Rapper, poet, actor, renaissance man Saul Williams recently turned his attention to film directing with Neptune Frost. And for his feature debut, it got one Hell of a launching pad at last year’s Cannes Film Festival as part of the prestigious Directors’ Fortnight. With the support of exec-producer Lin-Manuel Miranda, the film is finally hitting theaters this summer.
A stunning Afrofuturist vision is explored in the sci-fi musical, with Williams joined by co-director and cinematographer Anisia Uzeyman. The cast consists of f Cheryl Isheja, Bertrand Ninteretse aka “Kaya Free,” Eliane Umuhire, Dorcy Rugamba, Rebecca Mucyo, Trésor Niyongabo, Eric Ngangare aka “1Key,” Natacha Muziramakenga, Elvis Ngabo aka “Bobo,” and Cécile Kayirebwa.
The story is set in a Rwandan village where an intersex runaway and an escaped coltan miner’s love story sparks an anti-colonialist revolution against an authoritarian regime.
Expect anything but a traditional narrative experience based on this footage, which features gorgeous, colorful imagery against a backdrop of of hip-hop, spoken word, electronica, and other melodic styles.
Neptune Frost opens on June 3rd at the Quad and BAM in NYC, followed by a national rollout including the Laemmle Theaters in LA on June 10th.