Bessie
Survival began with a song
Genres
Overview
The story of legendary blues performer, Bessie Smith, who rose to fame during the 1920s and '30s.
Details
Budget
$0
Revenue
$0
Runtime
107 min
Release Date
2015-05-16
Status
Released
Original Language
English
Vote Count
121
Vote Average
6.408
Queen Latifah
Bessie Smith
Kamryn Johnson
Young Bessie
Rikki McKinney
Chorus Guy
Alan T. Coleman
Stagehand
Tory Kittles
Clarence
Clay Chappell
'81' Theatre Owner
Tika Sumpter
Lucille
Sharan C. Mansfield
Miss Taylor
Neko Parham
Rehearsal Director
Onira Tarés
Chorus Girl
Jhoni Davis
Chorus Girl
Jim R. Coleman
Host
Melissa Youngblood
Theatergoer
Mo'Nique
Ma Rainey
Jennifer Sears
Ma's Main Girl
Charles S. Dutton
William 'Pa' Rainey
Briana Starks
Ma's Dancer
Todd Allen Durkin
Nightclub Manager
Crystal Lee Brown
Bessie's Dancer
Hunter Womack
Roadie
Christopher Harvey
Roadie
Tia Hendricks
Doreen Dupree
Marie Burke
Etta Johnson
Michael Kenneth Williams
Jack Gee
Terence Rosemore
Detroit Theater Manager
Karri Mack
Wild Child
Kaden Washington Lewis
Swarm Boy
Khandi Alexander
Viola
L. Warren Young
Sharkish Man
Saundra Dunson-Franks
Hostess
Bralyn Stokes
Harry Herbert Pace
Cj Sykes
Black Swan Executive
Adebukola Bodunrin
Black Swan Receptionist
Joe Knezevich
Frank Walker
Mike Epps
Richard
Troy Faruk
Brave Man
David Paul Lord
Klansman
Chris Walters
Doorman
Jessejames Locorriere
Vanity Fair Editor
Oliver Platt
Carl Van Vechten
Whitney Goin
Fania Van Vechten
Jeremie Harris
Langston Hughes
Chantelle Rose Mussenden
Gertrude
Sylvester Ambrose James II
Jack Gee Jr.
Bryan Greenberg
John Hammond
Levi Erik
Benny Goodman
Gerard 'Gus' Williams
Gangster
Tim McAdams
Shady Guy
Kenny Banks Jr.
Bessie's Band Member
Michael Burton
Bessie's Band Member
Roderick Harris
Bessie's Band Member
John A. Harvey
Bessie's Band Member
Reggie Hines
Bessie's Band Member
Kevin Kendrick
Bessie's Band Member
Marcus Lewis
Bessie's Band Member
Kenneth Murray Jr.
Bessie's Band Member
Kwame Paige
Bessie's Band Member
Jason Passmore
Bessie's Band Member
Daniel Saintil
Bessie's Band Member
Craig Shaw
Bessie's Band Member
Don C. Sherow
Bessie's Band Member
Dashiel Smith
Bessie's Band Member
Eric Solomon
Bessie's Band Member
Joseph Claude Sommerville Jr.
Bessie's Band Member
Teddy White
Bessie's Band Member
Wilbert Williams
Bessie's Band Member
Brandon Boone
Ma's Band Member
Robert Boone
Ma's Band Member
Daniel Terence Harper
Ma's Band Member
Anton Harris
Ma's Band Member
Jody Mayfield
Ma's Band Member
Derrick B. White
Ma's Band Member
Edward Wright
Ma's Band Member
Jonathan Bryant
Dancer
Heather Bland
Dancer
Raquiah Carter
Dancer
Lauren Debrick
Dancer
Desiree Dixon
Dancer
Anthony Hart
Dancer
Nia Lancelin
Dancer
Keshia McNeal
Dancer
Samara Michelle
Dancer
LaVaughn Morton
Dancer
Tiffany Murray
Dancer
Ashley Neal
Dancer
Tiffany Norris
Dancer
Christopher L. Plunkett
Dancer
Stephan Reynolds
Dancer
Nateli Ruiz
Dancer
Primas Leon Stanley
Dancer
Brentney Stephens
Dancer
Dacia Stinson
Dancer
Fred Swinton
Dancer
Sheerod Tate
Dancer
Quiantae Thomas
Dancer
Alicia 'Nikki' Thompson
Dancer
Kendre White
Dancer
Selah Avery
Background Extra (uncredited)
Perry Ball
Railroad Passenger (uncredited)
Qualen Bradley
Stage Crew (uncredited)
Alkoya Brunson
Swarm Boy #2 (uncredited)
Jeffery James Bucchino
Doorman (uncredited)
Judy McGee Burley
Extra (uncredited)
Jess Marie Carr
Ophelia Franklin (uncredited)
Jameson Jamey Copeland
Upscale Party Goer (uncredited)
Taurus Davis
Extra (uncredited)
Dino Demitri
KKK Driver (uncredited)
Derrick Dee
Bodyguard (uncredited)
Shannon Edwards
Philadelphia Audience Member (uncredited)
Tyrone Emanuel
Party Guest (uncredited)
Samuel Lee Fudge
Hoover Town Citizen (uncredited)
Adella Gautier
Neighbor #2 (uncredited)
Curtis Gordon
Train Passenger #2 (uncredited)
Montice Harmon
Party Goer (uncredited)
Rob Hays
Server (uncredited)
Sarah Turner Holland
Train Passenger #1 (uncredited)
Damita Jane Howard
Jack's Lover (uncredited)
Geoffrey Howard
Poker Player (uncredited)
Charlie Johnson
Party Goer (uncredited)
Noah Hudson Killingbeck
Neighborhood Kid (uncredited)
Andre Lamar
Cheering Fan (uncredited)
Trey McGriff
Pedestrian (uncredited)
Lanier McKinney
Dancer (uncredited)
John Merical
VIP Guest (uncredited)
Dan Michael
Theater Goer (uncredited)
Letecia Reeder
Patron (uncredited)
Swift Rice
Stage Hand (uncredited)
Darrell L. Shuler
Club Goer (uncredited)
Alexis Silvestre
Pretzel Guy (uncredited)
Nicole Spiezio
Marguerite d'Alvarez (uncredited)
Dorothea Syleos
Switchboard Operator (uncredited)
Tray Williams
Stage Crew (uncredited)
7.1
Antonia's Line
After World War II, Antonia and her daughter, Danielle, go back to their Dutch hometown, where Antonia's late mother has bestowed a small farm upon her. There, Antonia settles down and joins a tightly-knit but unusual community. Those around her include quirky friend Crooked Finger, would-be suitor Bas and, eventually for Antonia, a granddaughter and great-granddaughter who help create a strong family of empowered women.
1995-09-21 | nl
7.2
Irreversible
A woman’s lover and her ex-boyfriend take justice into their own hands after she becomes the victim of a rapist. Because some acts can’t be undone. Because man is an animal. Because the desire for vengeance is a natural impulse. Because most crimes remain unpunished.
2002-05-22 | fr
7.0
Transamerica
A transgender woman takes an unexpected journey when she learns that she had a son, now a teenage runaway hustling on the streets of New York.
2005-02-14 | en
6.2
Fat Girl
Anaïs is twelve and bears the weight of the world on her shoulders. She watches her older sister, Elena, whom she both loves and hates. Elena is fifteen and devilishly beautiful. Neither more futile, nor more stupid than her younger sister, she cannot understand that she is merely an object of desire. And, as such, she can only be taken. Or had. Indeed, this is the subject: a girl's loss of virginity. And, that summer, it opens a door to tragedy.
2001-03-07 | fr
6.7
Bridget Jones's Diary
Bridget Jones is an average woman struggling against her age, her weight, her job, her lack of a man, and her various imperfections. As a New Year's resolution, Bridget decides to take control of her life, starting by keeping a diary in which she will always tell the complete truth. The fireworks begin when her charming though disreputable boss takes an interest in the quirky Miss Jones. Thrown into the mix are Bridget's band of slightly eccentric friends and a rather disagreeable acquaintance into whom Bridget cannot seem to stop running or help finding quietly attractive.
2001-04-13 | en
8.0
Requiem for a Dream
The drug-induced utopias of four Coney Island residents are shattered when their addictions run deep.
2000-10-06 | en
7.1
Whale Rider
On the east coast of New Zealand, the Whangara people believe their presence there dates back a thousand years or more to a single ancestor, Paikea, who escaped death when his canoe capsized by riding to shore on the back of a whale. From then on, Whangara chiefs, always the first-born, always male, have been considered Paikea's direct descendants. Pai, an 11-year-old girl in a patriarchal New Zealand tribe, believes she is destined to be the new chief. But her grandfather Koro is bound by tradition to pick a male leader. Pai loves Koro more than anyone in the world, but she must fight him and a thousand years of tradition to fulfill her destiny.
2003-01-30 | en
7.1
The Story of the Weeping Camel
When a Mongolian nomadic family's newest camel colt is rejected by its mother, a musician is needed for a ritual to change her mind.
2003-06-29 | mn
6.2
Ghosts
Nina, an end-of-teenage orphan with mental problems, starts a new job as a garden cleaner when she meets Toni. They fell in love with each other, but soon Toni starts betraying Nina. In the meantime, Francoise is picked up at a psychic department of a Berlin hospital by her husband, Pierre. After seeing Nina, Francoise believes that she has found her kidnapped daughter Marie, but neither Toni nor Pierre believe her. Nina is unsure about what to think...
2005-09-15 | de
7.0
The Miracle Worker
Devoted teacher Anne Sullivan leads deaf, blind and mute Helen Keller out of solitude and helps integrate her into the world.
2000-11-12 | en
7.8
Moral
The episodically connected lives of four college friends unfold throughout the incipient martial law years, as they struggle to define their sexual and professional desires and how best to attain them.
1982-12-25 | tl
7.4
Frida
A biography of artist Frida Kahlo, who channeled the pain of a crippling injury and her tempestuous marriage into her work.
2002-08-29 | en
6.3
Shortbus
In post-9/11 New York City, an eclectic group of citizens find their lives entangled, personally, romantically, and sexually, at Shortbus, an underground Brooklyn salon infamous for its blend of art, music, politics, and carnality.
2006-10-04 | en
5.4
Top 1
Azi and Dex are both vying to be their batch valedictorian but Dex is always behind Azi. He then plans to make her fall in love to be a distraction, but his plan is a double-edged sword.
2024-07-02 | tl
7.0
Kaulayaw
Two college schoolmates venture into the world of cybersex to support their needs. They fulfill their fans' sexual fantasy only to realized that they too, are falling for each other.
2024-07-18 | tl
4.7
Uhaw
A wife learns that her husband who's in coma had an affair. She confronts the other woman but instead finds solace in her. She then realizes she's falling for her husband's mistress.
2024-09-13 | tl
6.0
Home Is Here
A story about Hannah (Anna Åström), a young woman who is very shy on the outside, but whose inner world is deep, exciting and vibrant. One day, Hannah notices a house that looks as if it is cut out from a hip home decorating magazine. Intrigued, she decides to break in and try to find out who owns this emotionless beautiful home equipped with high-end technology. While at first Hannah enjoys the luxury, she starts to notice on each visit that Max (Stipe Erceg), the owner of the house, is excessively obsessed with his physical possessions. He has spent a lot of time to make sure that everything external meets the society’s standards that he has forgotten himself. The things that he himself likes, the activities that make him smile, and the people who make him happy. Having realised that, Hannah starts leaving hints for Max, so as to shake him out of the the everyday emptiness and make him focus on what is important.
2017-05-25 | de
5.6
Sign
'SIGN' is a short film that tells, through vignettes, music, and sign language, the story of a relationship between Ben, a hearing man, and Aaron, who is deaf.
2016-07-09 | xx
1.0
American Joyride
A down on their luck couple from South Georgia go on the run to get the money to repay a gambling debt, and decide to film their escapade, in hopes of selling their 'reality movie' to Hollywood for a quick buck. However, the danger becomes very real when their misguided foray into drug dealing does not go as planned, and they quickly find out they are in over their heads.
2011-04-09 | en
6.4
Copying Beethoven
A fictionalised exploration of Beethoven's life in his final days working on his Ninth Symphony. It is 1824. Beethoven is racing to finish his new symphony. However, it has been years since his last success and he is plagued by deafness, loneliness and personal trauma. A copyist is urgently needed to help the composer. A fictional character is introduced in the form of a young conservatory student and aspiring composer named Anna Holtz. The mercurial Beethoven is skeptical that a woman might become involved in his masterpiece but slowly comes to trust in Anna's assistance and in the end becomes quite fond of her. By the time the piece is performed, her presence in his life is an absolute necessity. Her deep understanding of his work is such that she even corrects mistakes he has made, while her passionate personality opens a door into his private world.
2006-09-10 | en