Kahlil Josephpp film “BLKNWS: Terms and Conditions” was subtracted Sundance The film festival just a few days before its world premiere. The financier and copyright holder of the film, Participantstated that the cut that was screened differed from the final cut that Joseph originally delivered.
Participant, the now defunct social-impact studio behind movies like “Spotlight,” sent a legal letter to the filmmaker accusing him of showing a “secret” cut of the project to critics.
Participant in the letter, first received by Amountsaid it was “shocked” by the alternative cut; the studio pulled the film from the festival ahead of its screening on Friday. The participant also says that Joseph presented the new clip to the Berlin International Film Festival, where it was to be shown next month, “all behind the participant’s back.” Deadline reported that officials for Berlin were waiting to consult with Joseph before seeing if screenings of the film could continue.
“Given that Mr. Joseph delivered the film to the Participant in November 2024, and Participant submitted that version to Sundance in the belief that it was the final cut of the film, it is completely unacceptable that Mr. Joseph continued to claim to have made changes to the film. Film “, the letter reads in part. “Participant cannot work with a director it can no longer trust and who is actively working to circumvent Participant and to thwart the film’s planned and agreed upon debut. The Participant will therefore collect the film from the Sundance and Berlin Film Festivals and reserves all rights to seek recourse from Joseph and his related entities for their breach of contract and wrongdoing.”
“BLKNWS: General Terms and Conditions” is one expansion of Joseph’s 2019 art exhibition titled BLKNWS which comments on the lens through which the news media shapes the Black experience. CAA presented the film, which was originally staged at A24, to domestic buyers at the festival. The entrant’s legal brief alleges that A24 dropped the project after Joseph failed to deliver a finished cut of the film, causing the entrant “significant harm” by no longer having his co-financier on the project.
Reps for Joseph did not immediately respond to IndieWire’s request for comment.
Sundance, which did not respond to IndieWire’s request for comment, told Variety it was “deeply disappointed” by the film’s release, calling it “a brilliant and immersive cinematic experience.”
Participant ceased formal operations in April last yearalthough it still exists as a holding company for the Participant’s film library. “BLKNWS” was one of the last unreleased titles from the studio.
