Kwame Kwei-Armah

THE COLLABORATION

Directed by client Kwame Kwei-Armah, produced by Redefine Entertainment

A complex look at the relationship between artists Andy Warhol and Jean Basquiat.

ABOUT Kwame Kwei-Armah

Kwame most recently wrapped his directorial debut THE COLLABORATION, written by Oscar nominee Anthony McCarten, which chronicles the creative relationship between Jean-Michel Basquiat and Andy Warhol, starring Jeremy Pope and Paul Bettany. Previously, he wrote THE SAINT for Paramount and Di Bonaventura with Rege-Jean Page attached to star. Prior to that, Kwame rewrote LIBERTY ROAD with George Tillman directing for Chernin, & 3000 Pictures and ALL RISE, a musical about how Viagra came to market inside Pfizer, which Spike Lee is set to direct.

Inspiration for The Collaboration:

“There was just something about these two iconic artists trying to find who the other is and see themselves in each other that I found really interesting,” he explains. “I'm at the age now that Andy was when this roughly happened. He's the establishment and I run a theater, so I'm seen as part of the establishment, and what's really interesting is that young artists and young directors come up to me all the time, going, ‘I'm going to take your crown,’ and I say, ‘I don't think I have a crown.’ It's interesting seeing yourself as the thing that some people define themself against.” — Kwame Kwei-Armah

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