It’s A Good Day To Be Black & Sexy: An official selection 2008 Sundance Film Festival

 

This was the official site for the 2008 indie film, It’s A Good Day To Be Black & Sexy, an official selection of the 2008 Sundance Film Festival.
Content is from the site's 2008 archived pages, as well as from other outside sources.

Available on Amazon Prime for rental or purchase.

"The indie film, A Good Day to Be Black and Sexy, came out in 2008 and was a daring attempt to highlight the lives of multiple residents in Cali during a very hot day. Shot through vignettes, each scene seemed to be accompanied by some of the chillest music that I had never heard before. The soundtrack, which garnered pretty hot attention in 2009 was a bonafide winner. My favorite was Allegra Doloros' "The Music OK" and I even enjoyed Sheena Player's "Tonite," which reminded me of early grooves by the late singer Aaliyah."
Moon | www.soulbounce.com/



A Good Day to be Black and Sexy - Trailer
This mix tape of deftly arranged vignettes serves as a dreamy celebration of the beautiful and chocolate coated—or does it? a sophisticated, knowing look at modern relationships, this is a sharply detailed, at times acid comedy about the (almost) universal problems of modern love.

 

Urban Philly/ReelBlack
Thur. July 31st @ TBA
Venue: TBA
Philadelphia, PA


Black Harvest Int'l Festival of Film
Sat. August 23rd @ 8:30pm
Wed. August 27th @ 8:30pm 
Gene Siskel Film Center
Chicago, IL

 

 

 

 



SUNDANCE '08 - INTERVIEW: A GOOD DAY TO BE BLACK AND SEXY
An interview at 2008 Sundance Film Festival with Dennis Dortch, Director of A GOOD DAY TO BE BLACK AND SEXY.

 

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AFI FEST 2008 Red Carpet Arrivals - Day 7

In This Photo: Dennis Dortch
Director Dennis Dortch (front R) and cast and crew of "A Good Day To Be Black & Sexy" arrive the 2008 AFI FEST held at Arclight Hollywood on November 5, 2008 in Hollywood, California.

 

 

REVIEWS

 

A Good Day to Be Black and Sexy

1/29/2008 by Duane ByrgeAP / www.hollywoodreporter.com/

Sundance Film Festival

PARK CITY -- Relationship problems kill bedroom performance in this smart romance-romp. A raunchy between-the-sheets peak at modern-day black sexuality, "A Good Day to Be Black & Sexy" should woo urban audiences to the theater, and score on BET and as a DVD rental.

A series of frothy vignettes, "Black & Sexy" centers on relationship dynamics, and, in these ribald cases, relationship dysfunctions. In filmmaker Dennis Dortch's perceptive comedy, miscommunication messes up sex. Usually, there's a third partner in bed in these sexual/romantic encounters: a hidden agenda. 

Blending movie and musical styles to enhance the individual segments, Dortch has created an entertaining glimpse into black sexuality and romance. Audiences will identify with his realistic and identifiable characters, in large part thanks to the talented and exuberant cast. 

Among the well-assembled cast, Mylika Davis stands out as a take-charge innocent who suffers through her teenage dawg days. Chonte Harris is hilarious as a put-upon "other woman" who skewers her married lover with brilliant, irrational logic. As the perplexed player, Marcuis Harris is sympathetic and lamentable.

All performances are on-target and ripe, highlighted by smart turns from Kathryn Taylor as a selfish lover, Emily Liu as an Asian-American with a forbidden yen for a black basketball star, and Brandon Valley Jones as a flustered, neglected lover.

Tech credits are a soothing and sizzling blend, clarifying the psycho-sexual dramas.

A GOOD DAY TO BE BLACK & SEXY
Magnolia Pictures
1976 Experience
Credits: 
Director/screenwriter/music supervisor: Dennis Dortch
Producer: Layla Mashavu Sewell
Director of photography: Brian Harding
Production designer: Vali Tirsoaga
Editors: Tangier Clarke, Dennis Dortch
Casting director: Adetoro Makinde
Cast: 


Jeanette: Kathryn Taylor
Tony: Brandon Valley Jones
Candi: Nana Hill
Helena: Chonte Harris
D'Andre: Marcuis Harris
Tamala: Mylika Davis
Jabari: Allen Maldonado
Russell: Kareem Grimes
Julian: Jerome Hawkins
Jesse: Alphonso Jackson
Jasmine: Emily Liu
Running time -- 92 minutes
No MPAA rating

TOMATOMETER CRITICS 80% | AUDIENCE 51%

 

Writer/director/editor Dennis Dortch explores the subject of sexuality and relationships within the black community in this collection of six vignettes set in Los Angeles and designed to shatter stereotypes about black sexuality. From the woman determined to get hers first to the curious teenager who finds herself in a questionable situation and the boy who becomes stifled by interracial taboos, Dortch's film doesn't shy away from the more controversial aspects of contemporary sexuality.

 

Critics Reviews

 

Dortch's manipulation of stereotype and the associations embedded in everything from skin tone to music set him apart as a talent to watch.
Dec 4, 2008
Ernest Hardy  L.A. Weekly    Top Critic

Writer-director Dennis Dortch’s A Good Day to Be Black and Sexy is a series of vignettes that largely hinges on sex scenes of varying degrees of erotic heat. It’s less the sexual sizzle and more the psychological nuances of relationships that interest him. In “Reciprocity,” a woman’s refusal to return her boyfriend’s oral favors throws light on larger power struggles, while in “Tonight,” a teenager’s refusal to give her virginity to her boyfriend lands her stranded roadside, and later flirting with an older man. “Her Man” follows as a steamy coupling between a mistress and her married lover results in a tug-of-war about the terms of their relationship.

And “American Boyfriend” dips into pools of race and culture clash, as a young Chinese woman attempts to hide her black boyfriend from her family. Dortch has a sly, often deceptively light hand as he references everything from ’70s Blaxploitation to underground/indie hip-hop and R&B, Asian porn and Cassavettes in his portrait of the battleground dynamics of Negroes in lust and love. A couple of the tales drag on too long; all could be written tighter, and a few could be pushed further conceptually, but Dortch’s manipulation of stereotype and the associations embedded in everything from skin tone to music set him apart as a talent to watch. (The Bridge) (Ernest Hardy)

+++

Jan 30, 2008
Duane Byrge  Hollywood Reporter  Top Critic
A raunchy between-the-sheets peak at modern-day black sexuality...should woo urban audiences to the theater.

+++

Feb 10, 2009 | Rating: 3/4
Kam Williams   NewsBlaze
A kooky, kinky quintet of black bedtimes stories.

 

 

Related: The other day while I was helping my brother, we got to talking about films, a common topic of interest for us. We were reminiscing about the 2008 indie film, "It's A Good Day To Be Black & Sexy." It's been more than a decade since we saw it as high school students in NYC. The soundtrack was fantastic, and it sparked a conversation about what the director has been up to since that breakout movie. "Let's finish up here, and then we can do a quick search," I suggested, knowing my brother's tendency to get distracted. We were determined to complete our task of selecting some unique gifts, as he needed to prepare for his trip to Cannes.

Afterwards, we did a search for Dennis Dortch. According to IMDb, he has 21 credits as a director, most for a number of TV series, and likewise for Producer credits (20). The man has been BUSY. With partners, he created BLACK&SEXY TV, a spin-off venture from his 2008 Sundance Film Festival darling, “A Good Day to be Black and Sexy." BLACK&SEXY TV is an entertainment and lifestyle network that has coined the phrase "Independent TV" while creating a slate of programming focused on a young, progressive, Black audience who seek a truer reflection of their modern culture

In 2019 he is the producer for the film Jezebel, a bizarre coming of age story depicts sisterhood in a most unusual way. Summary: In the last days of her mother's life, 19 year old Tiffany crashes with five family members in a Las Vegas studio apartment. In order to make ends meet, her older sister, a phone sex operator, introduces her to the world of internet fetish cam girls. Tiffany becomes popular as the only "live black model" at the new adult site and soon becomes too close to one of her frequent callers. Dynamics shift in the sister relationship as each woman explores and exploits their sexuality, using their created fantasy worlds as an escape from the realities of their challenging real life circumstances.

We decided to watch A Good Day To Be Black & Sexy that evening. Bummer, Netflix no longer carried it. They dropped offering it in 2016. BUT on Amazon Prime we were able to rent it for $2.99. And so we called up some friends, ordered take out, and spent the evening watching A Good Day To Be Black & Sexy again. One friend summed it up pretty succinctly "I love the fact that it addresses many of the things we all deal with at one time or another and it throws it at you, all gritty and straight up, no flowers and soft music."

 

 

 

Audience Reviews

****Andrew S April 10, 2009
This six piece vignettes was a delightful gem. I really liked the voyeuristic way it was shot in, although I felt the lighting was a bad in particular parts. Sometimes the actors blended in with the surrounding darkness too much. I thought all of the actors and actress gave outstanding performances. I hope to see them again in future films I thought they were all fairly talented. loved the opening of the film and how it wasn't afraid to be raunchy. But what I liked most about this film was that the characters were well round the situations were realistic and the dialogue was spot on. Some of the reviewers found this dark??? I didn't think this film was dark at all. It just explored relationship from a more realistic point of view than audiences are use to.

+++

***Tamara T April 4, 2009
cute. nice try. definitely worth checking out.

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Brentin M ****½March 30, 2009
This is a great movie, especially for the burgeoning "grown and sexy" outfit among our generation. If you're like me, and you can't stomach the "Why Did I Get Married?" coonin' style of Tyler Perry filmmaking, you will probably appreciate the hell out of this movie, which takes a more authentic examination of the sexual and commitment-challenging tensions that exist sometimes between black men and women. It's a lil' raunchy, but not crass. There is a lot said in this movie without any dialogue at all. It's a collection of vignettes, various episodes displaying different scenarios we've all found ourselves in romantically, sexually and so forth. It's an independent film, with no stars in the cast, but all characters you'd recognize. They got it on instant play on Netflix. Grab that jawn.

+++

***** Paula P March 26, 2009
As I sat in a packed auditorium at this film's opening at Sundance 2008, I listened and joined in with the audience's loud laughter. This film provides unique perspectives in each of the six vignettes, a lot of attitude, and has a well-chosen cast and exciting soundtrack. A Good Day to be Black and Sexy is an artful film with appeal to more than Black audiences.

Dennis Dortch was nominated for Best Director 2008 and it is easy to watch this film and see why.

+++

David B March 5, 2009
"Seriously not fun to watch" Truer words were never spoken. Yes, it strives to dig into the not-so-nice side of relationships but what it comes up with is a bunch of reprehensible characters in hard-to-watch vignettes. The women are selfish and conniving, and the men are either weak or jerks (except the dude in the last segment lol. He went out cool).

And what's up with a movie that is an R-rated, frank, adult piece on sex... that's afraid to show frontal nudity? It was like it was purposely being avoided. Wack.

On a visual level, while I typically have nothing against the "cinema verite" handheld camera look, there were moments where I felt almost seasick. Too much is too much.

Despite all that, I respect the ambition to explore the dark side of relationships. It doesn't necessarily have to be "fun" to be a good film, but Neil LaBute this is not.

+++

Felix L ½ February 14, 2009
Don't let let the fun lettering on the cover/poster fool you...this movie is seriously not fun to watch. You know all that stuff you skip over when you watch porn to get to all the juicy bits? Well all that stuff is this movie but with shittier lighting and uglier people.

+++

Lee M ***½ February 11, 2009
More than just a raunchy between-the-sheets peak at modern-day black sexuality...Dortch is far less interested in where movies have been than where they've never dared to go -- into the abrasive side of sexual posturing, negotiating and politics.

+++

** Sophia S February 10, 2009
They do not interconnect. I thought it was good to see Black women, in all different hues being sexy and sexual. But overall I thought it was ok. The soundtrack was SLAMMING, though.

+++

**Patricia W December 5, 2008
Some interesting vignettes, but overall eminently "missable".

+++

Matthew W ***½December 5, 2008
So happy I'm sexy too!

 

 

 

Imdb User Review

Sex on the big screen in a new way
26 February 2008 | by whitfld64

With a little fear and trepidation, I saw this film at Sundance in Jan 2008. I ended up enjoying it immensely! Instead of one story with a single set of characters, the movie used several vignettes (each with different actors) to cover different sexual scenarios with realism, sensitivity, humor and intelligence. The camera angles and editing style lent a visceral "reality TV" feel to the movie, but never was it pornographic or in bad taste.

This set of stories have a little something for everyone because these experiences and situations are universal to being human. Two of the stories in particular still make me chuckle when I think of them because I've been there (well, almost!). Lastly, the soundtrack is a perfect match for the film. Filmmaker Dennis Dortch spent some time as a recording engineer before deciding to go into film, and this results in a soundtrack that is tight and very complimentary to the mood; a work of art in its own right.

 

More Background On TheBlackAndSexyMovie.com

 

TheBlackAndSexyMovie.com served as the official online home for the independent feature film A Good Day to Be Black & Sexy, a 2008 Sundance Film Festival selection written and directed by Dennis Dortch. The website functioned as both a promotional platform and a cultural archive for a film that sought to challenge conventional portrayals of Black intimacy, romance, and sexuality in American cinema. At a time when independent Black filmmakers faced limited access to mainstream distribution and visibility, the site stood as a digital hub documenting the film’s identity, screenings, reviews, creative team, and reception.

More than a marketing tool, TheBlackAndSexyMovie.com captured a specific moment in independent film history—when online presence, festival buzz, and grassroots audiences intersected to elevate smaller productions into culturally meaningful works. The site preserved the voice and intent of a film that deliberately pushed beyond stereotypes, embracing nuance, humor, discomfort, and authenticity in its depiction of modern relationships.

Background and Purpose of the Website

TheBlackAndSexyMovie.com was launched to support the release and festival run of A Good Day to Be Black & Sexy, an ensemble-style independent film built around six interwoven vignettes. Each vignette examined different dynamics of intimacy, power, vulnerability, and identity within Black relationships. The website provided a centralized location for:

  • Film synopses and creative background

  • Festival screening information

  • Press coverage and critical reviews

  • Cast and crew credits

  • Audience reactions and commentary

  • Trailers and promotional stills

  • Cultural framing of the film’s themes

Unlike many temporary promotional pages of the era, the site was content-rich and narrative-driven. It preserved not just logistical information, but also the cultural context surrounding the film’s creation and reception.

Ownership and Creative Leadership

The website was operated in direct connection with the film’s production team, led by writer, director, and editor Dennis Dortch. Dortch’s creative fingerprint is visible throughout both the film and the website’s tone—direct, exploratory, unapologetic, and rooted in lived experience.

Dennis Dortch’s background as a filmmaker with experience in music, editing, and storytelling shaped both the film and its digital presentation. The site reflected his emphasis on authenticity, representation, and the emotional complexity of Black relationships. His later career—including work in television and the founding of BLACK&SEXY TV—can be traced directly back to the creative groundwork laid by this project.

Historical Context and Release Period

The film debuted as an official selection at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival, a critical launching point that gave it credibility within the independent film circuit. At the time, Sundance was a major platform for emerging Black filmmakers seeking national and international attention outside of studio systems.

TheBlackAndSexyMovie.com chronicled the film’s journey through:

  • Sundance Film Festival screenings

  • AFI Fest appearances

  • Urban and independent film showcases

  • Regional screenings in cities such as Philadelphia and Chicago

The site also documented festival Q&A sessions, interviews, and red-carpet appearances, including coverage of the cast and crew at AFI Fest in Hollywood.

Film Overview and Narrative Structure

A Good Day to Be Black & Sexy is structured as a series of interconnected vignettes, each focusing on a different relationship or sexual dynamic. Rather than following a single protagonist, the film presents a mosaic of experiences that reflect emotional complexity, contradiction, and vulnerability.

The stories explore themes such as:

  • Power imbalances in romantic relationships

  • Gender expectations and sexual negotiation

  • Interracial relationships and cultural tension

  • Emotional honesty versus performance

  • Desire, rejection, and self-perception

The vignettes are stylistically distinct yet unified by tone and thematic intent, allowing the film to explore intimacy without imposing a singular moral lens.

Artistic and Cultural Goals

The website emphasized that the film was not created to sensationalize sexuality, but to humanize it. The creators positioned the film as a response to both mainstream Hollywood stereotypes and overly sanitized portrayals of Black relationships.

Key goals included:

  • Challenging one-dimensional portrayals of Black intimacy

  • Creating space for nuanced emotional storytelling

  • Addressing taboos often avoided in mainstream cinema

  • Depicting sexuality as complex rather than exploitative

  • Reflecting modern urban relationships with honesty

These themes appeared consistently across interviews, reviews, and audience commentary preserved on the site.

Critical Reception and Reviews

TheBlackAndSexyMovie.com featured excerpts from professional reviews praising the film’s ambition and emotional intelligence.

Critical Highlights

  • Hollywood Reporter described the film as a “raunchy between-the-sheets peek at modern-day Black sexuality,” noting its appeal to urban and independent audiences.

  • L.A. Weekly praised Dennis Dortch’s handling of stereotype and symbolism, citing his nuanced approach to race, desire, and identity.

  • Critics emphasized the film’s use of music, pacing, and dialogue as tools for emotional storytelling rather than spectacle.

Reviews frequently highlighted the ensemble cast’s realism and emotional vulnerability.

Audience Reception and Cultural Impact

The site preserved a wide range of audience reactions, reflecting the film’s ability to provoke conversation rather than consensus.

Positive responses often cited:

  • Authentic dialogue

  • Strong performances

  • Relatable scenarios

  • A refreshing departure from Hollywood clichés

More critical responses noted:

  • Discomfort with subject matter

  • Uneven pacing between vignettes

  • Stylistic choices such as handheld camerawork

Across perspectives, viewers consistently acknowledged the film’s boldness and willingness to address intimacy without moralizing.

Music and Soundtrack Influence

Music played a central role in the film’s emotional tone. The soundtrack blended soul, R&B, and indie influences, reinforcing the mood of each vignette.

Dennis Dortch’s background in music production shaped the film’s sonic identity, with rhythm and atmosphere guiding emotional transitions rather than traditional scoring.

Distribution and Availability

Following its festival run, the film became available through:

  • Limited theatrical screenings

  • DVD release

  • Digital rental platforms such as Amazon Prime

The website tracked these changes and documented the shifting realities of independent film distribution.

Despite limited access, the film maintained a long-tail audience through word of mouth, academic interest, and renewed attention to Dennis Dortch’s later work.

Relationship to BLACK&SEXY TV

The success of A Good Day to Be Black & Sexy directly influenced the creation of BLACK&SEXY TV, a digital platform founded by Dennis Dortch to expand opportunities for Black creators.

TheBlackAndSexyMovie.com effectively served as the conceptual foundation for this later venture.

Cultural and Social Significance

The film and its website occupy an important place in the evolution of independent Black cinema.

Its significance includes:

  • Normalizing conversations around Black intimacy

  • Challenging cinematic stereotypes

  • Elevating independent Black filmmakers

  • Demonstrating the power of festival-driven exposure

  • Anticipating the rise of creator-led digital networks

The site preserved these contributions in a form that remains valuable to researchers, critics, and cultural historians.

Legacy and Continued Relevance

Although TheBlackAndSexyMovie.com now exists primarily as an archive, its impact endures. The site stands as a record of how independent filmmakers used digital platforms to bypass traditional gatekeepers.

Its preservation offers insight into early online film promotion, audience engagement, and the evolving landscape of independent Black cinema.

TheBlackAndSexyMovie.com remains a testament to the power of authentic storytelling and the importance of preserving cultural memory in digital form.

TheBlackAndSexyMovie.com