Quendrith Johnson

by Quendrith Johnson, Los Angeles Correspondent

Did you ever see LOVE & BASKETBALL? In light of Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and the others who passed away this year, a movie like this just gives us a moment to reflect. Maybe even enjoy the good things about B-ball, and the hoopsters who have given us so much joy.

AFI Alum LaToya Morgan, a writer/producer, will tell you about it in this clip from AFI Movie Club, and let’s give this Phi Beta Kappa honoree a hand for such a great live performance. Not to mention her new TV series coming up, as well as her past credits, including “The Walking Dead.” Enjoy.

LOVE & BASKETBALL Introduced by AFI’s LaToya Morgan

WHAT:     AFI Alum LaToya Morgan announces today’s AFI Movie Club selection: LOVE & BASKETBALL. The film, starring Sanaa Lathan and Omar Epps, is celebrating its 20th anniversary. Writer/director Gina Prince-Bythewood served as an Artist-in-Residence for AFI’S Directing Workshop for Women in 2015.    

DID YOU KNOW? When Gina Prince-Bythewood wrote Monica’s character, she was inspired by the basketball players she studied and idolized as a kid – Lisa Leslie, Tina Thompson, Dawn Staley and Sheryl Swoopes. In this exclusive AFI Archive video, Prince-Bythewood talks about casting the film.

WHERE:    AFI.com/MovieClub

This is AFI Movie Club

AFI Movie Club is a newly launched program to raise the nation’s spirits by bringing artists and audiences together – even while we are apart. AFI shines a spotlight on an iconic movie, with special guests announcing select AFI Movies of the Day in short videos posted on AFI.com and social media platforms. Audiences can “gather” at AFI.com/MovieClub to find out how to watch the featured movie with the use of their preexisting streaming service credentials. The film selections are supported by fun facts, family discussion points and exclusive material from the AFI Archive to enrich the viewing experience. Audiences can continue the conversation online using the hashtag #AFIMovieClub. Learn more at AFI.com and follow us on social media at Facebook.com/AmericanFilmInstitute, YouTube.com/AFI, Twitter.com/AmericanFilm and Instagram.com/AmericanFilmInstitute.

# # #