‘Love & Basketball’ 25th Anniversary Reunites Sanaa Lathan and Gina Prince-Bythewood for NBA All-Star Week Panel – Film News in Brief

In celebration of its 25th anniversay, Gina Prince-Bythewood’s “Love & Basketball” is set to launch the HBCU First LOOK Film Festival.

The event takes place Feb. 12, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. PT at the Maybourne Beverly Hills, featuring a reception and panel discussion exploring the film’s cultural impact on women’s sports.

CNN anchor Laura Coates will moderate the conversation titled “25 Years of Love & Basketball: A Celebration of Women in Sports,” joined by director Prince-Bythewood, star Sanaa Lathan, sports journalist Cari Champion and broadcasting pioneer Jayne Kennedy, the first Black woman sportscaster on national network television.

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The film will kick off NBA week.

The panel will examine how the 2000 film’s legacy connects to today’s rising visibility of women’s athletics across the WNBA, college sports and media coverage. Prince-Bythewood’s film was added to the National Film Registry in 2023. Lathan’s portrayal of Monica Wright remains one of cinema’s most influential depictions of Black female athletes.

OWN will extend the celebration with a Valentine’s Day airing of “Love & Basketball” on Feb. 14 as part of its weekend programming.

Presenting sponsors include CNN, TNT Sports, Black Girl Vitamins, OWN and Visit East Point. The HBCU First LOOK Film Festival returns to Howard University Nov. 5-7.

Monday, February 2

Sony Pictures Shifts ‘The Breadwinner’ to Memorial Day Weekend

Sony Pictures has announced a release date change for the family comedy “The Breadwinner,” moving the TriStar Pictures release from March 13 to May 29, positioning it for the lucrative Memorial Day weekend rollout.

The film marks the feature debut of comedian Nate Bargatze, who stars as Nate Wilcox, a lifelong breadwinner thrust into stay-at-home dad duty when his wife Katie (Mandy Moore) lands a major business deal on Shark Tank. Left to manage three young daughters with little childcare experience, Nate discovers that running a household may be his toughest challenge yet.

The ensemble cast includes Colin Jost, Zach Cherry, Martin Herlihy, Kate Berlant, Kumail Nanjiani and Will Forte.

Eric Appel directs from a screenplay by Bargatze and Dan Lagana. Jeremy Latcham, Nate Bargatze and Dan Lagana produce, with JoAnn Perritano, Michael Musgrave and Tyler Zacharia serving as executive producers.