Interviews

Interview: Kobi Libii – The American Society of Magical Negroes | 2019 January Screenwriters Lab

Published on February 21, 2019

Among those selected to take part in the Sundance Institute January Screenwriters Lab we find Kobi Libii who brought The American Society of Magical Negroes to the Sundance Mountain Resort just prior to the launch of the 2019 edition of Sundance. An actor/writer/comedian who studied comedy at Second City Chicago, Libii has been writing and performing for television, sketch and improvised comedy — most recently trading punches on The Opposition with Jordan Klepper.

The American Society of Magical Negroes tells the story of Omar, a young black man, is recruited into an undercover society of Magical Negroes who secretly conjure literal magic to make white people’s lives easier. Once he realizes they are using supernatural means to do the very thing he’s felt obligated to do his whole life, he attempts to buck the system and put his own dreams first. Here is a quick chat with Kobi Libii during the 2019 Sundance Film Festival.

Eric Lavallée

Eric Lavallée is the founder, CEO, editor-in-chief, film journalist and critic at IONCINEMA.com (founded in 2000). Eric is a regular at Sundance, Cannes and TIFF. He has a BFA in Film Studies at the Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema. In 2013 he served as a Narrative Competition Jury Member at the SXSW Film Festival. He was an associate producer on Mark Jackson's This Teacher (2018 LA Film Festival, 2018 BFI London). In 2022 he served as a New Flesh Comp for Best First Feature at the 2022 Fantasia Intl. Film Festival. Current top films for 2022 include Tár (Todd Field), All That Breathes (Shaunak Sen), Aftersun (Charlotte Wells).