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20th Anniversary Virtual Reunion and Panel Discussion
Hosted by writer-producer-director Patty Jenkins.
With special guests writer-director Gina Prince-Bythewood, actors Sanaa Lathan, Alfre Woodard, Kyla Pratt, editor Terilyn A. Shropshire and Forward for the LA Sparks Candace Parker.
Written and directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood. Produced by Spike Lee, Sam Kitt. Cinematography Reynaldo Villalobos. Production Design Jeffrey Howard. Set Decoration Dena Roth. Film Editing Terilyn A. Shropshire. Music Terence Blanchard. Sound Willie Burton, Marc “M” Fishman, Derek “DMD” Marcil, Frederick “Mastavisa” Howard. Costume Design Ruth Carter.
Cast Omar Epps (Quincy McCall), Sanaa Lathan (Monica Wright), Alfre Woodard (Camille Wright), Dennis Haysbert (Zeke McCall), Debbi Morgan (Nona McCall), Harry J. Lennix (Nathan), Kyla Pratt (Young Monica), Glenndon Chatman (Young Quincy), Christine Dunford (Coach Davis), Erika Ringor (Sidra O’Neal), Regina Hall (Lena Wright).
Structured like the four quarters of a basketball game, Love & Basketball follows young Quincy and Monica as they pursue their athletic dreams in tandem over the course of 12 years. In 1981, Quincy McCall (Omar Epps) and Monica Wright (Sanaa Lathan) are neighbors and childhood sweethearts brought together by a shared love of basketball. Over the years, the two fall in and out of each other’s lives as they struggle with mental health, family problems and physical injury. By 1993, the fate of their love comes down to a final game of one-on-one, with the stakes higher than ever.
In her confident directorial debut, Gina Prince-Bythewood challenged stereotypes of race and gender with this nuanced examination of black love. She succeeded in depicting the growing pains of a couple matched in athletic skill with unwavering authenticity, never sacrificing the integrity of her characters for the sake of convention. Twenty years later, Love & Basketball remains a model for the progressive representation of black middle-class youth.
HOST:
Patty Jenkins is an award-winning writer and director best known for directing Wonder Woman (2017), her debut Oscar-winning feature Monster (2003) and helming the pilot and finale of “The Killing.” In 2017, she became the first woman to helm a live action film with a budget over $100 million with her global hit Wonder Woman. She recently directed and executive produced TNT’s “I Am the Night” and is gearing up to premiere Wonder Woman 1984, which she co-wrote, produced and directed.
PANELISTS:
A graduate of the Yale School of Drama, Sanaa Lathan began her acting career on television and in such films as Blade (1998) and The Best Man (1999), before appearing in her breakout role in Love & Basketball. Lathan went on to star in Alien vs. Predator (2004), Contagion (2011), The Best Man Holiday (2013), American Assassin (2017), Nappily Ever After (2018) and Native Son (2019).
Kyla Pratt is an actress and musician known for her work on “The Proud Family” and “One on One,” among other television series. In addition to Love & Basketball, she has been featured in the films Dr. Dolittle (1998), Dr. Dolittle 2 (2001), Fat Albert (2004) and Hotel for Dogs (2009).
Gina Prince-Bythewood is a versatile storyteller known for her authentic character-driven work. She has directed and written such influential feature films as Love & Basketball, The Secret Life of Bees (2008) and Beyond the Lights (2014). Upcoming from Prince-Bythewood is the Netflix original feature action drama, The Old Guard, which she directs. Prince-Bythewood funds a scholarship for African American students in the film program at UCLA, her alma mater.
Film editor Terilyn A. Shropshire has worked on such films as Eve’s Bayou (1997), Talk to Me (2007), The Secret Life of Bees (2008), Jumping the Broom (2011), Black Nativity (2013), Beyond the Lights (2014) and Miss Bala (2019). She recently worked on the Netflix series “When They See Us” and is currently working on the Netflix feature The Old Guard, directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood.
Alfre Woodard has starred in such films as Cross Creek (1983), for which she was nominated for an Oscar for Actress in a Supporting Role, Passion Fish (1992), Crooklyn (1994), Star Trek: First Contact (1996), Beauty Shop (2005), Something New (2006), The Family That Preys (2008), 12 Years a Slave (2013), Captain America: Civil War (2016), Clemency (2019) and Netflix's Juanita (2019). Her television credits include Mandela, Miss Evers’ Boys, Marvel's "Luke Cage," “Hill Street Blues,” “St. Elsewhere,” “True Blood” and “SEE.”
This program is supported in part by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture.
Love & Basketball is available for streaming on Google Play, YouTube, iTunes, Vudu and Amazon Prime Video.