In 2004, filmmaker Kevin Willmott cockeyed and satirical look at the history of a segregated America, C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America, was one of favorite mockumentaries. Now the smart, cutting edge Willmott is back with his latest, Destination Planet Negro.
This time Willmott’s premise is out of this world, literally, as a group of black leaders, including even W.E.B DuBois, during the 1930’s, gather together for a secret meeting to discuss the “Negro Problem” in America.
They decide that the only real solution is for black people to not only leave America, but this planet altogether, and, with the help of George Washington Carver, build a rocket ship to take an exploratory group to Mars, to check out the possibility of such a bold undertaking.
But of course in sci-fi movies, something goes wrong, and the three explorers wind up in present day America, to their befuddlement (For example in one scene, they see a black man with sagging jeans below his posterior, and speculate that black people in the future are so malnourished that their clothes are falling off them. And when explained to them who President Obama is, the shock is too great for them with one of them promptly passing out).
The film premiered in February and is currently making the rounds on the film festival circuit. The film has been described as “laugh out loud, funny and a very clever spoof that, at times approaches the manic heights of In Living Color during its heyday.”
The film opens in campy sci-fi black and white, complete with cheesy music and special effects, before transitioning to color 30 minutes into the story. Amazingly, Willmott working with a minuscule budget shot the film over a year, filming just a few scenes at a time until he completed the story.
In addition to producing, directing and writing, Willmott also stars in the film. In addition to him, all the leads are reportedly terrific in their roles, giving the film the right tongue in cheek comic touch – never too broad or with any self-conscious winking at the camera.
Check out the Destination Planet Negro trailer and some images from the film below:
