUDIO, SEI STUDIOS, BRIGHTSEED COLLAB, FILM BARREL STUDIOS, CASSANDRA BELL STUDIOS, 21H2), along with outstanding Chicago talent, have come together, pulling on shared resources and expertise. The Paradigm Grey features content from various genres: post apocalyptic, sci-fi futuristic, supernatural horror, political horror, social thriller to name a few.

For more information, go to www.ParadigmGrey.com or follow on Facebook and Instagram.