2019 Sundance Film Festival Predictions: #46. Joe Talbot – Last Black Man in San Francisco

Perhaps making the leap from former short filmmaker alumni (2017’s American Paradise) to debuting his directorial debut, Sundance are not the only ones to have kept close tabs on Joe Talbot. With major backers Plan B Entertainment and A24, Last Black Man in San Francisco was part of the Sundance Institute’s Screenwriters Lab in 2016, and went into production in April of 2018 (with dp and Adam Newport-Berra) after a good three years in active development. Jimmie Fails is surrounded by Jonathan Majors, Danny Glover, Tichina Arnold, Rob Morgan, Mike Epps, Finn Wittrock and Thora Birch make up the cast. The Cinereach folks and San Francisco Film Society are also a backers. We look forward to meeting Jimmie Fails and this San Fran portrait.

Gist: Written by Talbot and Rob Richer, this is adapted from Jimmie Fails’ real life story — about a young African-American who dreams of buying back the Victorian home his grandfather built in the heart of San Francisco. Now living in the city’s last, dwindling black neighborhood with his oddball best friend, Prentice, they search for belonging in the rapidly changing city that seems to have left them behind.

Production Co./Producers: Joe Talbot, Khaliah Neal, Plan B Entertainment’s Dede Gardner, Christina Oh, Jeremy Kleiner and Brad Pitt.

Prediction: NEXT section.

U.S. Distributor: A24 Films.