A24 And Participant To Adapt Kahlil Joseph’s ‘BLKNWS’ Video Exhibition Into Feature Film

Kahlil Joseph’s groundbreaking video exhibition BLKNEWS is being adapted by A24 and Participant into a whole feature film.

Joseph is a L.A.-based video artist and filmmaker and his video exhibition BLKNEWS made its debut at Venice Art Biennale in 2019 before being featured at the Sundance Film Festival in the New Frontier Films & Performances section in 2020.

BLKNWS is a newsreel project that needs to be seen to be explained. It’s a clever mix of journalism, satire, cultural critique, and art that is sure to disrupt “news-industrial complex”. I’m picturing a Sorry To Bother You-ish take on Joseph’s exhibition — but I may be totally wrong.

A24 and Participant teased the news on Tuesday on their social channels and the adaptation was officially announced today. The working title of the film is BLKNWS®  and will mark Joseph’s feature film directorial debut.

Executive producers are Jeff Skoll and Anikah McLaren. Joseph will also produce alongside Onye Anyanwu, Amy Greenleaf, and Nicolas Gonda.

The deal was negotiated by Jeannine Tang, General Counsel, Stacey Fong, Senior Vice President, Business and Legal Affairs, and Stefanie Holmes, Vice President, Business and Legal Affairs on behalf of Participant, CAA Media Finance, which arranged the film’s financing, and Richard Thompson at Brecheen Feldman Breimer Silver & Thompson on behalf of the filmmaking team alongside A24. Joseph is represented by CAA.

Below you can watch footage of BLKNEWS when it debuted at Venice Art Biennale in 2019.